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Article published In: Language Problems and Language Planning
Vol. 49:1 (2025) ► pp.1–24

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The effects of translation on the Revived Cornish literary system

ORCiD logo with link | Universidade de Vigo
Published online: 18 April 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.24058.bax
Abstract
After reviewing the role played by translation for minority languages beyond its basic communicative function, the paper provides an overview of the Cornish language revival and the ensuing spelling conflict together with its body of modern literature. This constitutes the backdrop for the detailed analysis of the key role played by translation in the evolution of modern Cornish literature and by extension the revitalisation process as a whole, covering such aspects as the adult and children’s genres and the source languages as well as the important bearing translation has on the orthographies used. The paper concludes that the reduced scale of Cornish literature, in turn reflecting its low number of speakers, and its heavy reliance on translation render it highly vulnerable to major distortions caused by a very small number of players (translators and publishers) guided by their own personal preferences. This spontaneous dynamic may detract from the potential for translation to reinvigorate the literature available to would-be speakers. A more concerted and coherent translation policy would help boost language planning efforts as a whole.
Berrskrif
An erthygel ma a dhispleg an rann treylyans dhe allos gwari rag yethow minoryta dres y weythres keskomunyans elvennek. Wosa henna, ev a dheskrif dasserghyans an taves Kernewek ha kedrynn an lytherennans keffrys ha’n lien arnowydh. Hemm a re an gettesten rag konvedhes dielvennans manylys a’n rol a vri gwarys gans treylyans yn esplegyans an lien kernewek arnowydh hag ynwedh avel rann an argerdh dasvewans dre vras, ow tadhla tremmynow kepar ha’n eghennow chif ha’n tavasow derowel keffrys hag effeyth an treylyans war furv an lytherennans devnydhys. Sewyans an erthygel yw awos byghander korf an lien ha niver isel a gowsoryon/esow keffrys hag y serghogeth war an treylyans, yth yw an lien Kernewek pur woliadow dhe chanjyow bras kawsys gans niver byghan a elvennow (treylyoryon ha dylloryon) gidys gans aga dewisow aga honan. An studh derayus ma a yll gwanna an galladewder dhe dhasserghi an lien kavadow dhe’n dus a ylli bos Gernewegoryon/esow. Rag henna yma edhom a bolici treylyans kesweythys ha kesklenus rag avonsya assays towlennans yeth dre vras.
Resumo
Post superrigardo de la rolo kiun ludas tradukado por minoritataj lingvoj, preter ties baza komunika funkcio, la referaĵo liveras superrigardon de la kornvala lingvorevivigo kaj la sekva literuma konflikto, kune kun ĝia korpuso de moderna literaturo. Tio konsistigas fonon por detala analizo de la ŝlosila rolo kiun ludis kaj ludas tradukado en la evoluo de moderna kornvala literaturo kaj, sekve de tio, la reviviga procezo kiel tuto, ekde tiaj aspektoj kiaj la plenaĝulaj kaj porinfanaj ĝenroj kaj ties fontolingvoj ĝis la grava influo de tradukado je la uzataj ortografioj. La referaĵo trovas, ke la reduktita skalo de kornvala literaturo, spegulante siavice ĝian limigitan nombron da parolantoj, kaj ĝian fortan dependon je tradukado, igas ĝin aparte vundebla de signifaj mistordoj kaŭzitaj de la malvasta nombro de rolantoj (tradukantoj kaj eldonantoj), gvidataj de la propraj preferoj. Tiu spontana dinamiko povus redukti la potencialon de tradukado por revigligi la literaturon disponeblan al tiuj kiuj deziras lerni la lingvon. Pli komuna kaj kohera traduka politiko helpus fortigi lingvoplanajn klopodojn kiel tuton.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • 1.Translation and minority languages
  • 2.The Cornish language revival
  • 3.An overview of Revived Cornish literature
  • 4.The role of translation in Revived Cornish literature
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

Baxter Ford, Robert Neal
2025. The role played by translation in the current language revitalisation process for Jèrriais and Guernésiais. Current Issues in Language Planning ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo

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