Signage in the mediaThe MAGA signage panel has been hard at work and their 1000th translation was installed on the 29th January at Marine Drive, Looe.
Some streets were named in Cornish in the 1930s and more still during the later part of the 20th Century. The former Kerrier and Carrick District Councils also erected over 600 signs. It is now estimated that 17% of the signs across Cornwall are in Cornish or are bilingual. The press release was picked up by the Western Morning News and the Plymouth Herald newspapers. Radio stations also requested interviews, including Heart and Radio Cornwall. The media attention was fairly positive. The press release also mentioned that Cornwall Council encourages developers to name new streets in Cornish and in other cases ensure that our streets are named bilingually. In a recent survey in Cornwall 88% of people surveyed were aware of the Cornish language street names whilst almost 80% agreed that our language helps to make Cornwall a distinctive place. The street name project is therefore helping to make this important part of our culture much more visible. It is also playing a useful role in enhancing Cornish distinctiveness, and in developing a “Cornish brand” which is increasingly important for our economy. This was particularly relevant to Taylor Wimpey, who originally proposed “Woodleigh Grange” for their development in Truro. However, Taylor Wimpey decided to change it to Penn An Dre after local residents were given the opportunity to choose its name. The name Penn An Dre was selected following consultation with numerous individuals and organisations including Cornwall Council, Truro City Council and the Cornish Language Partnership. Local dignitaries were invited to a special event at the development, which features a superb range of two to six-bedroom homes, on Friday 31st January when a sign depicting the new name was revealed. Their press release was published in the West Briton on the 27th February. Nev Meek, Chairman of the Place-Name and Street Signage Panel of the Cornish Language Partnership, which is hosted by Cornwall Council, said: “Cornish people have a heartfelt sense of place and a real attachment to their place names, of which the vast majority are in our Cornish language. “It is pleasing to see Taylor Wimpey listen to local feedback and I am delighted that the Cornish name Penn an Dre – ‘Head of the Town’ – has been selected since this precisely fits the location, enhancing the cultural link between people and place, whilst also highlighting the visibility of our fantastic language. “The Cornish Language Partnership look forward to working with Taylor Wimpey and other developers in the future.” Taylor Wimpey have come back to the Signage Panel to look at
some of their other developments and how they can be named
sympathetically. |
Online translation request service
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To mark the occasion, MAGA staff took photos of the
installation and issued a press release. The MAGA press release
mentioned that the 1000th Cornish street sign ‘Marine Drive’ /
‘Rosva Vorek’ was put up in Looe on 29 January 2014. It went on to
state that Cornish language and bi-lingual signage in Cornwall are
nothing new. A few streets in Cornwall were historically named in
Cornish when the language was more widely spoken.