Why I am learning Cornish/ Relevance in Aotearoa, New Zealand
Why I am learning Cornish
I am learning Cornish as I am originally from Cornwall myself, before moving to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2014 when I was twelve with my immediate family. The language has given me the opportunity to reconnect with my roots and where I am from. It is a fun language to speak, with grammar quite like the romance language, however, a bit of a challenge due to my distance away from Cornwall and the small resources online. Despite this, my efforts pay off in the end as it makes me feel complete in my Cornish identity when I speak it. One day I hope to be fluent in the language and pass it onto further generations.
It is relevant to Aotearoa New Zealand as here there is a language that is in a similar situation to Cornish, Te Reo Māori, and by learning Cornish it has opened a new perspective to me, that of indigenous language rights. I now feel a special connection with Te Reo Māori, a connection of language solidarity and whenever I can, I urge New Zealanders to support and learn Te Reo, as it is a key part of the nation we live in and of their identity itself.
Mini Biography
I was born in the northern town of Wigan in 2002, however shortly after, my family and I moved down to Cornwall and that is where I started school and spent my childhood. At the age of twelve, we decided to start a new life on the other side of the world in Aotearoa New Zealand. Though the childhood memories of Cornwall and the wider UK became distant and forgotten, the knowledge of my belonging there did not. And so, due to my interest in Linguistics and languages I decided to delve into Cornish, the Celtic language of where I am from, and the rest is history.