Le Gonidec, Jean-Francois

Yan Gonidek ( Bret. Yann Frañsez Vari ar Gonideg ) ( September 4, 1775 , Le Conquet - October 12, 1838 , Paris ) - French linguist who played an important role in the development of the Breton language , sometimes called Tad ar Yezh - "the father of the language."

Jan Gonidek
Yann Frañsez Vari ar Gonideg
Date of Birth	September 4, 1775 ( 1775-09-04 )
Place of Birth	Le Conquet ( Brittany , France )
Date of death	October 12, 1838 ( 1838-10-12 ) (63 years old)
Place of death	Paris (France)
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Le Gonidec was born on September 4, 1775 in the town of Le Conquette in the west of Brittany , in the family of a petty nobleman. From 1787 to 1791 he studied at Trier . He took part in the uprising of the Shuans . Since 1804 he served in the Navy, and later in the Forestry Administration, where he was responsible for the supply of raw materials for the construction of ships. It is known that he lived in Paris , Hamburg , Nancy and Moulins , and later settled in Angouleme .

In 1807 he published the Celtic-Breton Grammar ( Grammaire celto-bretonne ), the second Breton language grammar in history after the Sacred Teaching of Jesus, published in 1659 by Julien Monoir . In 1803 he joined the short-lived Celtic Academy in Paris, which was soon renamed the French Antique Society . In 1821 he published the Celtic-Breton Dictionary, after his death reprinted in 1850 by the writer and collector of Breton folklore Theodore Hersard .

Le Gonidec intended to publish the Breton Bible - in particular, he was guided by the consideration that the publication of the Bible by William Morgan played an important role in preserving the Welsh language . In 1821, he released the Katekiz historik , approved by the church , but his translation of the New Testament was banned and published only in 1827 by one of the English Protestant organizations.

In 1833, Le Gonidec settled in Paris. In 1837, his French-Breton Dictionary was published. On October 12, 1838, Le Gonideck passed away. He was buried in his native Le Conques.

Le Gonidec had a great influence on the development of the Breton national language, in particular because Theodore Harsard , publisher of the collection of ballads Barzaz Braz and a leading authority in the field of Breton language and culture, adopted its spelling reform. In addition, after 1840, with the support of Bishop Camper Joseph-Marie Gravrand, the spelling of Le Gonidek was adopted by the church.