Breton-language media: opportunities and challenges

This article presents findings from a number of interviews carried out with Breton-language professionals regarding their consumption of and participation in media in both Breton and French. The issues raised highlight some of the advantages that media in minoritized languages can offer, as well as the issues they may need to overcome in order to reach wider audiences. In particular, the role of the media is examined with regard to the supposed dichotomy between new and traditional speakers of Breton, showing that aspects related to identity and language activism may be relevant to the former category, but at the same time noting that many speakers may not fit neatly into one category or the other, and that the media can offer a space where these different sections of the community may communicate across the apparent divide. The media can thus potentially function as a context where speakers are able to balance concerns of communication and identity.