brezhoneg

Breton

Etymology

brezhon +‎ -eg

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bʁəˈzɔ̃ːnɛk, bʁəˈzɔ̃ːnək] (Non-Vannetais)
• IPA^(key): [bɾəhɔ̃ˈnek] (Morbihan)

Learners of Breton whose first/primary language is French usually mispronounce Brezhoneg as [bʁezɔˈnɛ:k], since their Breton is acquired visually from writing (via misreading Breton spelling as French spelling) rather than acquired aurally from native speakers (as native speakers of any language typically learn as children from other native speakers). In almost all Breton dialects except Vannetais (with final-syllable stress) the second-last syllable is heavily accented, and any vowel before and after this main stress tends to become centralised. French-speaking learners are usually unaware of this phonological rule and thus replace Breton sounds with French sounds.

Proper noun

brezhoneg m

1. the Breton language

Derived terms

• brezhoneger

Related terms

• brezhonek