Parlez-Vous Breton? in Brittany

Most place names in Brittany are Breton; the popular term plou means "parish"—this is where the French got the word plouc, meaning "hick." Other common geographical names are coat (forest), mor (sea), aber or aven (estuary), ster (river), and enez (island). Ty and ti, like the French chez, mean "at the house of." While under the radar screen for the most part during the past decade, the Breton Revolutionary Army is a nationalist group committed to preserving Breton culture against French efforts to repress it. Now that everyone agrees that traditional Breton folkways are a priceless boost to tourism and cultural patrimony, this is a common goal shared by many.