Terminological practices on Breton wikis: The role of online communities in the maintenance of French regional languages

Presented on 28 June 2022, at theReies an 28 a vis Efen 2022, ort an 63rd Annual Conference of the Society for French Studies, Queen’s University Belfastpednscol an Vyghternes, Béal Feirste, 27–29 Junea vis Efen.

Abstract

Berrscrif

In the French context, where regional language policy is largely absent on a national level, the potential of online spaces for aiding communities of regional language speakers is significant. This paper considers the case of Breton, a language with a diminishing community of “traditional” speakers and an active community of new speakers, the latter typically characterised as younger, motivated users of Breton who are technologically literate and associated with particular linguistic preferences.

The focus of this paper is the lexicon promoted on the Wikipedia and Wiktionary websites, whose Breton versions are among the best-known and most comprehensive Breton-language internet resources. While both emphasise the value of openness and collaborative authorship, their reliance on anonymity can open up potential for dominance by particular ideologies. In Breton, recommending terminology can be a controversial issue due to the need to accommodate both new and traditional speakers. Although research (Baxter, 2009) has indicated an earlier inclusive approach on Wikipedia, this has since been supplanted by an ideology that favours “standard” Breton.

This paper compares the lexicon promoted on these “bottom-up” sites with the terminology prescribed by the “top-down” body in charge of Breton language planning – the Office public de la langue bretonne – which makes efforts to maintain an inclusive position. It asks: how do the ideologies emerging on Wikipedia and Wiktionary compare with the OPLB’s approach? What does this tell us about the views of this particular online community? What significance, if any, might this have for the future of Breton and the other minoritised languages of France? The paper will include a brief comparison with the work of the Terminology Committee of Foras na Gaeilge.

References

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