Member of the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family; the language of Brittany in France, related to Welsh and Cornish, and descended from the speech of Celts who left Britain as a consequence of the Anglo-Saxon invasions of the 5th and 6th centuries. Officially neglected for centuries, Breton is now a recognized language of France.
Since 1985 Breton has received some encouragement from the central government. The Breton Liberation Movement claims equal status in Brittany for Breton and French.
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