Language/Breton/Vocabulary/Family
Demat, Breton Learners! 😃
➡ In today's lesson you will learn how to write and pronounce some useful words related to "the family" in the Breton language spoken in Brittany (France).
Happy learning!
Breton Vocabulary: ar familh - family
| Brezhoneg (Breton) | English |
|---|---|
| ar gourdad / gourdadoù | ancestor(s) |
| an dud-kozh | grandparents |
| an tad-kozh
ar vamm-gozh (mamm-gozh) |
grandfather
grandmother |
| ma zud | my parents |
| an tad, ma zad | father |
| tadig | dad |
| ar vamm (mamm), ma mamm | mother |
| mammig | mom |
| ar pried, ar gwaz
ar pried, ar wreg |
husband
wife, spouse |
| an den | man |
| ar wreg (gwreg) | woman |
| an aotrou
an itron |
mister
madam |
| ar gerent (kerent) | relatives |
| an eontr | uncle |
| ar voereb (moereb) | aunt |
| an niz
an nizez |
nephew
niece |
| ar c'henderv (kenderv)
ar geniterv (keniterv) |
cousin |
| ar gendirvi (kendirvi) | cousins |
| ar paotr / baotred | boy(s) |
| ar plac'h / plac'hed | girl(s) |
| ar mab / vibien (mibien) | son(s) |
| ar verc'h (merc'h) / merc'hed | daughter(s) |
| ar breur / vreudeur (breudeur) | brother(s) |
| ar c'hoar / c'hoarezed (c'hoarezed) | sister(s) |
| ar gevell / ar c'hevelloù (gevelloù) | twin(s) |
| ar bugel / ar vugale (bugale) | child / children |
| ar babig / ar babigoù | baby / babies |
| an dous | boyfriend
girlfriend |
| ar mignon / ar vignoned (mignoned)
ar vignonez (mignonez) / ar mignonezed |
friend(s) |
| an enebour / enebourien | enemy / enemies |
| ar gweladennour / weladennourien
ar weladennourez |
visitor(s) |
| ar c'houviad (kouviad) | guest |
| ar gouvidi (kouvidi),
an dud pedet |
guests |
| an amezeg / an amezeged, amezeien
an amezegez / an amezegezed |
neighbour |
| ar c'heneil (keneil) / ar c'heneiled (keneiled) | colleague(s) |
| an dud | people |
Family Names in Breton
A LONG STORY
Countless current Breton surnames and first names are personal names or men's names inherited from the past. It is further estimated that two out of three place names have a male name within them. There is, however, a big difference between a first name and a surname. The first results from the choice of the parents while the second is the fruit of a transmission from generation to generation.
Some anthroponyms are very old, others from more recent borrowings. Many refer to the warrior (Gwezhenneg/Guézennec), civil (Mevel) or religious (Manac'h) society of the early Breton Middle Ages. They are regularly found in old cartularies, such as that of Redon (8th-12th centuries). Other names correspond to qualifiers, to human qualities or to defects, physical or moral, to nicknames. Still others come from the names of professions or activities. Among the anthroponyms, there are some that are specific to Brittany, while others are common to many languages in different forms (Ex. Yann/Jean). Some nouns often have a feminine form (Prijant, feminine: ur Brijantez or ur Brijantenn), or plural (ar Foll, pl. ar Follijen). Some names are very common (ar Gall), others very rare and endangered.
A MISTREATED HERITAGE
Like toponymy, this anthroponymic heritage is abused. Most surnames were thus fixed in writing before the 17th century, following the rules of Latin and then of French (edict of Villers-Cotterêts, 1539). The spelled forms often present different variants for the same name, more or less altered. The case of the definite article at the head translated into French is emblematic (Le Bihan, Le Goff, Labat instead of ar Bihan, ar Gov, an Abad, etc.).
The current pronunciation of the name in Breton may also deviate from archaic written forms. In order to respect these anthroponyms, it is important to write them correctly according to the spelling rules of modern Breton, as for place names.
COMMON SURNAMES
The list that we are proposing includes 300 common surnames in their standardized form.
It does not include names of toponymic origin (see KerOfis to conduct research with names in Kêr, Roz, Mez, etc.), nor possible historical or dialectal variants. The definite article is indicated after in parentheses in the nouns for which it may be used.