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The Face on the Building: America’s Palazzo Braschi Moment
In 1934, the Fascist Party Federation draped the facade of Rome’s Palazzo Braschi with an enormous sculpted face of Benito Mussolini, surrounded by the word “SI” repeated in cascading rows. The building sat between Piazza Navona and the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, in the heart of a city that had been shaping political identity through architecture for two thousand years. That face functioned as an instruction. Citizens who walked beneath it understood, whether they could articulate it or not, that the state had claimed the visual field, and that to exist in public space was to exist under observation and under obligation, holding the urban semiotic.
Ninety-two years later, giant banners bearing the face of a sitting American president hang from the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. Each banner is photographed from slightly below, a classic technique in authoritarian portraiture that elongates the jaw and narrows the eyes, producing an expression of surveillance rather than service. Meanwhile, his name has been affixed to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and to the United States Institute of Peace. His signature will appear on American currency. A presidential portrait replaces nature photography on the America the Beautiful national parks pass. And his birthday has been twinned with Flag Day by the Department of the Interior, granting free admission to national parks on April 14 as a celebration of the man rather than the land.
These are facts, and they require no editorial seasoning to alarm anyone who has spent time with the visual history of the twentieth century.
Before sharpening the comparison, though, honesty demands an accounting of the American tradition it descends from. The United States has never been modest about presidential memorialization. Gutzon Borglum carved four presidential faces into a mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota that the Lakota Sioux called Six Grandfathers, a monument to democratic leadership built on stolen land with the enthusiastic participation of a sculptor who attended Ku Klux Klan rallies. Lyndon Johnson named the Kennedy Center for Kennedy partly as a political maneuver to move arts funding legislation through Congress. Franklin Roosevelt’s WPA projects stamped federal iconography onto every post office and courthouse in the country, building a visual vocabulary of state presence that Americans still inhabit without noticing. The impulse to brand public space with presidential identity has a long and bipartisan genealogy.
What Trump is doing, then, sits on a spectrum rather than outside it. The question is whether it occupies an extreme position on a familiar American continuum or whether it has crossed into categorically different territory. Borglum’s mountain honored dead presidents. LBJ’s naming honored an assassinated predecessor. Roosevelt’s WPA murals depicted collective labor, not the president’s own face. In each case, the memorialization was filtered through institutional processes, legislative authorization, or the basic decorum of waiting until the honoree was no longer in office. What distinguishes the current campaign is the erasure of those filters. A sitting president chairing the board that renames a performing arts center after him, then claiming surprise at the vote he orchestrated, is operating by a different set of rules than the ones that governed even the most vainglorious of his predecessors.
Consider the Kennedy Center board that voted unanimously to add Trump’s name: it was composed entirely of his own appointees. At the Institute of Peace, the board was similarly reconstituted before the renaming. Federal agencies under executive authority commissioned the banners on government buildings, and when the USDA initially described one as temporary, the pattern expanded rather than retreated. Add the currency signature, the national parks pass, the birthday celebration, the proposed renaming of Penn Station, Dulles Airport, and the Washington Commanders stadium, the Trump-class battleships, the Trump Accounts, TrumpRx, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity connecting Armenia and Azerbaijan: each item, in isolation, might be dismissed as a peculiar excess. Assembled together, they constitute a program. And the speed of the assembly matters, because personality cults do not arrive fully formed. They accrete.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, the NYU historian and author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, has described the current pattern as the construction of a personality cult. Trump himself, when asked about the namings, has repeatedly denied agency. He claimed surprise at the Kennedy Center vote, said during the State of the Union that nobody believed him but he did not name the Trump Accounts, and repeated the denial for TrumpRx. Senator Adam Schiff published a formal report in September 2025 identifying the banners as violations of federal law and drawing explicit parallels to Mussolini’s facade and to the Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il portraits that adorn government buildings across North Korea. Dr. Emma Briant, a visiting associate professor at the University of Notre Dame who researches propaganda and information warfare, has identified the banners as consistent with the visual grammar of dictatorship. Max Stier, who leads the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, has stated that while political protest is an old tradition in Washington, the use of government resources to promote a single individual has no precedent in American life. Stier’s formulation cuts to the structural question: political leaders, in a democracy, are hired help.
Here, however, a distinction requires careful handling. Mussolini did not deny the face was his. He staged it. Stalin did not feign surprise at the naming of Stalingrad. The open dictatorial claim and the coy denial are different postures, and conflating them sacrifices diagnostic precision. Trump’s repeated insistence that others, acting independently, have chosen to honor him could be read as evidence that the democratic norm of appearing modest still exerts gravitational pull on him, that he still needs to perform the fiction of humility because the audience still expects it. A dictator who no longer needs to perform that fiction is operating from a different position of power. The denial, in other words, may mark a transitional phase rather than an accomplished fact: the leader who still pretends to be embarrassed by the adulation is further along the path than the leader who has never sought it, but he has not yet arrived at the place where the pretense becomes unnecessary. The direction of travel matters more than the current coordinates.
Against this visual program, something unexpected has been happening on the National Mall. An anonymous collective called the Secret Handshake has been installing guerrilla sculptures and banners within sight of the government portraits. In February, they erected a gold-painted statue depicting Trump and Jeffrey Epstein posed as Jack and Rose on the prow of the Titanic, titled “King of the World.” The National Park Service issued a four-day permit for the installation. Crowds gathered. People laughed. They took photographs. Some were offended. On March 31, the collective installed a gold-painted faux-marble toilet near the Lincoln Memorial, titled “A Throne Fit For a King,” mocking the renovation of the White House bathroom attached to the Lincoln Bedroom during a government shutdown.
A separate organization, the Save America Movement, has plastered Washington with posters targeting cabinet members. One shows a photograph of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller with the caption “Fascism Ain’t Pretty.” Another shows Attorney General Pam Bondi with the words “Epstein Queen.”
Mary Corcoran, who runs the Save America Movement, has framed the asymmetry plainly: the administration funds its propaganda with taxpayer dollars, while the opposition funds its counter-imagery with donations.
Now: a reasonable person could look at this guerrilla campaign and argue that its existence disproves the alarm. Mussolini’s Rome never saw an anonymous collective erect a satirical statue of Il Duce outside the Palazzo Braschi and receive a government permit for the trouble. In Stalin’s Moscow, the Save America Movement equivalent would have been shot. Pyongyang renders the entire exercise unimaginable. The four-day permit is, in one reading, proof that American democracy is functioning exactly as designed: the state displays its iconography, citizens mock it, courts adjudicate the disputes, and the carnival continues. Beatty v. Trump is proceeding through federal court. Philip Glass withdrew from Kennedy Center programming and suffered no state reprisal. Every counter-example that can be celebrated as resistance is simultaneously evidence that the system under indictment has not yet collapsed.
This is a fair objection, and the article cannot survive without absorbing it. So let it be absorbed.
Whether the American system has already become a dictatorship has always been the wrong question. What matters is whether the distance between the current trajectory and that destination is shrinking, and how citizens would know the difference between a contested public sphere that reflects democratic health and a contested public sphere that reflects a transitional phase between open society and closed one. Every authoritarian state passed through a period in which satirical statues could still be erected, in which permits were still granted, in which courts still heard challenges to executive overreach. The Weimar Republic had the most ferocious satirical press in Europe. It had George Grosz and John Heartfield and Kurt Tucholsky and a judiciary that, for a time, still functioned. Permits were issued. Magazines were published. And then they were not.
The permit is not the answer to the diagnostic question. The permit is the diagnostic question. Is the four-day window for a satirical statue evidence that the system is working, or evidence that the system is still in the phase where opposition is tolerated because it has not yet become threatening enough to suppress? We will not know the answer in real time. We will know it only in retrospect, and by then the knowing will be useless.
And here is where theatrical instinct becomes relevant to political analysis. What is happening on the National Mall is a stage contest. One side has seized the proscenium. It controls the permanent architecture, the lighting, the scale, the vantage points. Guerrilla artists are working from the wings, placing temporary objects designed to be photographed and circulated rather than to endure. State portraiture and monumental sculpture anchor the government’s visual strategy. Carnival, political caricature, and the traditions of Daumier, Gillray, and the Italian commedia dell’arte anchor the opposition’s.
Whether ridicule can defeat monumentalism is the open question. Historical evidence offers mixed answers. Daumier was imprisoned for his caricatures of King Louis-Philippe. Weimar Germany’s satirical press produced some of the most brilliant political art of the twentieth century and failed to prevent the rise of the Third Reich. Vaclav Havel, however, argued that humor and absurdity were essential tools of resistance under totalitarianism, that refusing to take the regime’s self-image seriously was itself a political act eroding the regime’s authority. Czech dissidents, from Havel’s essays to the work of the Plastic People of the Universe, demonstrated that a state’s control of the visual field could be undermined by the persistence of an alternative aesthetic. But Havel also spent years in prison before his persistence paid off, and Czechoslovakia’s liberation owed as much to the structural collapse of the Soviet Union as to the courage of its artists.
What makes Washington different is that the contest is happening in real time, in the same physical space, and it is mediated by the technology that makes the personality cult possible in the first place. A two-story banner goes up. A satirical statue appears within the banner’s sightline. Visitors photograph the juxtaposition and post it to social media, where the image circulates to millions of people who will never visit the Mall. Statues vanish after four days; photographs persist on millions of screens without expiration dates. Official banners carry the weight of authority, while the crowd’s editorial framing, captured in a single snapshot posted from a phone, carries the weight of witness. In the economy of attention, the guerrilla image may travel farther and lodge more durably in memory than the state image, precisely because it is funnier, stranger, and more human.
None of this means the guerrilla artists are winning. Banners still hang. The name still sits on the Kennedy Center, despite active litigation (Beatty v. Trump, as of March 2026, remains ongoing) and despite a federal statute designating the Center as the sole national memorial to John F. Kennedy in the capital and prohibiting renaming without an act of Congress. Performers who withdrew from Kennedy Center programming after the renaming, including the composer Philip Glass, understood that the building itself had been conscripted into a narrative they could not endorse through participation.
Architecture has always carried political meaning, and the National Mall was designed to embody democratic ideals through spatial openness, axial symmetry, and the subordination of individual identity to collective memory. Monuments there honor presidents who are dead. Memorials mark wars that are concluded. Museums house the patrimony of a nation, curated by institutions that are, at least in theory, independent of the sitting executive. Hanging a living president’s face from government buildings along the Mall ruptures the design logic of the space, superimposing the living ruler onto a landscape conceived for the contemplation of shared sacrifice and historical distance.
When the White House responded to criticism by stating that the president is focused on saving the country rather than garnering recognition, the statement performed its own negation. A president focused on the country rather than recognition does not hang his face on the Department of Justice, does not chair the board that renames a national performing arts center after him, and does not then express surprise at the outcome.
We have been here before, and we have not been here before. The Palazzo Braschi face came down. Mussolini’s SI ballots were counted and discarded. Il Duce ended hanging by his ankles at a gas station in Milan. History does not replay mechanically, though certain patterns of self-display are diagnostic. When a leader begins claiming public architecture for private glorification, the leader is telling you what he believes about the relationship between the state and himself. That face on the building is a declaration. And in a functioning democracy, citizens who see it are obligated to name what it means, clearly and without apology, while the permit to erect the satirical statue in its shadow still exists, because the day the permit is denied will be the day the argument is settled, and by then, the argument will no longer matter.
#americanTradition #architecture #economy #governmentAdvertising #guerrillaArtists #gutzonBorglum #mussolini #nation #nationalMall #palazzoBraschi #PhilipGlass #politics #promotion #wpa -
The Face on the Building: America’s Palazzo Braschi Moment
In 1934, the Fascist Party Federation draped the facade of Rome’s Palazzo Braschi with an enormous sculpted face of Benito Mussolini, surrounded by the word “SI” repeated in cascading rows. The building sat between Piazza Navona and the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, in the heart of a city that had been shaping political identity through architecture for two thousand years. That face functioned as an instruction. Citizens who walked beneath it understood, whether they could articulate it or not, that the state had claimed the visual field, and that to exist in public space was to exist under observation and under obligation, holding the urban semiotic.
Ninety-two years later, giant banners bearing the face of a sitting American president hang from the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. Each banner is photographed from slightly below, a classic technique in authoritarian portraiture that elongates the jaw and narrows the eyes, producing an expression of surveillance rather than service. Meanwhile, his name has been affixed to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and to the United States Institute of Peace. His signature will appear on American currency. A presidential portrait replaces nature photography on the America the Beautiful national parks pass. And his birthday has been twinned with Flag Day by the Department of the Interior, granting free admission to national parks on April 14 as a celebration of the man rather than the land.
These are facts, and they require no editorial seasoning to alarm anyone who has spent time with the visual history of the twentieth century.
Before sharpening the comparison, though, honesty demands an accounting of the American tradition it descends from. The United States has never been modest about presidential memorialization. Gutzon Borglum carved four presidential faces into a mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota that the Lakota Sioux called Six Grandfathers, a monument to democratic leadership built on stolen land with the enthusiastic participation of a sculptor who attended Ku Klux Klan rallies. Lyndon Johnson named the Kennedy Center for Kennedy partly as a political maneuver to move arts funding legislation through Congress. Franklin Roosevelt’s WPA projects stamped federal iconography onto every post office and courthouse in the country, building a visual vocabulary of state presence that Americans still inhabit without noticing. The impulse to brand public space with presidential identity has a long and bipartisan genealogy.
What Trump is doing, then, sits on a spectrum rather than outside it. The question is whether it occupies an extreme position on a familiar American continuum or whether it has crossed into categorically different territory. Borglum’s mountain honored dead presidents. LBJ’s naming honored an assassinated predecessor. Roosevelt’s WPA murals depicted collective labor, not the president’s own face. In each case, the memorialization was filtered through institutional processes, legislative authorization, or the basic decorum of waiting until the honoree was no longer in office. What distinguishes the current campaign is the erasure of those filters. A sitting president chairing the board that renames a performing arts center after him, then claiming surprise at the vote he orchestrated, is operating by a different set of rules than the ones that governed even the most vainglorious of his predecessors.
Consider the Kennedy Center board that voted unanimously to add Trump’s name: it was composed entirely of his own appointees. At the Institute of Peace, the board was similarly reconstituted before the renaming. Federal agencies under executive authority commissioned the banners on government buildings, and when the USDA initially described one as temporary, the pattern expanded rather than retreated. Add the currency signature, the national parks pass, the birthday celebration, the proposed renaming of Penn Station, Dulles Airport, and the Washington Commanders stadium, the Trump-class battleships, the Trump Accounts, TrumpRx, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity connecting Armenia and Azerbaijan: each item, in isolation, might be dismissed as a peculiar excess. Assembled together, they constitute a program. And the speed of the assembly matters, because personality cults do not arrive fully formed. They accrete.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, the NYU historian and author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, has described the current pattern as the construction of a personality cult. Trump himself, when asked about the namings, has repeatedly denied agency. He claimed surprise at the Kennedy Center vote, said during the State of the Union that nobody believed him but he did not name the Trump Accounts, and repeated the denial for TrumpRx. Senator Adam Schiff published a formal report in September 2025 identifying the banners as violations of federal law and drawing explicit parallels to Mussolini’s facade and to the Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il portraits that adorn government buildings across North Korea. Dr. Emma Briant, a visiting associate professor at the University of Notre Dame who researches propaganda and information warfare, has identified the banners as consistent with the visual grammar of dictatorship. Max Stier, who leads the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, has stated that while political protest is an old tradition in Washington, the use of government resources to promote a single individual has no precedent in American life. Stier’s formulation cuts to the structural question: political leaders, in a democracy, are hired help.
Here, however, a distinction requires careful handling. Mussolini did not deny the face was his. He staged it. Stalin did not feign surprise at the naming of Stalingrad. The open dictatorial claim and the coy denial are different postures, and conflating them sacrifices diagnostic precision. Trump’s repeated insistence that others, acting independently, have chosen to honor him could be read as evidence that the democratic norm of appearing modest still exerts gravitational pull on him, that he still needs to perform the fiction of humility because the audience still expects it. A dictator who no longer needs to perform that fiction is operating from a different position of power. The denial, in other words, may mark a transitional phase rather than an accomplished fact: the leader who still pretends to be embarrassed by the adulation is further along the path than the leader who has never sought it, but he has not yet arrived at the place where the pretense becomes unnecessary. The direction of travel matters more than the current coordinates.
Against this visual program, something unexpected has been happening on the National Mall. An anonymous collective called the Secret Handshake has been installing guerrilla sculptures and banners within sight of the government portraits. In February, they erected a gold-painted statue depicting Trump and Jeffrey Epstein posed as Jack and Rose on the prow of the Titanic, titled “King of the World.” The National Park Service issued a four-day permit for the installation. Crowds gathered. People laughed. They took photographs. Some were offended. On March 31, the collective installed a gold-painted faux-marble toilet near the Lincoln Memorial, titled “A Throne Fit For a King,” mocking the renovation of the White House bathroom attached to the Lincoln Bedroom during a government shutdown.
A separate organization, the Save America Movement, has plastered Washington with posters targeting cabinet members. One shows a photograph of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller with the caption “Fascism Ain’t Pretty.” Another shows Attorney General Pam Bondi with the words “Epstein Queen.”
Mary Corcoran, who runs the Save America Movement, has framed the asymmetry plainly: the administration funds its propaganda with taxpayer dollars, while the opposition funds its counter-imagery with donations.
Now: a reasonable person could look at this guerrilla campaign and argue that its existence disproves the alarm. Mussolini’s Rome never saw an anonymous collective erect a satirical statue of Il Duce outside the Palazzo Braschi and receive a government permit for the trouble. In Stalin’s Moscow, the Save America Movement equivalent would have been shot. Pyongyang renders the entire exercise unimaginable. The four-day permit is, in one reading, proof that American democracy is functioning exactly as designed: the state displays its iconography, citizens mock it, courts adjudicate the disputes, and the carnival continues. Beatty v. Trump is proceeding through federal court. Philip Glass withdrew from Kennedy Center programming and suffered no state reprisal. Every counter-example that can be celebrated as resistance is simultaneously evidence that the system under indictment has not yet collapsed.
This is a fair objection, and the article cannot survive without absorbing it. So let it be absorbed.
Whether the American system has already become a dictatorship has always been the wrong question. What matters is whether the distance between the current trajectory and that destination is shrinking, and how citizens would know the difference between a contested public sphere that reflects democratic health and a contested public sphere that reflects a transitional phase between open society and closed one. Every authoritarian state passed through a period in which satirical statues could still be erected, in which permits were still granted, in which courts still heard challenges to executive overreach. The Weimar Republic had the most ferocious satirical press in Europe. It had George Grosz and John Heartfield and Kurt Tucholsky and a judiciary that, for a time, still functioned. Permits were issued. Magazines were published. And then they were not.
The permit is not the answer to the diagnostic question. The permit is the diagnostic question. Is the four-day window for a satirical statue evidence that the system is working, or evidence that the system is still in the phase where opposition is tolerated because it has not yet become threatening enough to suppress? We will not know the answer in real time. We will know it only in retrospect, and by then the knowing will be useless.
And here is where theatrical instinct becomes relevant to political analysis. What is happening on the National Mall is a stage contest. One side has seized the proscenium. It controls the permanent architecture, the lighting, the scale, the vantage points. Guerrilla artists are working from the wings, placing temporary objects designed to be photographed and circulated rather than to endure. State portraiture and monumental sculpture anchor the government’s visual strategy. Carnival, political caricature, and the traditions of Daumier, Gillray, and the Italian commedia dell’arte anchor the opposition’s.
Whether ridicule can defeat monumentalism is the open question. Historical evidence offers mixed answers. Daumier was imprisoned for his caricatures of King Louis-Philippe. Weimar Germany’s satirical press produced some of the most brilliant political art of the twentieth century and failed to prevent the rise of the Third Reich. Vaclav Havel, however, argued that humor and absurdity were essential tools of resistance under totalitarianism, that refusing to take the regime’s self-image seriously was itself a political act eroding the regime’s authority. Czech dissidents, from Havel’s essays to the work of the Plastic People of the Universe, demonstrated that a state’s control of the visual field could be undermined by the persistence of an alternative aesthetic. But Havel also spent years in prison before his persistence paid off, and Czechoslovakia’s liberation owed as much to the structural collapse of the Soviet Union as to the courage of its artists.
What makes Washington different is that the contest is happening in real time, in the same physical space, and it is mediated by the technology that makes the personality cult possible in the first place. A two-story banner goes up. A satirical statue appears within the banner’s sightline. Visitors photograph the juxtaposition and post it to social media, where the image circulates to millions of people who will never visit the Mall. Statues vanish after four days; photographs persist on millions of screens without expiration dates. Official banners carry the weight of authority, while the crowd’s editorial framing, captured in a single snapshot posted from a phone, carries the weight of witness. In the economy of attention, the guerrilla image may travel farther and lodge more durably in memory than the state image, precisely because it is funnier, stranger, and more human.
None of this means the guerrilla artists are winning. Banners still hang. The name still sits on the Kennedy Center, despite active litigation (Beatty v. Trump, as of March 2026, remains ongoing) and despite a federal statute designating the Center as the sole national memorial to John F. Kennedy in the capital and prohibiting renaming without an act of Congress. Performers who withdrew from Kennedy Center programming after the renaming, including the composer Philip Glass, understood that the building itself had been conscripted into a narrative they could not endorse through participation.
Architecture has always carried political meaning, and the National Mall was designed to embody democratic ideals through spatial openness, axial symmetry, and the subordination of individual identity to collective memory. Monuments there honor presidents who are dead. Memorials mark wars that are concluded. Museums house the patrimony of a nation, curated by institutions that are, at least in theory, independent of the sitting executive. Hanging a living president’s face from government buildings along the Mall ruptures the design logic of the space, superimposing the living ruler onto a landscape conceived for the contemplation of shared sacrifice and historical distance.
When the White House responded to criticism by stating that the president is focused on saving the country rather than garnering recognition, the statement performed its own negation. A president focused on the country rather than recognition does not hang his face on the Department of Justice, does not chair the board that renames a national performing arts center after him, and does not then express surprise at the outcome.
We have been here before, and we have not been here before. The Palazzo Braschi face came down. Mussolini’s SI ballots were counted and discarded. Il Duce ended hanging by his ankles at a gas station in Milan. History does not replay mechanically, though certain patterns of self-display are diagnostic. When a leader begins claiming public architecture for private glorification, the leader is telling you what he believes about the relationship between the state and himself. That face on the building is a declaration. And in a functioning democracy, citizens who see it are obligated to name what it means, clearly and without apology, while the permit to erect the satirical statue in its shadow still exists, because the day the permit is denied will be the day the argument is settled, and by then, the argument will no longer matter.
#americanTradition #architecture #economy #governmentAdvertising #guerrillaArtists #gutzonBorglum #mussolini #nation #nationalMall #palazzoBraschi #PhilipGlass #politics #promotion #wpa -
The Face on the Building: America’s Palazzo Braschi Moment
In 1934, the Fascist Party Federation draped the facade of Rome’s Palazzo Braschi with an enormous sculpted face of Benito Mussolini, surrounded by the word “SI” repeated in cascading rows. The building sat between Piazza Navona and the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, in the heart of a city that had been shaping political identity through architecture for two thousand years. That face functioned as an instruction. Citizens who walked beneath it understood, whether they could articulate it or not, that the state had claimed the visual field, and that to exist in public space was to exist under observation and under obligation, holding the urban semiotic.
Ninety-two years later, giant banners bearing the face of a sitting American president hang from the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. Each banner is photographed from slightly below, a classic technique in authoritarian portraiture that elongates the jaw and narrows the eyes, producing an expression of surveillance rather than service. Meanwhile, his name has been affixed to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and to the United States Institute of Peace. His signature will appear on American currency. A presidential portrait replaces nature photography on the America the Beautiful national parks pass. And his birthday has been twinned with Flag Day by the Department of the Interior, granting free admission to national parks on April 14 as a celebration of the man rather than the land.
These are facts, and they require no editorial seasoning to alarm anyone who has spent time with the visual history of the twentieth century.
Before sharpening the comparison, though, honesty demands an accounting of the American tradition it descends from. The United States has never been modest about presidential memorialization. Gutzon Borglum carved four presidential faces into a mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota that the Lakota Sioux called Six Grandfathers, a monument to democratic leadership built on stolen land with the enthusiastic participation of a sculptor who attended Ku Klux Klan rallies. Lyndon Johnson named the Kennedy Center for Kennedy partly as a political maneuver to move arts funding legislation through Congress. Franklin Roosevelt’s WPA projects stamped federal iconography onto every post office and courthouse in the country, building a visual vocabulary of state presence that Americans still inhabit without noticing. The impulse to brand public space with presidential identity has a long and bipartisan genealogy.
What Trump is doing, then, sits on a spectrum rather than outside it. The question is whether it occupies an extreme position on a familiar American continuum or whether it has crossed into categorically different territory. Borglum’s mountain honored dead presidents. LBJ’s naming honored an assassinated predecessor. Roosevelt’s WPA murals depicted collective labor, not the president’s own face. In each case, the memorialization was filtered through institutional processes, legislative authorization, or the basic decorum of waiting until the honoree was no longer in office. What distinguishes the current campaign is the erasure of those filters. A sitting president chairing the board that renames a performing arts center after him, then claiming surprise at the vote he orchestrated, is operating by a different set of rules than the ones that governed even the most vainglorious of his predecessors.
Consider the Kennedy Center board that voted unanimously to add Trump’s name: it was composed entirely of his own appointees. At the Institute of Peace, the board was similarly reconstituted before the renaming. Federal agencies under executive authority commissioned the banners on government buildings, and when the USDA initially described one as temporary, the pattern expanded rather than retreated. Add the currency signature, the national parks pass, the birthday celebration, the proposed renaming of Penn Station, Dulles Airport, and the Washington Commanders stadium, the Trump-class battleships, the Trump Accounts, TrumpRx, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity connecting Armenia and Azerbaijan: each item, in isolation, might be dismissed as a peculiar excess. Assembled together, they constitute a program. And the speed of the assembly matters, because personality cults do not arrive fully formed. They accrete.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, the NYU historian and author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, has described the current pattern as the construction of a personality cult. Trump himself, when asked about the namings, has repeatedly denied agency. He claimed surprise at the Kennedy Center vote, said during the State of the Union that nobody believed him but he did not name the Trump Accounts, and repeated the denial for TrumpRx. Senator Adam Schiff published a formal report in September 2025 identifying the banners as violations of federal law and drawing explicit parallels to Mussolini’s facade and to the Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il portraits that adorn government buildings across North Korea. Dr. Emma Briant, a visiting associate professor at the University of Notre Dame who researches propaganda and information warfare, has identified the banners as consistent with the visual grammar of dictatorship. Max Stier, who leads the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, has stated that while political protest is an old tradition in Washington, the use of government resources to promote a single individual has no precedent in American life. Stier’s formulation cuts to the structural question: political leaders, in a democracy, are hired help.
Here, however, a distinction requires careful handling. Mussolini did not deny the face was his. He staged it. Stalin did not feign surprise at the naming of Stalingrad. The open dictatorial claim and the coy denial are different postures, and conflating them sacrifices diagnostic precision. Trump’s repeated insistence that others, acting independently, have chosen to honor him could be read as evidence that the democratic norm of appearing modest still exerts gravitational pull on him, that he still needs to perform the fiction of humility because the audience still expects it. A dictator who no longer needs to perform that fiction is operating from a different position of power. The denial, in other words, may mark a transitional phase rather than an accomplished fact: the leader who still pretends to be embarrassed by the adulation is further along the path than the leader who has never sought it, but he has not yet arrived at the place where the pretense becomes unnecessary. The direction of travel matters more than the current coordinates.
Against this visual program, something unexpected has been happening on the National Mall. An anonymous collective called the Secret Handshake has been installing guerrilla sculptures and banners within sight of the government portraits. In February, they erected a gold-painted statue depicting Trump and Jeffrey Epstein posed as Jack and Rose on the prow of the Titanic, titled “King of the World.” The National Park Service issued a four-day permit for the installation. Crowds gathered. People laughed. They took photographs. Some were offended. On March 31, the collective installed a gold-painted faux-marble toilet near the Lincoln Memorial, titled “A Throne Fit For a King,” mocking the renovation of the White House bathroom attached to the Lincoln Bedroom during a government shutdown.
A separate organization, the Save America Movement, has plastered Washington with posters targeting cabinet members. One shows a photograph of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller with the caption “Fascism Ain’t Pretty.” Another shows Attorney General Pam Bondi with the words “Epstein Queen.”
Mary Corcoran, who runs the Save America Movement, has framed the asymmetry plainly: the administration funds its propaganda with taxpayer dollars, while the opposition funds its counter-imagery with donations.
Now: a reasonable person could look at this guerrilla campaign and argue that its existence disproves the alarm. Mussolini’s Rome never saw an anonymous collective erect a satirical statue of Il Duce outside the Palazzo Braschi and receive a government permit for the trouble. In Stalin’s Moscow, the Save America Movement equivalent would have been shot. Pyongyang renders the entire exercise unimaginable. The four-day permit is, in one reading, proof that American democracy is functioning exactly as designed: the state displays its iconography, citizens mock it, courts adjudicate the disputes, and the carnival continues. Beatty v. Trump is proceeding through federal court. Philip Glass withdrew from Kennedy Center programming and suffered no state reprisal. Every counter-example that can be celebrated as resistance is simultaneously evidence that the system under indictment has not yet collapsed.
This is a fair objection, and the article cannot survive without absorbing it. So let it be absorbed.
Whether the American system has already become a dictatorship has always been the wrong question. What matters is whether the distance between the current trajectory and that destination is shrinking, and how citizens would know the difference between a contested public sphere that reflects democratic health and a contested public sphere that reflects a transitional phase between open society and closed one. Every authoritarian state passed through a period in which satirical statues could still be erected, in which permits were still granted, in which courts still heard challenges to executive overreach. The Weimar Republic had the most ferocious satirical press in Europe. It had George Grosz and John Heartfield and Kurt Tucholsky and a judiciary that, for a time, still functioned. Permits were issued. Magazines were published. And then they were not.
The permit is not the answer to the diagnostic question. The permit is the diagnostic question. Is the four-day window for a satirical statue evidence that the system is working, or evidence that the system is still in the phase where opposition is tolerated because it has not yet become threatening enough to suppress? We will not know the answer in real time. We will know it only in retrospect, and by then the knowing will be useless.
And here is where theatrical instinct becomes relevant to political analysis. What is happening on the National Mall is a stage contest. One side has seized the proscenium. It controls the permanent architecture, the lighting, the scale, the vantage points. Guerrilla artists are working from the wings, placing temporary objects designed to be photographed and circulated rather than to endure. State portraiture and monumental sculpture anchor the government’s visual strategy. Carnival, political caricature, and the traditions of Daumier, Gillray, and the Italian commedia dell’arte anchor the opposition’s.
Whether ridicule can defeat monumentalism is the open question. Historical evidence offers mixed answers. Daumier was imprisoned for his caricatures of King Louis-Philippe. Weimar Germany’s satirical press produced some of the most brilliant political art of the twentieth century and failed to prevent the rise of the Third Reich. Vaclav Havel, however, argued that humor and absurdity were essential tools of resistance under totalitarianism, that refusing to take the regime’s self-image seriously was itself a political act eroding the regime’s authority. Czech dissidents, from Havel’s essays to the work of the Plastic People of the Universe, demonstrated that a state’s control of the visual field could be undermined by the persistence of an alternative aesthetic. But Havel also spent years in prison before his persistence paid off, and Czechoslovakia’s liberation owed as much to the structural collapse of the Soviet Union as to the courage of its artists.
What makes Washington different is that the contest is happening in real time, in the same physical space, and it is mediated by the technology that makes the personality cult possible in the first place. A two-story banner goes up. A satirical statue appears within the banner’s sightline. Visitors photograph the juxtaposition and post it to social media, where the image circulates to millions of people who will never visit the Mall. Statues vanish after four days; photographs persist on millions of screens without expiration dates. Official banners carry the weight of authority, while the crowd’s editorial framing, captured in a single snapshot posted from a phone, carries the weight of witness. In the economy of attention, the guerrilla image may travel farther and lodge more durably in memory than the state image, precisely because it is funnier, stranger, and more human.
None of this means the guerrilla artists are winning. Banners still hang. The name still sits on the Kennedy Center, despite active litigation (Beatty v. Trump, as of March 2026, remains ongoing) and despite a federal statute designating the Center as the sole national memorial to John F. Kennedy in the capital and prohibiting renaming without an act of Congress. Performers who withdrew from Kennedy Center programming after the renaming, including the composer Philip Glass, understood that the building itself had been conscripted into a narrative they could not endorse through participation.
Architecture has always carried political meaning, and the National Mall was designed to embody democratic ideals through spatial openness, axial symmetry, and the subordination of individual identity to collective memory. Monuments there honor presidents who are dead. Memorials mark wars that are concluded. Museums house the patrimony of a nation, curated by institutions that are, at least in theory, independent of the sitting executive. Hanging a living president’s face from government buildings along the Mall ruptures the design logic of the space, superimposing the living ruler onto a landscape conceived for the contemplation of shared sacrifice and historical distance.
When the White House responded to criticism by stating that the president is focused on saving the country rather than garnering recognition, the statement performed its own negation. A president focused on the country rather than recognition does not hang his face on the Department of Justice, does not chair the board that renames a national performing arts center after him, and does not then express surprise at the outcome.
We have been here before, and we have not been here before. The Palazzo Braschi face came down. Mussolini’s SI ballots were counted and discarded. Il Duce ended hanging by his ankles at a gas station in Milan. History does not replay mechanically, though certain patterns of self-display are diagnostic. When a leader begins claiming public architecture for private glorification, the leader is telling you what he believes about the relationship between the state and himself. That face on the building is a declaration. And in a functioning democracy, citizens who see it are obligated to name what it means, clearly and without apology, while the permit to erect the satirical statue in its shadow still exists, because the day the permit is denied will be the day the argument is settled, and by then, the argument will no longer matter.
#americanTradition #architecture #economy #governmentAdvertising #guerrillaArtists #gutzonBorglum #mussolini #nation #nationalMall #palazzoBraschi #PhilipGlass #politics #promotion #wpa -
The Face on the Building: America’s Palazzo Braschi Moment
In 1934, the Fascist Party Federation draped the facade of Rome’s Palazzo Braschi with an enormous sculpted face of Benito Mussolini, surrounded by the word “SI” repeated in cascading rows. The building sat between Piazza Navona and the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, in the heart of a city that had been shaping political identity through architecture for two thousand years. That face functioned as an instruction. Citizens who walked beneath it understood, whether they could articulate it or not, that the state had claimed the visual field, and that to exist in public space was to exist under observation and under obligation, holding the urban semiotic.
Ninety-two years later, giant banners bearing the face of a sitting American president hang from the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. Each banner is photographed from slightly below, a classic technique in authoritarian portraiture that elongates the jaw and narrows the eyes, producing an expression of surveillance rather than service. Meanwhile, his name has been affixed to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and to the United States Institute of Peace. His signature will appear on American currency. A presidential portrait replaces nature photography on the America the Beautiful national parks pass. And his birthday has been twinned with Flag Day by the Department of the Interior, granting free admission to national parks on April 14 as a celebration of the man rather than the land.
These are facts, and they require no editorial seasoning to alarm anyone who has spent time with the visual history of the twentieth century.
Before sharpening the comparison, though, honesty demands an accounting of the American tradition it descends from. The United States has never been modest about presidential memorialization. Gutzon Borglum carved four presidential faces into a mountain in the Black Hills of South Dakota that the Lakota Sioux called Six Grandfathers, a monument to democratic leadership built on stolen land with the enthusiastic participation of a sculptor who attended Ku Klux Klan rallies. Lyndon Johnson named the Kennedy Center for Kennedy partly as a political maneuver to move arts funding legislation through Congress. Franklin Roosevelt’s WPA projects stamped federal iconography onto every post office and courthouse in the country, building a visual vocabulary of state presence that Americans still inhabit without noticing. The impulse to brand public space with presidential identity has a long and bipartisan genealogy.
What Trump is doing, then, sits on a spectrum rather than outside it. The question is whether it occupies an extreme position on a familiar American continuum or whether it has crossed into categorically different territory. Borglum’s mountain honored dead presidents. LBJ’s naming honored an assassinated predecessor. Roosevelt’s WPA murals depicted collective labor, not the president’s own face. In each case, the memorialization was filtered through institutional processes, legislative authorization, or the basic decorum of waiting until the honoree was no longer in office. What distinguishes the current campaign is the erasure of those filters. A sitting president chairing the board that renames a performing arts center after him, then claiming surprise at the vote he orchestrated, is operating by a different set of rules than the ones that governed even the most vainglorious of his predecessors.
Consider the Kennedy Center board that voted unanimously to add Trump’s name: it was composed entirely of his own appointees. At the Institute of Peace, the board was similarly reconstituted before the renaming. Federal agencies under executive authority commissioned the banners on government buildings, and when the USDA initially described one as temporary, the pattern expanded rather than retreated. Add the currency signature, the national parks pass, the birthday celebration, the proposed renaming of Penn Station, Dulles Airport, and the Washington Commanders stadium, the Trump-class battleships, the Trump Accounts, TrumpRx, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity connecting Armenia and Azerbaijan: each item, in isolation, might be dismissed as a peculiar excess. Assembled together, they constitute a program. And the speed of the assembly matters, because personality cults do not arrive fully formed. They accrete.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, the NYU historian and author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, has described the current pattern as the construction of a personality cult. Trump himself, when asked about the namings, has repeatedly denied agency. He claimed surprise at the Kennedy Center vote, said during the State of the Union that nobody believed him but he did not name the Trump Accounts, and repeated the denial for TrumpRx. Senator Adam Schiff published a formal report in September 2025 identifying the banners as violations of federal law and drawing explicit parallels to Mussolini’s facade and to the Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il portraits that adorn government buildings across North Korea. Dr. Emma Briant, a visiting associate professor at the University of Notre Dame who researches propaganda and information warfare, has identified the banners as consistent with the visual grammar of dictatorship. Max Stier, who leads the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, has stated that while political protest is an old tradition in Washington, the use of government resources to promote a single individual has no precedent in American life. Stier’s formulation cuts to the structural question: political leaders, in a democracy, are hired help.
Here, however, a distinction requires careful handling. Mussolini did not deny the face was his. He staged it. Stalin did not feign surprise at the naming of Stalingrad. The open dictatorial claim and the coy denial are different postures, and conflating them sacrifices diagnostic precision. Trump’s repeated insistence that others, acting independently, have chosen to honor him could be read as evidence that the democratic norm of appearing modest still exerts gravitational pull on him, that he still needs to perform the fiction of humility because the audience still expects it. A dictator who no longer needs to perform that fiction is operating from a different position of power. The denial, in other words, may mark a transitional phase rather than an accomplished fact: the leader who still pretends to be embarrassed by the adulation is further along the path than the leader who has never sought it, but he has not yet arrived at the place where the pretense becomes unnecessary. The direction of travel matters more than the current coordinates.
Against this visual program, something unexpected has been happening on the National Mall. An anonymous collective called the Secret Handshake has been installing guerrilla sculptures and banners within sight of the government portraits. In February, they erected a gold-painted statue depicting Trump and Jeffrey Epstein posed as Jack and Rose on the prow of the Titanic, titled “King of the World.” The National Park Service issued a four-day permit for the installation. Crowds gathered. People laughed. They took photographs. Some were offended. On March 31, the collective installed a gold-painted faux-marble toilet near the Lincoln Memorial, titled “A Throne Fit For a King,” mocking the renovation of the White House bathroom attached to the Lincoln Bedroom during a government shutdown.
A separate organization, the Save America Movement, has plastered Washington with posters targeting cabinet members. One shows a photograph of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller with the caption “Fascism Ain’t Pretty.” Another shows Attorney General Pam Bondi with the words “Epstein Queen.”
Mary Corcoran, who runs the Save America Movement, has framed the asymmetry plainly: the administration funds its propaganda with taxpayer dollars, while the opposition funds its counter-imagery with donations.
Now: a reasonable person could look at this guerrilla campaign and argue that its existence disproves the alarm. Mussolini’s Rome never saw an anonymous collective erect a satirical statue of Il Duce outside the Palazzo Braschi and receive a government permit for the trouble. In Stalin’s Moscow, the Save America Movement equivalent would have been shot. Pyongyang renders the entire exercise unimaginable. The four-day permit is, in one reading, proof that American democracy is functioning exactly as designed: the state displays its iconography, citizens mock it, courts adjudicate the disputes, and the carnival continues. Beatty v. Trump is proceeding through federal court. Philip Glass withdrew from Kennedy Center programming and suffered no state reprisal. Every counter-example that can be celebrated as resistance is simultaneously evidence that the system under indictment has not yet collapsed.
This is a fair objection, and the article cannot survive without absorbing it. So let it be absorbed.
Whether the American system has already become a dictatorship has always been the wrong question. What matters is whether the distance between the current trajectory and that destination is shrinking, and how citizens would know the difference between a contested public sphere that reflects democratic health and a contested public sphere that reflects a transitional phase between open society and closed one. Every authoritarian state passed through a period in which satirical statues could still be erected, in which permits were still granted, in which courts still heard challenges to executive overreach. The Weimar Republic had the most ferocious satirical press in Europe. It had George Grosz and John Heartfield and Kurt Tucholsky and a judiciary that, for a time, still functioned. Permits were issued. Magazines were published. And then they were not.
The permit is not the answer to the diagnostic question. The permit is the diagnostic question. Is the four-day window for a satirical statue evidence that the system is working, or evidence that the system is still in the phase where opposition is tolerated because it has not yet become threatening enough to suppress? We will not know the answer in real time. We will know it only in retrospect, and by then the knowing will be useless.
And here is where theatrical instinct becomes relevant to political analysis. What is happening on the National Mall is a stage contest. One side has seized the proscenium. It controls the permanent architecture, the lighting, the scale, the vantage points. Guerrilla artists are working from the wings, placing temporary objects designed to be photographed and circulated rather than to endure. State portraiture and monumental sculpture anchor the government’s visual strategy. Carnival, political caricature, and the traditions of Daumier, Gillray, and the Italian commedia dell’arte anchor the opposition’s.
Whether ridicule can defeat monumentalism is the open question. Historical evidence offers mixed answers. Daumier was imprisoned for his caricatures of King Louis-Philippe. Weimar Germany’s satirical press produced some of the most brilliant political art of the twentieth century and failed to prevent the rise of the Third Reich. Vaclav Havel, however, argued that humor and absurdity were essential tools of resistance under totalitarianism, that refusing to take the regime’s self-image seriously was itself a political act eroding the regime’s authority. Czech dissidents, from Havel’s essays to the work of the Plastic People of the Universe, demonstrated that a state’s control of the visual field could be undermined by the persistence of an alternative aesthetic. But Havel also spent years in prison before his persistence paid off, and Czechoslovakia’s liberation owed as much to the structural collapse of the Soviet Union as to the courage of its artists.
What makes Washington different is that the contest is happening in real time, in the same physical space, and it is mediated by the technology that makes the personality cult possible in the first place. A two-story banner goes up. A satirical statue appears within the banner’s sightline. Visitors photograph the juxtaposition and post it to social media, where the image circulates to millions of people who will never visit the Mall. Statues vanish after four days; photographs persist on millions of screens without expiration dates. Official banners carry the weight of authority, while the crowd’s editorial framing, captured in a single snapshot posted from a phone, carries the weight of witness. In the economy of attention, the guerrilla image may travel farther and lodge more durably in memory than the state image, precisely because it is funnier, stranger, and more human.
None of this means the guerrilla artists are winning. Banners still hang. The name still sits on the Kennedy Center, despite active litigation (Beatty v. Trump, as of March 2026, remains ongoing) and despite a federal statute designating the Center as the sole national memorial to John F. Kennedy in the capital and prohibiting renaming without an act of Congress. Performers who withdrew from Kennedy Center programming after the renaming, including the composer Philip Glass, understood that the building itself had been conscripted into a narrative they could not endorse through participation.
Architecture has always carried political meaning, and the National Mall was designed to embody democratic ideals through spatial openness, axial symmetry, and the subordination of individual identity to collective memory. Monuments there honor presidents who are dead. Memorials mark wars that are concluded. Museums house the patrimony of a nation, curated by institutions that are, at least in theory, independent of the sitting executive. Hanging a living president’s face from government buildings along the Mall ruptures the design logic of the space, superimposing the living ruler onto a landscape conceived for the contemplation of shared sacrifice and historical distance.
When the White House responded to criticism by stating that the president is focused on saving the country rather than garnering recognition, the statement performed its own negation. A president focused on the country rather than recognition does not hang his face on the Department of Justice, does not chair the board that renames a national performing arts center after him, and does not then express surprise at the outcome.
We have been here before, and we have not been here before. The Palazzo Braschi face came down. Mussolini’s SI ballots were counted and discarded. Il Duce ended hanging by his ankles at a gas station in Milan. History does not replay mechanically, though certain patterns of self-display are diagnostic. When a leader begins claiming public architecture for private glorification, the leader is telling you what he believes about the relationship between the state and himself. That face on the building is a declaration. And in a functioning democracy, citizens who see it are obligated to name what it means, clearly and without apology, while the permit to erect the satirical statue in its shadow still exists, because the day the permit is denied will be the day the argument is settled, and by then, the argument will no longer matter.
#americanTradition #architecture #economy #governmentAdvertising #guerrillaArtists #gutzonBorglum #mussolini #nation #nationalMall #palazzoBraschi #PhilipGlass #politics #promotion #wpa -
Of COURSE Nazi Rally Against One People’s Project, Did Not Go Exactly As Planned!
Claudino G. Petruccelli when DLJ showed up.A NJ neo-Nazi organization, Atlantic Nationalist Club, run by an Uber Eats worker named Claudino G. Petruccelli, who is known for getting caught flat footed in his Nazi capers, could only get ten people to protest outside One People’s Project on Saturday night. But, that was not their only failing. Their plan to meet up at a diner in the next town over was learned by antifascists, including One People’s Project Executive Director Daryle Lamont Jenkins, and when they were confronted by antifascists at the diner, they left without even paying their tab according to workers.
Petruccelli, grew up in an affluent community whose family owns a construction company. In recent years he was the one-time leader of the New Jersey chapter of White Lives Matters, but after arrests, including his own in 2021, another group was created out of the ashes called the Atlantic Nationalist Club (AnaC).
AnaC’s original plan was to protest a church that Petruccelli believed connected to One People’s Project. Most of the ten who joined the protest came from other states. Two came from Pennsylvania, including Quintynn Stark from Lancaster, who has dreams of being a professional skateboarder. (Stark removed his Instagram page then simply made it private, but he can still be seen on the his sponsors PAIN! Skateboards’ page). He reportedly told his parents he was going to drive to a concert in York, Penn., and they didn’t know he was going to New Jersey to participate in a Neo-Nazi rally. Another group was from Staten Island and four came from Connecticut. Only three were from New Jersey, Petruccelli and two others.
Quintynn StarkThe Nazis gathered at the Edison Diner to wait for the Connecticut group to join. When antifascists arrived at the diner, Petruccelli grabbed an empty beer bottle and made threatening remarks to Jenkins and others. Within five minutes of antifascists’ arrival, the Nazis quickly left.
Antifascists waited for them to resurface until they learned that the AnaC members had retreated to a safe space. Petruccelli threw a temper tantrum and demanded to see everyone’s phone to see who had revealed their meetup location. It was almost 11 p.m. when they came to the One People’s Project office and by this time everyone was leaving. Jenkins ridiculed the group and the Nazis chanted for five minutes before leaving with the police following them as they walked to nearby Boyd Park where they have staged many photo ops.
No one was hurt or arrested Saturday night, and AnaC’s actions reflected a fad among hate groups in recent years—having flashmob style rallies to avoid having anyone opposing them. Trying to be clandestine hasn’t always worked for Petruccelli’s and other groups in New Jersey.
Petruccelli first met Jenkins in November 2021 in Princeton, New Jersey, when Petruccelli attempted to affix a White Live Matter sticker in one of the city’s busiest areas and was chased off. Two weeks later, Petruccelli was arrested along with two others when they again tried to post White Lives Matters stickers on sign posts in Somerville, NJ.
One of the two left soon after and reportedly joined another Nazi group called Blood Tribe. The other one, Steve V. Koshlyak is currently being held on charges that have not been made public since his arrest in July, just a few days after Andrew Takhistov was arrested on charges he was part of a plot to destroy a New Jersey energy facility. Takhistov is also an associate of Petruccelli. His friend Nick Mucci is also in jail for trying to attack a benefit show for One People’s Project in Asbury Park, N.J. He was sentenced in September to eight years after pleading out over the summer.
#Antifascist #atlanticNationalistClub #Events #general #HateWatch #news #NJWhiteLivesMatter #NJWLM #NJEHA #reportBack #Republished
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Of COURSE Nazi Rally Against One People’s Project, Did Not Go Exactly As Planned!
Claudino G. Petruccelli when DLJ showed up.A NJ neo-Nazi organization, Atlantic Nationalist Club, run by an Uber Eats worker named Claudino G. Petruccelli, who is known for getting caught flat footed in his Nazi capers, could only get ten people to protest outside One People’s Project on Saturday night. But, that was not their only failing. Their plan to meet up at a diner in the next town over was learned by antifascists, including One People’s Project Executive Director Daryle Lamont Jenkins, and when they were confronted by antifascists at the diner, they left without even paying their tab according to workers.
Petruccelli, grew up in an affluent community whose family owns a construction company. In recent years he was the one-time leader of the New Jersey chapter of White Lives Matters, but after arrests, including his own in 2021, another group was created out of the ashes called the Atlantic Nationalist Club (AnaC).
AnaC’s original plan was to protest a church that Petruccelli believed connected to One People’s Project. Most of the ten who joined the protest came from other states. Two came from Pennsylvania, including Quintynn Stark from Lancaster, who has dreams of being a professional skateboarder. (Stark removed his Instagram page then simply made it private, but he can still be seen on the his sponsors PAIN! Skateboards’ page). He reportedly told his parents he was going to drive to a concert in York, Penn., and they didn’t know he was going to New Jersey to participate in a Neo-Nazi rally. Another group was from Staten Island and four came from Connecticut. Only three were from New Jersey, Petruccelli and two others.
Quintynn StarkThe Nazis gathered at the Edison Diner to wait for the Connecticut group to join. When antifascists arrived at the diner, Petruccelli grabbed an empty beer bottle and made threatening remarks to Jenkins and others. Within five minutes of antifascists’ arrival, the Nazis quickly left.
Antifascists waited for them to resurface until they learned that the AnaC members had retreated to a safe space. Petruccelli threw a temper tantrum and demanded to see everyone’s phone to see who had revealed their meetup location. It was almost 11 p.m. when they came to the One People’s Project office and by this time everyone was leaving. Jenkins ridiculed the group and the Nazis chanted for five minutes before leaving with the police following them as they walked to nearby Boyd Park where they have staged many photo ops.
No one was hurt or arrested Saturday night, and AnaC’s actions reflected a fad among hate groups in recent years—having flashmob style rallies to avoid having anyone opposing them. Trying to be clandestine hasn’t always worked for Petruccelli’s and other groups in New Jersey.
Petruccelli first met Jenkins in November 2021 in Princeton, New Jersey, when Petruccelli attempted to affix a White Live Matter sticker in one of the city’s busiest areas and was chased off. Two weeks later, Petruccelli was arrested along with two others when they again tried to post White Lives Matters stickers on sign posts in Somerville, NJ.
One of the two left soon after and reportedly joined another Nazi group called Blood Tribe. The other one, Steve V. Koshlyak is currently being held on charges that have not been made public since his arrest in July, just a few days after Andrew Takhistov was arrested on charges he was part of a plot to destroy a New Jersey energy facility. Takhistov is also an associate of Petruccelli. His friend Nick Mucci is also in jail for trying to attack a benefit show for One People’s Project in Asbury Park, N.J. He was sentenced in September to eight years after pleading out over the summer.
#Antifascist #atlanticNationalistClub #Events #general #HateWatch #news #NJWhiteLivesMatter #NJWLM #NJEHA #reportBack #Republished
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Of COURSE Nazi Rally Against One People’s Project, Did Not Go Exactly As Planned!
Claudino G. Petruccelli when DLJ showed up.A NJ neo-Nazi organization, Atlantic Nationalist Club, run by an Uber Eats worker named Claudino G. Petruccelli, who is known for getting caught flat footed in his Nazi capers, could only get ten people to protest outside One People’s Project on Saturday night. But, that was not their only failing. Their plan to meet up at a diner in the next town over was learned by antifascists, including One People’s Project Executive Director Daryle Lamont Jenkins, and when they were confronted by antifascists at the diner, they left without even paying their tab according to workers.
Petruccelli, grew up in an affluent community whose family owns a construction company. In recent years he was the one-time leader of the New Jersey chapter of White Lives Matters, but after arrests, including his own in 2021, another group was created out of the ashes called the Atlantic Nationalist Club (AnaC).
AnaC’s original plan was to protest a church that Petruccelli believed connected to One People’s Project. Most of the ten who joined the protest came from other states. Two came from Pennsylvania, including Quintynn Stark from Lancaster, who has dreams of being a professional skateboarder. (Stark removed his Instagram page then simply made it private, but he can still be seen on the his sponsors PAIN! Skateboards’ page). He reportedly told his parents he was going to drive to a concert in York, Penn., and they didn’t know he was going to New Jersey to participate in a Neo-Nazi rally. Another group was from Staten Island and four came from Connecticut. Only three were from New Jersey, Petruccelli and two others.
Quintynn StarkThe Nazis gathered at the Edison Diner to wait for the Connecticut group to join. When antifascists arrived at the diner, Petruccelli grabbed an empty beer bottle and made threatening remarks to Jenkins and others. Within five minutes of antifascists’ arrival, the Nazis quickly left.
Antifascists waited for them to resurface until they learned that the AnaC members had retreated to a safe space. Petruccelli threw a temper tantrum and demanded to see everyone’s phone to see who had revealed their meetup location. It was almost 11 p.m. when they came to the One People’s Project office and by this time everyone was leaving. Jenkins ridiculed the group and the Nazis chanted for five minutes before leaving with the police following them as they walked to nearby Boyd Park where they have staged many photo ops.
No one was hurt or arrested Saturday night, and AnaC’s actions reflected a fad among hate groups in recent years—having flashmob style rallies to avoid having anyone opposing them. Trying to be clandestine hasn’t always worked for Petruccelli’s and other groups in New Jersey.
Petruccelli first met Jenkins in November 2021 in Princeton, New Jersey, when Petruccelli attempted to affix a White Live Matter sticker in one of the city’s busiest areas and was chased off. Two weeks later, Petruccelli was arrested along with two others when they again tried to post White Lives Matters stickers on sign posts in Somerville, NJ.
One of the two left soon after and reportedly joined another Nazi group called Blood Tribe. The other one, Steve V. Koshlyak is currently being held on charges that have not been made public since his arrest in July, just a few days after Andrew Takhistov was arrested on charges he was part of a plot to destroy a New Jersey energy facility. Takhistov is also an associate of Petruccelli. His friend Nick Mucci is also in jail for trying to attack a benefit show for One People’s Project in Asbury Park, N.J. He was sentenced in September to eight years after pleading out over the summer.
#Antifascist #atlanticNationalistClub #Events #general #HateWatch #news #NJWhiteLivesMatter #NJWLM #NJEHA #reportBack #Republished
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Pośród praktycznie niczego, pośród pół i łąk, dumnie stoi jedna z piękniejszych, a może i najpiękniejsza w Polsce romańska świątynia dumnie górująca nad całą okolicą. Była ona świadkiem praktycznie całej historii naszego kraju, a z jej wież patrzy na nas prawie 10 wieków historii. Warto poświęcić dzień, by odwiedzić okolicę, wszak ma ona do zaoferowania kilka ciekawych, historycznych miejsc.
Wcześniej byli benedyktyni
Historia kolegiaty w Tumie łączy się historią najstarszego w Polsce opactwa benedyktynów. Czyli opactwa łęczyckiego, powstałego za sprawą fundującego klasztor Bolesława Chrobrego w 997 roku. Pierwszą głową opactwa był Astryk-Anastazy, jednak zamiast niego postacią najbardziej kojarzoną z tymże opactwem jest jego założyciel, czyliy św. Wojciech.
Wznoszenie kolegiaty w Tumie rozpoczęto na początku lat 40. wielki XII na miejscu wspominanego, działającego pod tumskim grodem opactwa, pod wezwaniem Najświętszej Marii Panny i św. Aleksego. Jego istnienie w roku 1136, poświadcza bulla papieska „abbatia sancte Marie i castello Lancicie”.
Mniej więcej na początku wieku XII zgromadzenie przeniesiono, budowlę rozebrano i poczęto stawiać kolegiatę. Budowę zainicjował prawdopodobnie arcybiskup gnieźnieński Jakub ze Żnina. Warto tutaj zauważyć, że wówczas Łęczyca znajdowała się we władaniu księżnej Salomei, po tym kiedy po śmierci Bolesława Krzywoustego wyodrębniono ją z dzielnicy senioralnej. Jednak inicjatywa budowy kolegiaty w Tumie mogła też należeć do jednego z książąt juniorów, będących synami Salomei i Bolesława. Do tego trzeba założyć, że budowa trwała nie więcej niż dwadzieścia lat, albowiem konsekracja świątyni miała miejsce w roku 1161.Kolegiata sumą innych świątyń
Z konstrukcją obiektu powiązany jest płocki biskup Aleksander, który oprócz budowy kolegiaty w Tumie działał też czynnie przy budowie katedry w Płocku, czy pobliskim Czerwińsku. Więc tutejsza kolegiata poniekąd jest wynikiem połączenia wspomnianych budowli z ówczesną wawelską katedrą.
Konsekracja kolegiaty można by rzec, że odbyła się ze sporym rozmachem, zjechali się kolejno: arcybiskup Janik (Jan Fryfita), wszyscy polscy biskupi i książęta, proceps Bolesław Kędzieżawy, i jego młodsi bracia, Henryk i Kazimierz (obaj byli później znani pod przydomkami Sandomierski i Sprawiedliwy), biskup krakowski Mateusz, wrocławski Walter, oraz kruszwicki Onold.O Borucie co kamienie nosił
Będąc na zewnątrz kolegiaty warto poszukać kamienia z wgłębieniami, podobnież są to wgłębienia pazurów diabła Boruty. Boruta będąc oszukanym przez pewną pannę, nie chciał dopuścić do budowy kolegiaty więc począł ją niszczyć gołymi rękoma. A dokładniej to było to tak.
Pewnego lat a Boruta siedział sobie pod drzewkiem, dokładniej wierzbą płacząca i rozmyślał jakby tu mieszkańcom dokuczyć, w tym też czasie obok tejże wierzby przeszło wielce nadobne dziewczę idące nad strumyk by obmyć nogi. Borucie serce wielce ujęła owa niewiasta i diabeł zakochał się w niej bez pamięci. Zamienił się więc w pięknego młodzieńca i całymi dniami spędzał z nią czas.
Dziewczyna był córką ubogiego rolnika, który to wraz z sąsiadami pewnego dnia postanowił, iż zbudują sobie kościół, i to nie byle jaki kościół, więc potrzeba im dużo rąk do pracy. Niewiasta świerzo poznanego przyjaciela okłamała wiedząc że nie lubił on świątyń. Rzekła że, będzie stawiana karczma, i poprosiła go o pomoc w budowie. Zakochamy Boruta bardzo ochoczo wziął się do pracy, i począł nosić kamienie na budowę. W tym czasie panna ważyła strawę dla ciężko pracujących pracowników. Lecz gdy pewnego dnia budowla poczęła nabierać kształtów, i rozpoczęto wznosić prezbiterium, Boruta zrozumiał jak bardzo go oszukano. Więc co zrozumiałe wściekł się okrutnie i chciał świeżo powstałe mury obrócić w kupę gruzu, lecz nie mógł tego uczynić. Odcisnął jedynie ślad łapy w kamieniu, ślad ten do dziś możemy w tumie oglądać.Najstarsze w Polsce zgromadzenie
Przy kolegiacie w Tumie osadzono dwunastoosobowe zgromadzenie kanoników świeckich. Było najstarsze w kraju, pełne zgromadzenie kanonickie. Tym sposobem pod-Łęczycka kolegiata stała się drugą po katedrze kościelną placówką w archidiecezji gnieźnieńskiej. Od ukończenia budowy miało tutaj miejsce 21 prowincjonalnych synodów łęczyckich. Były to zjazdy przedstawicieli duchowieństwa oraz osób świeckich, pierwszy miał miejsce w 1180 roku natomiast ostatni w roku 1547.
Warto też wspomnieć, iż tumska kolegiata odegrała doniosłą rolę w polityce. Gdyż na pierwszym zjeździe w roku 1180, którego to była gospodarzem zniesiono prawo senioratu, i ustanowiono sukcesję tronu po mieczu w linii Kazimierza sprawiedliwego. Natomiast podczas synodu z roku 1285, zwołanego przez arcybiskupa Józefa Świnkę podjęto znaczne krotki zapobiegające niemieckim wpływom na kościół w Polsce. Oba te wydarzenia uznaje się na początki parlamentaryzmu w kraju.
Kolegiata oprócz oczywistej funkcji duchowej, oraz politycznej mogła też i pełniła zresztą funkcję obronne dla okolicznej ludności. Mianowicie w roku 1241 oparła się najazdowi Tatarów. Niestety nie udało się to w roku 1294, kiedy to Litwini pod wodzą Witenesa zdołali kolegiatę w Tumie zdobyć. Wtedy też część miejscowej ludności wzięto w niewolę, a część wymordowano. Samą świątynię natomiast spalono, zawaliło się wówczas prezbiterium i może też przegrody pomiędzy nawami. Kilkanaście lat później najechali Krzyżacy i w 1306 oraz 1331 spustoszyli ten i okoliczne tereny.
Ruina, odbudowa i pożar
Po tych wydarzenia na przełomie XIII i XIV wieku pozostaje zrujnowana. Stan ten zmienia dopiero arcybiskup Jarosław Bogoria ze Skotnik w drugim ćwierćwieczu wieku XIV. Odbudowując wprowadza do budynku trochę gotyckich elementów. Niestety odbudowana świątynia nie przetrwała długo, albowiem już w roku 1473 wybuch pożar, który to wymusił kolejny remont. Został on ukończony w roku 1487. W efekcie tego remontu i idących za nim zmianami w Tumie pojawiły się ostrołukowe arkady i ceglane, międzynawowe filary. Oprócz tego w nawach bocznych zrobiono krzyżowo-łukowe sklepienia. Rokiem 1569 przed głównym wejściem postawiono renesansową kruchtę, która osłoniła romańskie portal, a także zrobiono we wnętrzu tynki, pokryte freskami.
Szwedzki potop, i następujący po nim remont.
Potop szwedzki także nie był łaskawy dla kolegiaty, w roku 1705 Łęczycę najechali Szwedzi, niszcząc podczas tego najazdu świątynię. Odbudowano ją prawie osiemdziesiąt lat później, z inicjatywy prymasa Łubieńskiego i dzięki fundacji Kajetana Sołtyka. Podczas tej odbudowy świątyni nadano styl klasycystyczny, kierował nimi architekt Efraim Szreger. Przebudował on wieże, główną nawę, zachodnią fasadę, szczyty, oraz okna i wnętrze. Odciążono zewnętrzne mury obniżając je o 2 metry, zamurowano arkady empor, oraz wieże otrzymały klasycystyczne hełmy.
Na czas remontu, chcąc parafianom zapewnić miejsce do udziału w liturgii wybudowano stojący do dziś obok kolegiaty mały, drewniany kościółek, PW. św., Mikołaja, do roku 1819 pełnił on rolę kościoła parafialnego.
Co warto zauważyć to, fakt iż rachunki z roku 1655 mówią o remoncie czterech wież kościelnych. Więc wielce prawdopodobnym jest fakt, iż dwie z tych wież są tera absydą północną i południową, o ile nie padły one ofiarą któregoś z pożarów.Rozbiory i czasy względnie współczesne
Rokiem 1818 cara Aleksander I Romanow zarządził likwidację łęczyckiej kapituły. Została więc ona zlikwidowana, a Łęczyca utraciła swoje do tej pory spore znaczenie, od tej pory kolegiata stała się kościołem parafialnym. Druga wojna światowa także nie była łaskawa, podczas bitwy nad Bzurą w 1939 roku w północnej wieży ukrył się niemiecki obserwator, który kierował ogniem niemieckiej artylerii. Polacy skutecznie unieszkodliwili obserwatora, niszcząc niestety całą wieżę. Spowodowało to w kolegiacie pożar, który doszczętnie strawił drewniane elementy architektoniczne. Po przejściowej obecności w okolicach Łęczycy polskiego wojska kolegiata ucierpiała po raz kolejny, została albowiem zbombardowana przez Luftwaffe. Spowodowało to kolejne zniszczenia murów oraz stropów, oraz kolejny pożar. Ze świątyni zostały tylko mury.
Dość szybko, albowiem trzy lata po zakończeniu wojny, na polecenie Jana Zachwatowicza rozpoczęto odbudowę kościoła. Kierowała nią Jan Witkiewicz Koszczyc. Jednakowoż początkowo były plany uznać kolegiatę za zbyt zniszczoną, zaniechać odbudowy a to, co zostało rozebrać, to na szczęście odbudowę zaczęto. Dwudziestego lipca tegoż roki łódzki ordynariusz we wstępnie uprzątniętych murach świątyni odprawił pierwszą po wojnie mszę świętą. I wzięto się do prac, które trwały przez następne kilka lat.Współcześnie, i trochę wcześniej
Siedemnastego czerwca roku 1961 biskup Michał Klepacz dokonał ponownej konsekracji świątyni, która podniesiono do rangi bazyliki. Sześć lat później nastąpiły obchody millenium chrztu Polski, w związku z czym późniejszy papież, wtedy jeszcze kardynał odprawił tu mszę świętą. Niestety prace zatrzymały się, nie jako że je zakończone, lecz brakło na nie środków. W marcu 1992 papieską bullą Totus Tuus Poloniae populus parafię w Tumie włączono do diecezji łowickiej, kościół po raz kolejny podniesiono, tym razem do rangi archikolegiaty, a rok później erygowano łęczycką kapitułę. Tym samym rokiem rozpoczęto kolejny etap odbudowy świątyni, który całkiem niedawno się skończył.
Na dziewięć lat przed nowym millenium, czyli w roku 1991, już w wolnej Polsce po raz kolejny przystąpiono do remontu świątyni w Tumie. Prace te niestety nie były zbytnio fachowe, ani też nie trwały zbyt długo. Niestety podczas tych prac zniszczono część odkrytego po wojnie fresku, poza tym na filary nałożono obejmy, i dokonano kilku widocznych do dziś odwiertów. Rok przed nowym millenium z Gniezna sprowadzono do Tumu relikwię św. Wojciecha, z okazji tegoż wydarzenia ufundowano ołtarz w nawie głównej, a obok wspominanego kościółka św. Mikołaja posadzono poświęcony św. Mikołajowi dąb.
W latach 1995-2008 przeprowadzono kolejne prace konserwatorskie pod kierownictwem dr. Zenona Dudy z AGH w Krakowie, oraz prof. Andrzeja Kossa z ASP w Warszawie, oraz prof. Marii Roznerskiej i jej córki Ewy, które zajęły się konserwacją ściennych malowideł.Skarby i zabytki w Tumie
Jak na tak starą świątynię, tak i Tumie zachowało się sporo oryginalnych, zabytkowych fragmentów budowli, między innymi:
– zabytkowe XII wieczne polichromie z zachodnie absydy, jest to największe zachowana romańskie malowidło w Polsce;
– kamienny fragment części ołtarza z XII wieku z przedstawieniem Chrystusa Pankratora, co ciekawe to do niedawna składała się tylko z torsu, jej głowa rzeźby została odnaleziona w 1995 roku;
– jeden z najstarszych w Polsce kielichów z pateną z motywem Manus Dei;
– srebrny krzyż z 2-3 ćw XII wieku;
– pierścień arcybiskupi z ametystem;
– kamienne portale w stylu romańskim i gotyckim;
– kamienna chrzcielnica z XVI wieku;
– pojedyncze deski stropowe pokryte polichromią z wieku XVI lub początku XVIIGaleria
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Pośród praktycznie niczego, pośród pół i łąk, dumnie stoi jedna z piękniejszych, a może i najpiękniejsza w Polsce romańska świątynia dumnie górująca nad całą okolicą. Była ona świadkiem praktycznie całej historii naszego kraju, a z jej wież patrzy na nas prawie 10 wieków historii. Warto poświęcić dzień, by odwiedzić okolicę, wszak ma ona do zaoferowania kilka ciekawych, historycznych miejsc.
Wcześniej byli benedyktyni
Historia kolegiaty w Tumie łączy się historią najstarszego w Polsce opactwa benedyktynów. Czyli opactwa łęczyckiego, powstałego za sprawą fundującego klasztor Bolesława Chrobrego w 997 roku. Pierwszą głową opactwa był Astryk-Anastazy, jednak zamiast niego postacią najbardziej kojarzoną z tymże opactwem jest jego założyciel, czyliy św. Wojciech.
Wznoszenie kolegiaty w Tumie rozpoczęto na początku lat 40. wielki XII na miejscu wspominanego, działającego pod tumskim grodem opactwa, pod wezwaniem Najświętszej Marii Panny i św. Aleksego. Jego istnienie w roku 1136, poświadcza bulla papieska „abbatia sancte Marie i castello Lancicie”.
Mniej więcej na początku wieku XII zgromadzenie przeniesiono, budowlę rozebrano i poczęto stawiać kolegiatę. Budowę zainicjował prawdopodobnie arcybiskup gnieźnieński Jakub ze Żnina. Warto tutaj zauważyć, że wówczas Łęczyca znajdowała się we władaniu księżnej Salomei, po tym kiedy po śmierci Bolesława Krzywoustego wyodrębniono ją z dzielnicy senioralnej. Jednak inicjatywa budowy kolegiaty w Tumie mogła też należeć do jednego z książąt juniorów, będących synami Salomei i Bolesława. Do tego trzeba założyć, że budowa trwała nie więcej niż dwadzieścia lat, albowiem konsekracja świątyni miała miejsce w roku 1161.Kolegiata sumą innych świątyń
Z konstrukcją obiektu powiązany jest płocki biskup Aleksander, który oprócz budowy kolegiaty w Tumie działał też czynnie przy budowie katedry w Płocku, czy pobliskim Czerwińsku. Więc tutejsza kolegiata poniekąd jest wynikiem połączenia wspomnianych budowli z ówczesną wawelską katedrą.
Konsekracja kolegiaty można by rzec, że odbyła się ze sporym rozmachem, zjechali się kolejno: arcybiskup Janik (Jan Fryfita), wszyscy polscy biskupi i książęta, proceps Bolesław Kędzieżawy, i jego młodsi bracia, Henryk i Kazimierz (obaj byli później znani pod przydomkami Sandomierski i Sprawiedliwy), biskup krakowski Mateusz, wrocławski Walter, oraz kruszwicki Onold.O Borucie co kamienie nosił
Będąc na zewnątrz kolegiaty warto poszukać kamienia z wgłębieniami, podobnież są to wgłębienia pazurów diabła Boruty. Boruta będąc oszukanym przez pewną pannę, nie chciał dopuścić do budowy kolegiaty więc począł ją niszczyć gołymi rękoma. A dokładniej to było to tak.
Pewnego lat a Boruta siedział sobie pod drzewkiem, dokładniej wierzbą płacząca i rozmyślał jakby tu mieszkańcom dokuczyć, w tym też czasie obok tejże wierzby przeszło wielce nadobne dziewczę idące nad strumyk by obmyć nogi. Borucie serce wielce ujęła owa niewiasta i diabeł zakochał się w niej bez pamięci. Zamienił się więc w pięknego młodzieńca i całymi dniami spędzał z nią czas.
Dziewczyna był córką ubogiego rolnika, który to wraz z sąsiadami pewnego dnia postanowił, iż zbudują sobie kościół, i to nie byle jaki kościół, więc potrzeba im dużo rąk do pracy. Niewiasta świerzo poznanego przyjaciela okłamała wiedząc że nie lubił on świątyń. Rzekła że, będzie stawiana karczma, i poprosiła go o pomoc w budowie. Zakochamy Boruta bardzo ochoczo wziął się do pracy, i począł nosić kamienie na budowę. W tym czasie panna ważyła strawę dla ciężko pracujących pracowników. Lecz gdy pewnego dnia budowla poczęła nabierać kształtów, i rozpoczęto wznosić prezbiterium, Boruta zrozumiał jak bardzo go oszukano. Więc co zrozumiałe wściekł się okrutnie i chciał świeżo powstałe mury obrócić w kupę gruzu, lecz nie mógł tego uczynić. Odcisnął jedynie ślad łapy w kamieniu, ślad ten do dziś możemy w tumie oglądać.Najstarsze w Polsce zgromadzenie
Przy kolegiacie w Tumie osadzono dwunastoosobowe zgromadzenie kanoników świeckich. Było najstarsze w kraju, pełne zgromadzenie kanonickie. Tym sposobem pod-Łęczycka kolegiata stała się drugą po katedrze kościelną placówką w archidiecezji gnieźnieńskiej. Od ukończenia budowy miało tutaj miejsce 21 prowincjonalnych synodów łęczyckich. Były to zjazdy przedstawicieli duchowieństwa oraz osób świeckich, pierwszy miał miejsce w 1180 roku natomiast ostatni w roku 1547.
Warto też wspomnieć, iż tumska kolegiata odegrała doniosłą rolę w polityce. Gdyż na pierwszym zjeździe w roku 1180, którego to była gospodarzem zniesiono prawo senioratu, i ustanowiono sukcesję tronu po mieczu w linii Kazimierza sprawiedliwego. Natomiast podczas synodu z roku 1285, zwołanego przez arcybiskupa Józefa Świnkę podjęto znaczne krotki zapobiegające niemieckim wpływom na kościół w Polsce. Oba te wydarzenia uznaje się na początki parlamentaryzmu w kraju.
Kolegiata oprócz oczywistej funkcji duchowej, oraz politycznej mogła też i pełniła zresztą funkcję obronne dla okolicznej ludności. Mianowicie w roku 1241 oparła się najazdowi Tatarów. Niestety nie udało się to w roku 1294, kiedy to Litwini pod wodzą Witenesa zdołali kolegiatę w Tumie zdobyć. Wtedy też część miejscowej ludności wzięto w niewolę, a część wymordowano. Samą świątynię natomiast spalono, zawaliło się wówczas prezbiterium i może też przegrody pomiędzy nawami. Kilkanaście lat później najechali Krzyżacy i w 1306 oraz 1331 spustoszyli ten i okoliczne tereny.
Ruina, odbudowa i pożar
Po tych wydarzenia na przełomie XIII i XIV wieku pozostaje zrujnowana. Stan ten zmienia dopiero arcybiskup Jarosław Bogoria ze Skotnik w drugim ćwierćwieczu wieku XIV. Odbudowując wprowadza do budynku trochę gotyckich elementów. Niestety odbudowana świątynia nie przetrwała długo, albowiem już w roku 1473 wybuch pożar, który to wymusił kolejny remont. Został on ukończony w roku 1487. W efekcie tego remontu i idących za nim zmianami w Tumie pojawiły się ostrołukowe arkady i ceglane, międzynawowe filary. Oprócz tego w nawach bocznych zrobiono krzyżowo-łukowe sklepienia. Rokiem 1569 przed głównym wejściem postawiono renesansową kruchtę, która osłoniła romańskie portal, a także zrobiono we wnętrzu tynki, pokryte freskami.
Szwedzki potop, i następujący po nim remont.
Potop szwedzki także nie był łaskawy dla kolegiaty, w roku 1705 Łęczycę najechali Szwedzi, niszcząc podczas tego najazdu świątynię. Odbudowano ją prawie osiemdziesiąt lat później, z inicjatywy prymasa Łubieńskiego i dzięki fundacji Kajetana Sołtyka. Podczas tej odbudowy świątyni nadano styl klasycystyczny, kierował nimi architekt Efraim Szreger. Przebudował on wieże, główną nawę, zachodnią fasadę, szczyty, oraz okna i wnętrze. Odciążono zewnętrzne mury obniżając je o 2 metry, zamurowano arkady empor, oraz wieże otrzymały klasycystyczne hełmy.
Na czas remontu, chcąc parafianom zapewnić miejsce do udziału w liturgii wybudowano stojący do dziś obok kolegiaty mały, drewniany kościółek, PW. św., Mikołaja, do roku 1819 pełnił on rolę kościoła parafialnego.
Co warto zauważyć to, fakt iż rachunki z roku 1655 mówią o remoncie czterech wież kościelnych. Więc wielce prawdopodobnym jest fakt, iż dwie z tych wież są tera absydą północną i południową, o ile nie padły one ofiarą któregoś z pożarów.Rozbiory i czasy względnie współczesne
Rokiem 1818 cara Aleksander I Romanow zarządził likwidację łęczyckiej kapituły. Została więc ona zlikwidowana, a Łęczyca utraciła swoje do tej pory spore znaczenie, od tej pory kolegiata stała się kościołem parafialnym. Druga wojna światowa także nie była łaskawa, podczas bitwy nad Bzurą w 1939 roku w północnej wieży ukrył się niemiecki obserwator, który kierował ogniem niemieckiej artylerii. Polacy skutecznie unieszkodliwili obserwatora, niszcząc niestety całą wieżę. Spowodowało to w kolegiacie pożar, który doszczętnie strawił drewniane elementy architektoniczne. Po przejściowej obecności w okolicach Łęczycy polskiego wojska kolegiata ucierpiała po raz kolejny, została albowiem zbombardowana przez Luftwaffe. Spowodowało to kolejne zniszczenia murów oraz stropów, oraz kolejny pożar. Ze świątyni zostały tylko mury.
Dość szybko, albowiem trzy lata po zakończeniu wojny, na polecenie Jana Zachwatowicza rozpoczęto odbudowę kościoła. Kierowała nią Jan Witkiewicz Koszczyc. Jednakowoż początkowo były plany uznać kolegiatę za zbyt zniszczoną, zaniechać odbudowy a to, co zostało rozebrać, to na szczęście odbudowę zaczęto. Dwudziestego lipca tegoż roki łódzki ordynariusz we wstępnie uprzątniętych murach świątyni odprawił pierwszą po wojnie mszę świętą. I wzięto się do prac, które trwały przez następne kilka lat.Współcześnie, i trochę wcześniej
Siedemnastego czerwca roku 1961 biskup Michał Klepacz dokonał ponownej konsekracji świątyni, która podniesiono do rangi bazyliki. Sześć lat później nastąpiły obchody millenium chrztu Polski, w związku z czym późniejszy papież, wtedy jeszcze kardynał odprawił tu mszę świętą. Niestety prace zatrzymały się, nie jako że je zakończone, lecz brakło na nie środków. W marcu 1992 papieską bullą Totus Tuus Poloniae populus parafię w Tumie włączono do diecezji łowickiej, kościół po raz kolejny podniesiono, tym razem do rangi archikolegiaty, a rok później erygowano łęczycką kapitułę. Tym samym rokiem rozpoczęto kolejny etap odbudowy świątyni, który całkiem niedawno się skończył.
Na dziewięć lat przed nowym millenium, czyli w roku 1991, już w wolnej Polsce po raz kolejny przystąpiono do remontu świątyni w Tumie. Prace te niestety nie były zbytnio fachowe, ani też nie trwały zbyt długo. Niestety podczas tych prac zniszczono część odkrytego po wojnie fresku, poza tym na filary nałożono obejmy, i dokonano kilku widocznych do dziś odwiertów. Rok przed nowym millenium z Gniezna sprowadzono do Tumu relikwię św. Wojciecha, z okazji tegoż wydarzenia ufundowano ołtarz w nawie głównej, a obok wspominanego kościółka św. Mikołaja posadzono poświęcony św. Mikołajowi dąb.
W latach 1995-2008 przeprowadzono kolejne prace konserwatorskie pod kierownictwem dr. Zenona Dudy z AGH w Krakowie, oraz prof. Andrzeja Kossa z ASP w Warszawie, oraz prof. Marii Roznerskiej i jej córki Ewy, które zajęły się konserwacją ściennych malowideł.Skarby i zabytki w Tumie
Jak na tak starą świątynię, tak i Tumie zachowało się sporo oryginalnych, zabytkowych fragmentów budowli, między innymi:
– zabytkowe XII wieczne polichromie z zachodnie absydy, jest to największe zachowana romańskie malowidło w Polsce;
– kamienny fragment części ołtarza z XII wieku z przedstawieniem Chrystusa Pankratora, co ciekawe to do niedawna składała się tylko z torsu, jej głowa rzeźby została odnaleziona w 1995 roku;
– jeden z najstarszych w Polsce kielichów z pateną z motywem Manus Dei;
– srebrny krzyż z 2-3 ćw XII wieku;
– pierścień arcybiskupi z ametystem;
– kamienne portale w stylu romańskim i gotyckim;
– kamienna chrzcielnica z XVI wieku;
– pojedyncze deski stropowe pokryte polichromią z wieku XVI lub początku XVIIGaleria
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Pośród praktycznie niczego, pośród pół i łąk, dumnie stoi jedna z piękniejszych, a może i najpiękniejsza w Polsce romańska świątynia dumnie górująca nad całą okolicą. Była ona świadkiem praktycznie całej historii naszego kraju, a z jej wież patrzy na nas prawie 10 wieków historii. Warto poświęcić dzień, by odwiedzić okolicę, wszak ma ona do zaoferowania kilka ciekawych, historycznych miejsc.
Wcześniej byli benedyktyni
Historia kolegiaty w Tumie łączy się historią najstarszego w Polsce opactwa benedyktynów. Czyli opactwa łęczyckiego, powstałego za sprawą fundującego klasztor Bolesława Chrobrego w 997 roku. Pierwszą głową opactwa był Astryk-Anastazy, jednak zamiast niego postacią najbardziej kojarzoną z tymże opactwem jest jego założyciel, czyliy św. Wojciech.
Wznoszenie kolegiaty w Tumie rozpoczęto na początku lat 40. wielki XII na miejscu wspominanego, działającego pod tumskim grodem opactwa, pod wezwaniem Najświętszej Marii Panny i św. Aleksego. Jego istnienie w roku 1136, poświadcza bulla papieska „abbatia sancte Marie i castello Lancicie”.
Mniej więcej na początku wieku XII zgromadzenie przeniesiono, budowlę rozebrano i poczęto stawiać kolegiatę. Budowę zainicjował prawdopodobnie arcybiskup gnieźnieński Jakub ze Żnina. Warto tutaj zauważyć, że wówczas Łęczyca znajdowała się we władaniu księżnej Salomei, po tym kiedy po śmierci Bolesława Krzywoustego wyodrębniono ją z dzielnicy senioralnej. Jednak inicjatywa budowy kolegiaty w Tumie mogła też należeć do jednego z książąt juniorów, będących synami Salomei i Bolesława. Do tego trzeba założyć, że budowa trwała nie więcej niż dwadzieścia lat, albowiem konsekracja świątyni miała miejsce w roku 1161.Kolegiata sumą innych świątyń
Z konstrukcją obiektu powiązany jest płocki biskup Aleksander, który oprócz budowy kolegiaty w Tumie działał też czynnie przy budowie katedry w Płocku, czy pobliskim Czerwińsku. Więc tutejsza kolegiata poniekąd jest wynikiem połączenia wspomnianych budowli z ówczesną wawelską katedrą.
Konsekracja kolegiaty można by rzec, że odbyła się ze sporym rozmachem, zjechali się kolejno: arcybiskup Janik (Jan Fryfita), wszyscy polscy biskupi i książęta, proceps Bolesław Kędzieżawy, i jego młodsi bracia, Henryk i Kazimierz (obaj byli później znani pod przydomkami Sandomierski i Sprawiedliwy), biskup krakowski Mateusz, wrocławski Walter, oraz kruszwicki Onold.O Borucie co kamienie nosił
Będąc na zewnątrz kolegiaty warto poszukać kamienia z wgłębieniami, podobnież są to wgłębienia pazurów diabła Boruty. Boruta będąc oszukanym przez pewną pannę, nie chciał dopuścić do budowy kolegiaty więc począł ją niszczyć gołymi rękoma. A dokładniej to było to tak.
Pewnego lat a Boruta siedział sobie pod drzewkiem, dokładniej wierzbą płacząca i rozmyślał jakby tu mieszkańcom dokuczyć, w tym też czasie obok tejże wierzby przeszło wielce nadobne dziewczę idące nad strumyk by obmyć nogi. Borucie serce wielce ujęła owa niewiasta i diabeł zakochał się w niej bez pamięci. Zamienił się więc w pięknego młodzieńca i całymi dniami spędzał z nią czas.
Dziewczyna był córką ubogiego rolnika, który to wraz z sąsiadami pewnego dnia postanowił, iż zbudują sobie kościół, i to nie byle jaki kościół, więc potrzeba im dużo rąk do pracy. Niewiasta świerzo poznanego przyjaciela okłamała wiedząc że nie lubił on świątyń. Rzekła że, będzie stawiana karczma, i poprosiła go o pomoc w budowie. Zakochamy Boruta bardzo ochoczo wziął się do pracy, i począł nosić kamienie na budowę. W tym czasie panna ważyła strawę dla ciężko pracujących pracowników. Lecz gdy pewnego dnia budowla poczęła nabierać kształtów, i rozpoczęto wznosić prezbiterium, Boruta zrozumiał jak bardzo go oszukano. Więc co zrozumiałe wściekł się okrutnie i chciał świeżo powstałe mury obrócić w kupę gruzu, lecz nie mógł tego uczynić. Odcisnął jedynie ślad łapy w kamieniu, ślad ten do dziś możemy w tumie oglądać.Najstarsze w Polsce zgromadzenie
Przy kolegiacie w Tumie osadzono dwunastoosobowe zgromadzenie kanoników świeckich. Było najstarsze w kraju, pełne zgromadzenie kanonickie. Tym sposobem pod-Łęczycka kolegiata stała się drugą po katedrze kościelną placówką w archidiecezji gnieźnieńskiej. Od ukończenia budowy miało tutaj miejsce 21 prowincjonalnych synodów łęczyckich. Były to zjazdy przedstawicieli duchowieństwa oraz osób świeckich, pierwszy miał miejsce w 1180 roku natomiast ostatni w roku 1547.
Warto też wspomnieć, iż tumska kolegiata odegrała doniosłą rolę w polityce. Gdyż na pierwszym zjeździe w roku 1180, którego to była gospodarzem zniesiono prawo senioratu, i ustanowiono sukcesję tronu po mieczu w linii Kazimierza sprawiedliwego. Natomiast podczas synodu z roku 1285, zwołanego przez arcybiskupa Józefa Świnkę podjęto znaczne krotki zapobiegające niemieckim wpływom na kościół w Polsce. Oba te wydarzenia uznaje się na początki parlamentaryzmu w kraju.
Kolegiata oprócz oczywistej funkcji duchowej, oraz politycznej mogła też i pełniła zresztą funkcję obronne dla okolicznej ludności. Mianowicie w roku 1241 oparła się najazdowi Tatarów. Niestety nie udało się to w roku 1294, kiedy to Litwini pod wodzą Witenesa zdołali kolegiatę w Tumie zdobyć. Wtedy też część miejscowej ludności wzięto w niewolę, a część wymordowano. Samą świątynię natomiast spalono, zawaliło się wówczas prezbiterium i może też przegrody pomiędzy nawami. Kilkanaście lat później najechali Krzyżacy i w 1306 oraz 1331 spustoszyli ten i okoliczne tereny.
Ruina, odbudowa i pożar
Po tych wydarzenia na przełomie XIII i XIV wieku pozostaje zrujnowana. Stan ten zmienia dopiero arcybiskup Jarosław Bogoria ze Skotnik w drugim ćwierćwieczu wieku XIV. Odbudowując wprowadza do budynku trochę gotyckich elementów. Niestety odbudowana świątynia nie przetrwała długo, albowiem już w roku 1473 wybuch pożar, który to wymusił kolejny remont. Został on ukończony w roku 1487. W efekcie tego remontu i idących za nim zmianami w Tumie pojawiły się ostrołukowe arkady i ceglane, międzynawowe filary. Oprócz tego w nawach bocznych zrobiono krzyżowo-łukowe sklepienia. Rokiem 1569 przed głównym wejściem postawiono renesansową kruchtę, która osłoniła romańskie portal, a także zrobiono we wnętrzu tynki, pokryte freskami.
Szwedzki potop, i następujący po nim remont.
Potop szwedzki także nie był łaskawy dla kolegiaty, w roku 1705 Łęczycę najechali Szwedzi, niszcząc podczas tego najazdu świątynię. Odbudowano ją prawie osiemdziesiąt lat później, z inicjatywy prymasa Łubieńskiego i dzięki fundacji Kajetana Sołtyka. Podczas tej odbudowy świątyni nadano styl klasycystyczny, kierował nimi architekt Efraim Szreger. Przebudował on wieże, główną nawę, zachodnią fasadę, szczyty, oraz okna i wnętrze. Odciążono zewnętrzne mury obniżając je o 2 metry, zamurowano arkady empor, oraz wieże otrzymały klasycystyczne hełmy.
Na czas remontu, chcąc parafianom zapewnić miejsce do udziału w liturgii wybudowano stojący do dziś obok kolegiaty mały, drewniany kościółek, PW. św., Mikołaja, do roku 1819 pełnił on rolę kościoła parafialnego.
Co warto zauważyć to, fakt iż rachunki z roku 1655 mówią o remoncie czterech wież kościelnych. Więc wielce prawdopodobnym jest fakt, iż dwie z tych wież są tera absydą północną i południową, o ile nie padły one ofiarą któregoś z pożarów.Rozbiory i czasy względnie współczesne
Rokiem 1818 cara Aleksander I Romanow zarządził likwidację łęczyckiej kapituły. Została więc ona zlikwidowana, a Łęczyca utraciła swoje do tej pory spore znaczenie, od tej pory kolegiata stała się kościołem parafialnym. Druga wojna światowa także nie była łaskawa, podczas bitwy nad Bzurą w 1939 roku w północnej wieży ukrył się niemiecki obserwator, który kierował ogniem niemieckiej artylerii. Polacy skutecznie unieszkodliwili obserwatora, niszcząc niestety całą wieżę. Spowodowało to w kolegiacie pożar, który doszczętnie strawił drewniane elementy architektoniczne. Po przejściowej obecności w okolicach Łęczycy polskiego wojska kolegiata ucierpiała po raz kolejny, została albowiem zbombardowana przez Luftwaffe. Spowodowało to kolejne zniszczenia murów oraz stropów, oraz kolejny pożar. Ze świątyni zostały tylko mury.
Dość szybko, albowiem trzy lata po zakończeniu wojny, na polecenie Jana Zachwatowicza rozpoczęto odbudowę kościoła. Kierowała nią Jan Witkiewicz Koszczyc. Jednakowoż początkowo były plany uznać kolegiatę za zbyt zniszczoną, zaniechać odbudowy a to, co zostało rozebrać, to na szczęście odbudowę zaczęto. Dwudziestego lipca tegoż roki łódzki ordynariusz we wstępnie uprzątniętych murach świątyni odprawił pierwszą po wojnie mszę świętą. I wzięto się do prac, które trwały przez następne kilka lat.Współcześnie, i trochę wcześniej
Siedemnastego czerwca roku 1961 biskup Michał Klepacz dokonał ponownej konsekracji świątyni, która podniesiono do rangi bazyliki. Sześć lat później nastąpiły obchody millenium chrztu Polski, w związku z czym późniejszy papież, wtedy jeszcze kardynał odprawił tu mszę świętą. Niestety prace zatrzymały się, nie jako że je zakończone, lecz brakło na nie środków. W marcu 1992 papieską bullą Totus Tuus Poloniae populus parafię w Tumie włączono do diecezji łowickiej, kościół po raz kolejny podniesiono, tym razem do rangi archikolegiaty, a rok później erygowano łęczycką kapitułę. Tym samym rokiem rozpoczęto kolejny etap odbudowy świątyni, który całkiem niedawno się skończył.
Na dziewięć lat przed nowym millenium, czyli w roku 1991, już w wolnej Polsce po raz kolejny przystąpiono do remontu świątyni w Tumie. Prace te niestety nie były zbytnio fachowe, ani też nie trwały zbyt długo. Niestety podczas tych prac zniszczono część odkrytego po wojnie fresku, poza tym na filary nałożono obejmy, i dokonano kilku widocznych do dziś odwiertów. Rok przed nowym millenium z Gniezna sprowadzono do Tumu relikwię św. Wojciecha, z okazji tegoż wydarzenia ufundowano ołtarz w nawie głównej, a obok wspominanego kościółka św. Mikołaja posadzono poświęcony św. Mikołajowi dąb.
W latach 1995-2008 przeprowadzono kolejne prace konserwatorskie pod kierownictwem dr. Zenona Dudy z AGH w Krakowie, oraz prof. Andrzeja Kossa z ASP w Warszawie, oraz prof. Marii Roznerskiej i jej córki Ewy, które zajęły się konserwacją ściennych malowideł.Skarby i zabytki w Tumie
Jak na tak starą świątynię, tak i Tumie zachowało się sporo oryginalnych, zabytkowych fragmentów budowli, między innymi:
– zabytkowe XII wieczne polichromie z zachodnie absydy, jest to największe zachowana romańskie malowidło w Polsce;
– kamienny fragment części ołtarza z XII wieku z przedstawieniem Chrystusa Pankratora, co ciekawe to do niedawna składała się tylko z torsu, jej głowa rzeźby została odnaleziona w 1995 roku;
– jeden z najstarszych w Polsce kielichów z pateną z motywem Manus Dei;
– srebrny krzyż z 2-3 ćw XII wieku;
– pierścień arcybiskupi z ametystem;
– kamienne portale w stylu romańskim i gotyckim;
– kamienna chrzcielnica z XVI wieku;
– pojedyncze deski stropowe pokryte polichromią z wieku XVI lub początku XVIIGaleria
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Pośród praktycznie niczego, pośród pół i łąk, dumnie stoi jedna z piękniejszych, a może i najpiękniejsza w Polsce romańska świątynia dumnie górująca nad całą okolicą. Była ona świadkiem praktycznie całej historii naszego kraju, a z jej wież patrzy na nas prawie 10 wieków historii. Warto poświęcić dzień, by odwiedzić okolicę, wszak ma ona do zaoferowania kilka ciekawych, historycznych miejsc.
Wcześniej byli benedyktyni
Historia kolegiaty w Tumie łączy się historią najstarszego w Polsce opactwa benedyktynów. Czyli opactwa łęczyckiego, powstałego za sprawą fundującego klasztor Bolesława Chrobrego w 997 roku. Pierwszą głową opactwa był Astryk-Anastazy, jednak zamiast niego postacią najbardziej kojarzoną z tymże opactwem jest jego założyciel, czyliy św. Wojciech.
Wznoszenie kolegiaty w Tumie rozpoczęto na początku lat 40. wielki XII na miejscu wspominanego, działającego pod tumskim grodem opactwa, pod wezwaniem Najświętszej Marii Panny i św. Aleksego. Jego istnienie w roku 1136, poświadcza bulla papieska „abbatia sancte Marie i castello Lancicie”.
Mniej więcej na początku wieku XII zgromadzenie przeniesiono, budowlę rozebrano i poczęto stawiać kolegiatę. Budowę zainicjował prawdopodobnie arcybiskup gnieźnieński Jakub ze Żnina. Warto tutaj zauważyć, że wówczas Łęczyca znajdowała się we władaniu księżnej Salomei, po tym kiedy po śmierci Bolesława Krzywoustego wyodrębniono ją z dzielnicy senioralnej. Jednak inicjatywa budowy kolegiaty w Tumie mogła też należeć do jednego z książąt juniorów, będących synami Salomei i Bolesława. Do tego trzeba założyć, że budowa trwała nie więcej niż dwadzieścia lat, albowiem konsekracja świątyni miała miejsce w roku 1161.Kolegiata sumą innych świątyń
Z konstrukcją obiektu powiązany jest płocki biskup Aleksander, który oprócz budowy kolegiaty w Tumie działał też czynnie przy budowie katedry w Płocku, czy pobliskim Czerwińsku. Więc tutejsza kolegiata poniekąd jest wynikiem połączenia wspomnianych budowli z ówczesną wawelską katedrą.
Konsekracja kolegiaty można by rzec, że odbyła się ze sporym rozmachem, zjechali się kolejno: arcybiskup Janik (Jan Fryfita), wszyscy polscy biskupi i książęta, proceps Bolesław Kędzieżawy, i jego młodsi bracia, Henryk i Kazimierz (obaj byli później znani pod przydomkami Sandomierski i Sprawiedliwy), biskup krakowski Mateusz, wrocławski Walter, oraz kruszwicki Onold.O Borucie co kamienie nosił
Będąc na zewnątrz kolegiaty warto poszukać kamienia z wgłębieniami, podobnież są to wgłębienia pazurów diabła Boruty. Boruta będąc oszukanym przez pewną pannę, nie chciał dopuścić do budowy kolegiaty więc począł ją niszczyć gołymi rękoma. A dokładniej to było to tak.
Pewnego lat a Boruta siedział sobie pod drzewkiem, dokładniej wierzbą płacząca i rozmyślał jakby tu mieszkańcom dokuczyć, w tym też czasie obok tejże wierzby przeszło wielce nadobne dziewczę idące nad strumyk by obmyć nogi. Borucie serce wielce ujęła owa niewiasta i diabeł zakochał się w niej bez pamięci. Zamienił się więc w pięknego młodzieńca i całymi dniami spędzał z nią czas.
Dziewczyna był córką ubogiego rolnika, który to wraz z sąsiadami pewnego dnia postanowił, iż zbudują sobie kościół, i to nie byle jaki kościół, więc potrzeba im dużo rąk do pracy. Niewiasta świerzo poznanego przyjaciela okłamała wiedząc że nie lubił on świątyń. Rzekła że, będzie stawiana karczma, i poprosiła go o pomoc w budowie. Zakochamy Boruta bardzo ochoczo wziął się do pracy, i począł nosić kamienie na budowę. W tym czasie panna ważyła strawę dla ciężko pracujących pracowników. Lecz gdy pewnego dnia budowla poczęła nabierać kształtów, i rozpoczęto wznosić prezbiterium, Boruta zrozumiał jak bardzo go oszukano. Więc co zrozumiałe wściekł się okrutnie i chciał świeżo powstałe mury obrócić w kupę gruzu, lecz nie mógł tego uczynić. Odcisnął jedynie ślad łapy w kamieniu, ślad ten do dziś możemy w tumie oglądać.Najstarsze w Polsce zgromadzenie
Przy kolegiacie w Tumie osadzono dwunastoosobowe zgromadzenie kanoników świeckich. Było najstarsze w kraju, pełne zgromadzenie kanonickie. Tym sposobem pod-Łęczycka kolegiata stała się drugą po katedrze kościelną placówką w archidiecezji gnieźnieńskiej. Od ukończenia budowy miało tutaj miejsce 21 prowincjonalnych synodów łęczyckich. Były to zjazdy przedstawicieli duchowieństwa oraz osób świeckich, pierwszy miał miejsce w 1180 roku natomiast ostatni w roku 1547.
Warto też wspomnieć, iż tumska kolegiata odegrała doniosłą rolę w polityce. Gdyż na pierwszym zjeździe w roku 1180, którego to była gospodarzem zniesiono prawo senioratu, i ustanowiono sukcesję tronu po mieczu w linii Kazimierza sprawiedliwego. Natomiast podczas synodu z roku 1285, zwołanego przez arcybiskupa Józefa Świnkę podjęto znaczne krotki zapobiegające niemieckim wpływom na kościół w Polsce. Oba te wydarzenia uznaje się na początki parlamentaryzmu w kraju.
Kolegiata oprócz oczywistej funkcji duchowej, oraz politycznej mogła też i pełniła zresztą funkcję obronne dla okolicznej ludności. Mianowicie w roku 1241 oparła się najazdowi Tatarów. Niestety nie udało się to w roku 1294, kiedy to Litwini pod wodzą Witenesa zdołali kolegiatę w Tumie zdobyć. Wtedy też część miejscowej ludności wzięto w niewolę, a część wymordowano. Samą świątynię natomiast spalono, zawaliło się wówczas prezbiterium i może też przegrody pomiędzy nawami. Kilkanaście lat później najechali Krzyżacy i w 1306 oraz 1331 spustoszyli ten i okoliczne tereny.
Ruina, odbudowa i pożar
Po tych wydarzenia na przełomie XIII i XIV wieku pozostaje zrujnowana. Stan ten zmienia dopiero arcybiskup Jarosław Bogoria ze Skotnik w drugim ćwierćwieczu wieku XIV. Odbudowując wprowadza do budynku trochę gotyckich elementów. Niestety odbudowana świątynia nie przetrwała długo, albowiem już w roku 1473 wybuch pożar, który to wymusił kolejny remont. Został on ukończony w roku 1487. W efekcie tego remontu i idących za nim zmianami w Tumie pojawiły się ostrołukowe arkady i ceglane, międzynawowe filary. Oprócz tego w nawach bocznych zrobiono krzyżowo-łukowe sklepienia. Rokiem 1569 przed głównym wejściem postawiono renesansową kruchtę, która osłoniła romańskie portal, a także zrobiono we wnętrzu tynki, pokryte freskami.
Szwedzki potop, i następujący po nim remont.
Potop szwedzki także nie był łaskawy dla kolegiaty, w roku 1705 Łęczycę najechali Szwedzi, niszcząc podczas tego najazdu świątynię. Odbudowano ją prawie osiemdziesiąt lat później, z inicjatywy prymasa Łubieńskiego i dzięki fundacji Kajetana Sołtyka. Podczas tej odbudowy świątyni nadano styl klasycystyczny, kierował nimi architekt Efraim Szreger. Przebudował on wieże, główną nawę, zachodnią fasadę, szczyty, oraz okna i wnętrze. Odciążono zewnętrzne mury obniżając je o 2 metry, zamurowano arkady empor, oraz wieże otrzymały klasycystyczne hełmy.
Na czas remontu, chcąc parafianom zapewnić miejsce do udziału w liturgii wybudowano stojący do dziś obok kolegiaty mały, drewniany kościółek, PW. św., Mikołaja, do roku 1819 pełnił on rolę kościoła parafialnego.
Co warto zauważyć to, fakt iż rachunki z roku 1655 mówią o remoncie czterech wież kościelnych. Więc wielce prawdopodobnym jest fakt, iż dwie z tych wież są tera absydą północną i południową, o ile nie padły one ofiarą któregoś z pożarów.Rozbiory i czasy względnie współczesne
Rokiem 1818 cara Aleksander I Romanow zarządził likwidację łęczyckiej kapituły. Została więc ona zlikwidowana, a Łęczyca utraciła swoje do tej pory spore znaczenie, od tej pory kolegiata stała się kościołem parafialnym. Druga wojna światowa także nie była łaskawa, podczas bitwy nad Bzurą w 1939 roku w północnej wieży ukrył się niemiecki obserwator, który kierował ogniem niemieckiej artylerii. Polacy skutecznie unieszkodliwili obserwatora, niszcząc niestety całą wieżę. Spowodowało to w kolegiacie pożar, który doszczętnie strawił drewniane elementy architektoniczne. Po przejściowej obecności w okolicach Łęczycy polskiego wojska kolegiata ucierpiała po raz kolejny, została albowiem zbombardowana przez Luftwaffe. Spowodowało to kolejne zniszczenia murów oraz stropów, oraz kolejny pożar. Ze świątyni zostały tylko mury.
Dość szybko, albowiem trzy lata po zakończeniu wojny, na polecenie Jana Zachwatowicza rozpoczęto odbudowę kościoła. Kierowała nią Jan Witkiewicz Koszczyc. Jednakowoż początkowo były plany uznać kolegiatę za zbyt zniszczoną, zaniechać odbudowy a to, co zostało rozebrać, to na szczęście odbudowę zaczęto. Dwudziestego lipca tegoż roki łódzki ordynariusz we wstępnie uprzątniętych murach świątyni odprawił pierwszą po wojnie mszę świętą. I wzięto się do prac, które trwały przez następne kilka lat.Współcześnie, i trochę wcześniej
Siedemnastego czerwca roku 1961 biskup Michał Klepacz dokonał ponownej konsekracji świątyni, która podniesiono do rangi bazyliki. Sześć lat później nastąpiły obchody millenium chrztu Polski, w związku z czym późniejszy papież, wtedy jeszcze kardynał odprawił tu mszę świętą. Niestety prace zatrzymały się, nie jako że je zakończone, lecz brakło na nie środków. W marcu 1992 papieską bullą Totus Tuus Poloniae populus parafię w Tumie włączono do diecezji łowickiej, kościół po raz kolejny podniesiono, tym razem do rangi archikolegiaty, a rok później erygowano łęczycką kapitułę. Tym samym rokiem rozpoczęto kolejny etap odbudowy świątyni, który całkiem niedawno się skończył.
Na dziewięć lat przed nowym millenium, czyli w roku 1991, już w wolnej Polsce po raz kolejny przystąpiono do remontu świątyni w Tumie. Prace te niestety nie były zbytnio fachowe, ani też nie trwały zbyt długo. Niestety podczas tych prac zniszczono część odkrytego po wojnie fresku, poza tym na filary nałożono obejmy, i dokonano kilku widocznych do dziś odwiertów. Rok przed nowym millenium z Gniezna sprowadzono do Tumu relikwię św. Wojciecha, z okazji tegoż wydarzenia ufundowano ołtarz w nawie głównej, a obok wspominanego kościółka św. Mikołaja posadzono poświęcony św. Mikołajowi dąb.
W latach 1995-2008 przeprowadzono kolejne prace konserwatorskie pod kierownictwem dr. Zenona Dudy z AGH w Krakowie, oraz prof. Andrzeja Kossa z ASP w Warszawie, oraz prof. Marii Roznerskiej i jej córki Ewy, które zajęły się konserwacją ściennych malowideł.Skarby i zabytki w Tumie
Jak na tak starą świątynię, tak i Tumie zachowało się sporo oryginalnych, zabytkowych fragmentów budowli, między innymi:
– zabytkowe XII wieczne polichromie z zachodnie absydy, jest to największe zachowana romańskie malowidło w Polsce;
– kamienny fragment części ołtarza z XII wieku z przedstawieniem Chrystusa Pankratora, co ciekawe to do niedawna składała się tylko z torsu, jej głowa rzeźby została odnaleziona w 1995 roku;
– jeden z najstarszych w Polsce kielichów z pateną z motywem Manus Dei;
– srebrny krzyż z 2-3 ćw XII wieku;
– pierścień arcybiskupi z ametystem;
– kamienne portale w stylu romańskim i gotyckim;
– kamienna chrzcielnica z XVI wieku;
– pojedyncze deski stropowe pokryte polichromią z wieku XVI lub początku XVIIGaleria
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Top 20 – I Miei Film del 2025
Come ogni anno, dopo la grande corsa ai recuperi di fine dicembre, siamo giunti ad una più o meno soddisfacente decisione su quali sono o penso che siano i 20 film che più mi sono piaciuti di questo 2025. Come ribadito nel titolo, si tratta dei miei film preferiti e non dei migliori film, perché è bene ricordare che la lista in questione non si erge a verità assoluta sulle opere più belle uscite quest’anno, ma elenca semplicemente i 20 titoli più amati dal sottoscritto. Quindi non gridate allo scandalo se non trovate il vostro film preferito, può essere che, pur riconoscendone l’ottima fattura, mi sia piaciuto meno rispetto a un film magari meno perfetto ma più emozionante (oppure un altro motivo per cui manca potrebbe essere che non l’ho proprio visto, come ad esempio Father Mother Sister Brother di Jarmusch, che ho perso causa influenza: in tal caso vi invito a scrivere nei commenti ogni suggerimento atto a colmare le mie tante lacune).
Ricordo come sempre che in classifica compaiono solo film distribuiti in Italia (al cinema o in esclusiva streaming) nel 2025, anche se sono stati presentati in qualche festival negli anni precedenti. La discriminante è sempre stata questa, dal 2008 a oggi, e non è cambiata. A presentare questa sedicesima edizione della Top 20 quest’anno troviamo Jack Nicholson, straordinario protagonista di Qualcuno Volò sul Nido del Cuculo (Milos Forman, 1975).
Fatte le doverose premesse del caso (a- Miei film preferiti, non migliori film in assoluto e b- solo film distribuiti in Italia nel 2025), prima di lasciarvi ai titoli della Top 20 ci tengo a sottolineare che ovviamente non è stato possibile vedere tutto ciò che è uscito durante l’anno solare ma soltanto una settantina di titoli e che quindi, come sempre, è una classifica molto parziale che si fa più per gioco che per reale utilità. Apriamo le danze dunque e, mi raccomando, fatemi sapere anche le vostre scelte!
20- Alpha (Julia Ducournau)
Da che mondo è mondo, in una classifica di preferenze la posizione numero 20 è molto più difficile della numero 1. Alla fine però, l’ultima fatica di Julia Ducournau non poteva restare fuori: un lungo massaggio cardiaco alle emozioni dello spettatore, continuamente messo alla prova dagli sbalzi ermetici di un film molto bello, innegabilmente in grado di scavare nel profondo grazie anche a tre interpretazioni pazzesche. Un film sulle difficoltà di essere adolescenti, su quanto sia difficile essere madre di una ragazza in crisi e sorella di un uomo disperato, sopraffatto dalla tossicodipendenza, ma soprattutto, come dicevo, è un lungo massaggio cardiaco: c’è un costante bisogno di aggrapparsi alla vita, di curare, di salvare, di salvarsi.19- Sinners (Ryan Coogler)
Onestamente non ero certo di voler vedere questo film. Ne avevo sentito parlare come una versione afroamericana di Dal Tramonto all’Alba, o qualcosa del genere e temevo si trattasse dell’ennesima boiata spacciata per horror. Invece il film di Ryan Coogler (già regista del meraviglioso Fruitvale Station, ma anche di quella cazzata allucinante di Black Panther) fa davvero centro. Al di là della bellissima estetica del film e dell’ottima ambientazione (per non parlare della colonna sonora), mi è piaciuto come la prima parte sia tutta dedicata alla preparazione del climax finale e come lo scontro notturno sia molto più psicologico rispetto al carrozzone splatter che uno potrebbe aspettarsi. Sorprendente, nonostante i mille finali.18- A House of Dynamite (Kathryn Bigelow)
Kathryn Bigelow realizza l’incontro ideale tra il Dr Stranamore e WarGames, senza però la spassosa ironia del primo né l’avventura adolescenziale del secondo. Il film si svolge in 19 fatali minuti, dilatati però in due ore per mezzo del cosiddetto effetto Rashomon. Lo scenario, non così distopico come si può pensare, è spaventoso, e la storia regge, nonostante qualche calo di tono nella parte centrale. Appena si entra nella storia infatti, è impossibile staccare gli occhi dallo schermo, dagli sguardi confusi e spaventati dei protagonisti, da quei numeri che scorrono sui monitor. Lo trovate su Netflix e, al di là di tutto, Kathryn Bigelow sa come si gira un film: è grande cinema.17- L’Ultimo Turno (Heldin, Petra Volpe)
Non sorprendetevi se, nella prossima cinquina di candidati per l’Oscar al Miglior Film Straniero, dovesse esserci anche questo bellissimo film svizzero, realizzato da Petra Volpe. Un’escalation di situazioni, allarmi, capricci, ansie, dove la mano di Leonie Benesch, ma soprattutto il cuore, può essere piuma e può essere ferro (cit). Un film ansiogeno, dove allo spettatore non viene concesso un momento di pausa, stesso destino riservato alla sua protagonista. Il messaggio che compare nel finale, prima del fade to black, chiarisce molto meglio il punto di tutto il film, ovvero la grave carenza di infermieri negli ospedali svizzeri. Bellissimo, ma che ansia.16- Sotto le Foglie (Quand Vient l’Automne, François Ozon)
François Ozon, uno dei registi più attivi degli ultimi decenni, riesce sempre a sfornare bei film, ma quasi mai film davvero bellissimi (almeno secondo me). Ecco, questa potrebbe essere la volta buona in cui il regista francese tira fuori la perla, un dramma che si svela piano piano, strato dopo strato, mettendo in tavola una bella teglia di dubbi, ipotesi, che lo spettatore può abbracciare o rifiutare. Una serie di eventi in cui la risposta non è mai una sola, dove si scoprono realtà scomode, passati ingombranti, verità inconfutabili. E quando entri in questo labirinto di sospetti, non ne esci più. Grande film.15- Nosferatu (Robert Eggers)
Parafrasando Nietzsche, si può dire che se tu guarderai a lungo nell’oscurità, anche l’oscurità vorrà guardare dentro di te. Ed è proprio in un buio accecante che Eggers immerge lo spettatore (e Lily-Rose Depp) sin dalla primissima inquadratura, come a volerlo rendere parte di quella stessa notte buia, la stessa oscurità nella quale il regista fa muovere le sue ombre. La grandezza di questa nuova versione è, al di là dell’indubbia potenza visiva, la capacità di reinventarsi in ogni scena, di essere coinvolgente anche di fronte a una storia che abbiamo visto in tutte le salse, che il regista statunitense però riesce a modernizzare con la metafora, neanche troppo sottile, di una donna indipendente in lotta contro una società di maschi dominanti. L’oscurità non è mai stata così “buia”: spegnete le luci.14- Grand Theft Hamlet (Sam Crane, Pinny Grylls)
Durante la pandemia, due attori di teatro, rimasti improvvisamente a spasso, decidono di mettere in scena l’Amleto all’interno dell’open world del videogioco GTA, facendo casting, prove e l’intero spettacolo dentro il gioco, cercando di evitare di essere uccisi da altri gamer (per i meno pratici, GTA è uno dei videogame più violenti di sempre, dove chi gioca può rubare, uccidere e compiere qualunque attività criminale per ottenere bonus di vario genere). L’idea di Sam Crane e Pinny Grylls non è soltanto originalissima, ma è anche divertente, oltre che incredibilmente coinvolgente: dopo i primi cinque minuti sarà impossibile smettere di guardare questo assurdo documentario, se così si può definire. Anche in un periodo di grande crisi, uno splendido esempio di umanità e di come il bisogno di esprimersi artisticamente riesca ad abbattere ostacoli apparentemente insormontabili. Che bello!13- Aragoste a Manhattan (La Cocina, Alonso Ruizpalacios)
Dopo il successo di The Bear, tutto ciò che si svolge dentro una cucina deve caricarsi sulle spalle vari esami del dna per definire il grado di parentela con la serie. Ciò che vediamo nel film di Ruizpalacios ha però delle vibrazioni tutte sue, che raccontano molto del mondo che viviamo oggi: individui di culture diverse si districano tra i muri dell’incomprensione, mentre il macigno del capitalismo tenta di sacrificare ogni individualità, ogni sogno, ogni speranza sull’altare del profitto e del consumo. A condire tutte queste vicende c’è tanto umorismo caustico e una regia piena di belle intuizioni, tra cui un piano sequenza da urlo: quanta fame (di vita!) in un film così piccolo.12- September 5 (Tim Fehlbaum)
Quasi interamente girato all’interno della cabina di regia della ABC durante il sequestro degli atleti israeliani durante le Olimpiadi del 1972, il film lascia da parte qualunque approfondimento politico per concentrarsi esclusivamente sul lavoro giornalistico, con le sue urgenze, i suoi errori, le improvvise rivelazioni, la corsa alla notizia. Breve, dal ritmo serrato, senza dubbio coinvolgente, con alcuni volti interessanti come Peter Saarsgard, Ben Chaplin, John Magaro (il marito di Past Lives) e Leonie Benesch (protagonista de La Sala Professori e de L’Ultimo Turno, che avete già incontrato in questa classifica). La conferma che, ancora una volta, quello del giornalista è il lavoro più bello da vedere in un film.11- Io Sono Ancora Qui (Ainda Estou Aqui, Walter Salles)
L’ultimo lavoro del grande Walter Salles entra di diritto nella rosa dei più importanti film brasiliani della storia. Splendido nel modo in cui divide perfettamente la leggerezza del primo atto con la brutale sofferenza del secondo, Salles racconta una storia che meritava di tornare sotto l’attenzione del grande pubblico, per farci ricordare ancora una volta, se mai ce ne fosse bisogno, una cosa che dovremmo tenere sempre bene a mente: i fascisti sono una merda. Gran film.10- Presence (Steven Soderbergh)
Steven Soderbergh piazza lo spettatore a osservare una “normale” famiglia statunitense dal punto di vista grandangolare di un fantasma che vive nella loro casa, raccontando la crisi di una generazione, le aspettative, la competitività, il bisogno di vivere di apparenza pur di restare a galla, inzuppando tutta questa vita ordinaria con alcune tracce di sovrannaturale (oggetti che levitano, una medium che avverte la presenza, ecc). Il regista ci apparecchia la tavola per la prima ora, senza mai stancare, fino a spiazzarci nell’ultimo quarto d’ora, in un paio di scene che regalano brividi. Chi lo va a vedere aspettandosi un horror resterà molto deluso, è un filmone che parla di tutt’altro. Stupendo.9- Springsteen – Liberami dal Nulla (Deliver Me From Nowhere, Scott Cooper)
Chi si aspetta di vedere su grande schermo il mito di Bruce Springsteen, troverà invece un’opera che gli toglie la maschera, soffoca la leggenda per alimentare però la sua umanità, il suo cuore, il suo bisogno di essere ancora una persona normale in un mondo di luci accecanti. In questo bellissimo film di Scott Cooper scoprirete finalmente il lato oscuro del mito, l’animo intimo di un artista che non è mai sceso a compromessi con il suo successo, che ha cercato di restare se stesso sempre, mentre il mondo intorno a lui continuava a girare vorticosamente. Anche perché, come ci suggerisce il film, il passato non esiste più e il futuro non si può rincorrere: possiamo vivere soltanto dentro noi stessi, ora.8- No Other Land (Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal)
Un collettivo di registi israeliani e palestinesi racconta la violenza e la distruzione da parte dei coloni israeliani di una piccola comunità rurale della Cisgiordania, Masafer Yatta. Il rapporto tra un giornalista di Isreaele e un giovane attivista palestinese è uno dei tantissimi spunti di un film che, inevitabilmente, atterrisce lo spettatore con le tante crudeltà che mostra e che, al tempo stesso, commuove per l’enorme forza e la necessità di sopravvivere che mette in scena minuto dopo minuto. È complicato racchiudere in poche righe tutta l’impotenza che si prova durante la visione, ma anche la voglia di abbracciare i bambini che vengono fatti sfollare dalla scuola, prima che venga distrutta da una ruspa. Premio Oscar per il miglior documentario, una storia che fa male, ma che riesce anche a illuminare con la sua umanità.7- A Complete Unknown (James Mangold)
Mangold riesce a costruire un film che contiene al suo interno mille storie diverse, che gravitano tutte intorno al grande protagonista Bob Dylan: dalla leggenda Woody Guthrie allo sfortunato Dave Van Ronk, dal sogno di Pete Seeger di cambiare il mondo attraverso la musica, all’attivista Joan Baez, regina del folk, che pochi anni dopo sarebbe diventata “l’usignolo di Woodstock”. Oppure Sylvie, personaggio fittizio chiaramente ispirato a Suze Rotolo, musa e compagna del cantautore, prima di quella metamorfosi artistica che avrebbe cambiato la sua vita e (soprattutto?) la storia della musica. Per chi la vuole cercare, c’è davvero tanta carne al fuoco: un film completo, totalmente credibile, coinvolgente, straordinario nelle interpretazioni, che racconta l’uomo dietro il genio, l’essere umano dietro il rivoluzionario, il futuro premio Nobel per la letteratura dietro i capelli spettinati di un “completo sconosciuto”. Ma soprattutto c’è tanta, tantissima, musica stupenda. I tempi cambiano, per noi comuni mortali, così come per i geni: basta viverli, una canzone per volta.6- Bird (Andrea Arnold)
Tra echi di urgenza sociale che richiamano il miglior Ken Loach e una deriva favolistica alla Alice Rohrwacher, Andrea Arnold procede in equilibrio tra realismo magico e fiaba malinconica: la protagonista Nykiya Adams (che brava!) si arrangia come può in un contesto ostile, mostrando la capacità degli adolescenti di trovare luce ovunque, anche nelle condizioni peggiori. Ed è proprio lì, tra la vita aspra che mostra e l’incanto che ti regala, che questo film ti tiene stretto, facendoti pensare che è una delle cose più belle che hai visto quest’anno. Inoltre, la colonna sonora è pazzesca e va da Too Real e A Hero’s Death dei Fontaines DC a Lucky Man dei Verve, da The Universal dei Blur a Yellow dei Coldplay. Come dicono proprio i Blur, “When the days they seem to fall through you, well, just let them go”.5- The Brutalist (Brady Corbet)
La cosa più difficile da fare con quest’opera immensa di Brady Corbet è scegliere di cominciare a vederla. Poi tutto va in discesa perché l’attenzione che gli dedichi, il film te la restituisce sottoforma di splendido cinema: è davvero tanta roba. Potete facilmente immaginare che, in oltre 3 ore di film, di cose ne succedono parecchie e ci sarebbe tantissimo da dire: è una di quelle storie che ti porti appresso fuori dalla sala, che ti si arrampica dentro durante la notte, a cui inevitabilmente ripensi al mattino. Adrien Brody è magnifico e quello di Guy Pearce è un piacevolissimo ritorno sulle scene di un film importante. Girato con un budget ridotto, è uno dei più ambiziosi ed enormi film indipendenti mai realizzati. Clamoroso.4- La Voce di Hind Rajab (Ṣawt al-Hind Rajab, Kaouther Ben Hania)
Sono andato al cinema senza sapere neanche di cosa parlasse. Sapevo solo che dovevo vederlo. Il film di Kaouther Ben Hania mescola realtà e finzione, ricostruendo il tentativo da parte della Mezzaluna Rossa (il corrispettivo mediorientale della nostra Croce Rossa) di ottenere i permessi necessari per salvare una bambina palestinese chiusa dentro un’automobile, appena assaltata dai soldati israeliani che hanno sterminato la famiglia della piccola Hind Rajab. Solo questo basterebbe a renderlo un film potentissimo, ma il punto di forza (nonché elemento straziante) è che la voce al telefono che sentiamo per tutto il film è la voce reale della bambina, ovvero la registrazione delle conversazioni telefoniche avvenute tra lei e i soccorritori (che invece sono interpretati da attori e attrici). Un’opera di rara potenza ed emozione, commovente, agghiacciante, spaventosa. Se il Cinema con la C maiuscola ha il dovere di raccontare il tempo che vive, questo film è destinato a essere ricordato in eterno.3- Emilia Perez (Jacques Audiard)
Vincitore del premio della Giuria a Cannes, è una sorta di musical incentrato su un boss del cartello messicano che decide di cambiare sesso (!). Da un’idea assurda, quasi grottesca a pensarci, nasce un’opera meravigliosa su genere, identità, violenza, redenzione, senza mai perdere un grammo di credibilità. Un film che ha dentro di sé mille film diversi: musical, gangster, dramma sociale, sentimento. Girato con un gusto estetico superiore (parliamo sempre di Jacques Audiard, uno dei più grandi registi europei della sua generazione), una fotografia meravigliosa e un trio di attrici fuori dall’ordinario: Zoe Saldana, in particolare, è incredibile e il film è stu-pen-do.2- Una Battaglia Dopo l’Altra (One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson)
Quasi un decennio dopo il fortunato Vizio di Forma, il regista di Los Angeles torna a pescare idee dalla narrativa di Thomas Pynchon, il cui romanzo Vineland ha fornito il materiale di base sul quale modellare poi la storia, molto diversa, di questo nuovo film. Ci sono momenti che sembrano uscire fuori dal cinema dei fratelli Coen, ma soprattutto c’è l’enorme talento di PTA nel raccontare storie, nel prendere per mano lo spettatore e coinvolgerlo in un caleidoscopio di ironia, azione, calore umano e battute fulminanti, fino a una bellissima scena di inseguimento nel deserto, tra dossi, salite e discese, in una sorta di “labirinto rettilineo” che tiene con il fiato sospeso. Il mondo forse si può davvero cambiare, una battaglia dopo l’altra. Nel frattempo, godiamoci film stupendi come questo: “ocean waves“, amici e amiche, “ocean waves“.1- Un Semplice Incidente (Yak Taṣādof-e Sāde, Jafar Panahi)
Anche stavolta il regista iraniano gira il film in totale segreto, senza permessi, e anche stavolta realizza qualcosa di stupendo, una riflessione profonda sul ruolo di vittima e carnefice, sull’umanità, sulle conseguenze che ha ogni azione. Il film si apre sull’interno di un’automobile di notte: al volante c’è il padre di una famiglia composta da moglie incinta e una bambina vispa e solare. Improvvisamente l’uomo investe un cane e questo piccolo incidente procurerà un piccolo danno all’auto, che dovrà fermarsi per una riparazione improvvisa. Da qui comincia una serie di eventi che porterà l’uomo ad essere rapito e a circondarsi di aguzzini pronti ad eliminarlo: ma perché? Chi è quest’uomo? Cosa è successo anni prima? Il suono di quella protesi alla gamba e, soprattutto, quel finale incredibile, me li porterò appresso ancora per molto tempo. Un capolavoro.[Se l’articolo ti è piaciuto, offrimi un caffè o magari una colazione,
una piccola mancia per aiutarmi a sostenere il sito!]#2025 #bestOf2025 #Cinema #classifica #daVedere #film #filmDel2025 #filmDellAnno #filmPiùBelli #fineAnno #lista #listaFilm #miglioriFilm #top10 #top20
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Turning Saffron into Slop – Treylya Safran yn Skomblans
Kernewek is under attack. The attacker? Machine-made rubbish. Fresh from companies dictionary-bashing to make terrible ‘translations’ for their black-and-gold-washing brandification of Kernow, the shoddiness has spiralled.
Error-riddled AI ‘Kernewek textbooks’ have appeared on Amazon, by ‘authors’ who are at best well-meaning but harmful and at worst out to exploit us. Worse, a prominent crackpot is ‘translating’ conspiracy theories into ‘Cornish’ en masse. It’s not just nonsensical; it ties our language to fascism faster than we, making content by hand, can work to untie it.
There are those who believe that the best defence is to put down our shield and join the opposing forces: to ‘buy in’ to AI in the hope of coming out the other side with a useful tool for the language and a stronger community. Such hopes must be abandoned. What follows is a look why this approach is wrong-headed, as evidenced by universities, activists and indigenous groups.
Kernewek yw yn-dann omsettyans. An omsettyer? Atal gwrys dre jynn. Nowydh devedhys a gompanis ow pylla gerlyvrow rag gul ‘treylyansow’ euthyk rag aga merkegyans yethwolghi a Gernow, an pilyekter re wrug pesya.
‘Dysklyvrow’ ‘Kernewek’ gwallblagys re apperyas war Amazon, gans ‘awtours’ neb yw teg aga thowl dhe’n gwella ha drogusus aga hwans dhe’n gwettha. Lakka, yma koyntwas a vri ow ‘treylya’ tybiethow kesplottyans dhe ‘Gernewek’ yn routh. Nyns yw gocki hepken; y kelm agan yeth orth faskorieth uskissa es dell yllyn, dre wul dalgh dre leuv, oberi dh’y digelmi.
Yma nebes a grys bos agan gwella difres gorra an skoos dhyworthyn ha junya an ostys er agan pynn: dhe ‘unverhe’ gans SK gans govenek dos yn-mes gans toul dhe les rag an yeth ha kemeneth kreffa. Res yw hepkor govenegow a’n par na. An pyth hag a sew a vir orth prag yth yw an devedhyans ma penn-gam, dell yw dustunys gans pennskolyow, gweythresoryon ha bagasow teythyek.
Note: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come to be synonymous with Generative AI (GenAI) and with Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, in common parlance. Unless explicitly stated, I use the terms interchangeably.
Kernewek is under attack. The attacker? Machine-made rubbish. Fresh from companies dictionary-bashing to make terrible ‘translations’ for their black-and-gold-washing brandification of Kernow*, the shoddiness has spiralled.
Error-riddled AI ‘Kernewek textbooks’ have appeared on Amazon, by ‘authors’ who are at best well-meaning but harmful and at worst out to exploit us. Worse, a prominent crackpot is ‘translating’ conspiracy theories into ‘Cornish’ en masse. It’s not just nonsensical; it ties our language to fascism faster than we, making content by hand, can work to untie it.
There are those who believe that the best defence is to put down our shield and join the opposing forces: to ‘buy in’ to AI in the hope of coming out the other side with a useful tool for the language and a stronger community. Such hopes must be abandoned. What follows is a look why this approach is wrong-headed, as evidenced by universities, activists and indigenous groups.
LOW-RESOURCES AND LINGUISTIC TYPOLOGY
Simply adding a language to an AI model leads to a spike in poor-quality articles, drowning out quality writing by humans. AI has “industrialized the acts of destruction—which affect vulnerable languages most, since AI translations are typically far less reliable for them.”1 Wikipedia editors from varied languages evidence that machine translation tools have made it easier than ever before to create shoddy articles in minoritised languages, causing massive damage in minutes. AI leads to non-speakers producing much longer, truthier rubbish, Sámi computational linguistics expert Trond Trosterud notes: “the problem [is] that they are armed with Google Translate. Earlier they were armed only with dictionaries.”1
Kernewek, like all but 60 of the world’s roughly 7,000 languages, is designated “low-resource”, meaning it lacks sufficient data to train a machine.2 It is tempting, therefore, to assume that the solution is to provide more data. However, training an LLM requires petabytes of text, audio and video—manually categorised and in a machine-readable format—a vast trove that Kernewek simply does not have.3 Professor Will Lamb, Chair of Gaelic Ethnology and Linguistics at Edinburgh University, speaks of “millions of work hours devoted to just one aspect” of a working AI.4
Even if ChatGPT is trained on another language than English, the time and labour required may make it largely unviable. Current assessments of the performance of ChatGPT for different languages have shown that it performs worse in all tasks.5
Prof. Lina Dencik, Data Justice Lab
Furthermore, the amount of data and work is not the only barrier; at issue is the nature of the language itself. Microsoft has found that languages such as Breton—and thus Kernewek—cause a high rate of errors distinct from the size of their dataset, due to grammatical features, such as mutation, not present in well-sourced languages. As such, they remain poor without significant additional work.6 Essentially, simply adding more Kernewek may not help. Thus, engaging with AI is, for Kernewek, to tie ourselves to slop.
Noten: Skians Kreftus (SK) re dheuth ha bos kesstyr gans SK Dinythus (SKDin) ha gans Patronyow Yeth Bras (PYB), kepar ha ChatGPT, yn lavar kemmyn. Marnas bos menegys yn kler, my a us an termys yn keschanjyadow.
Kernewek yw yn-dann omsettyans. An omsettyer? Atal gwrys dre jynn. Nowydh devedhys a gompanis ow pylla gerlyvrow rag gul ‘treylyansow’ euthyk rag aga merkegyans yethwolghi a Gernow*, an pilyekter re wrug pesya.
‘Dysklyvrow’ ‘Kernewek’ gwallblagys re apperyas war Amazon, gans ‘awtours’ neb yw teg aga thowl dhe’n gwella ha drogusus aga hwans dhe’n gwettha. Lakka, yma koyntwas a vri ow ‘treylya’ tybiethow kesplottyans dhe ‘Gernewek’ yn routh. Nyns yw gocki hepken; y kelm agan yeth orth faskorieth uskissa es dell yllyn, dre wul dalgh dre leuv, oberi dh’y digelmi.
Yma nebes a grys bos agan gwella difres gorra an skoos dhyworthyn ha junya an ostys er agan pynn: dhe ‘unverhe’ gans SK gans govenek dos yn-mes gans toul dhe les rag an yeth ha kemeneth kreffa. Res yw hepkor govenegow a’n par na. An pyth hag a sew a vir orth prag yth yw an devedhyans ma penn-gam, dell yw dustunys gans pennskolyow, gweythresoryon ha bagasow teythyek.
ASNODHOW ISL HA TIPOLOGIETH YETHEL
Keworra yeth yn sempel orth patron SK a led orth spik yn erthyglow drog aga kwalita, ow peudhi skrif a gwalita gans tus. SK re wrug “diwysyansegi an aktys diswrians—hag a nas yethow goliadow an moyha, drefen bos treylyansow SK lieskweyth le lel yn tipek ragdha.”1 Golegydhyon Wikipedia a yethow divers a re dustuni re wrug medhelweyth-treylya y wul bos esya dell veu bythkweth kyns gwruthyl erthyglow pilyek yn yethow lyharivhes, ow kawsya damach kowrek yn mynysennow. SK a led orth digowsoryon owth askorra atal lieskweyth hirra ha gwirekka, konnyk yethonieth reknansek Sámi Trond Trosterud a not: “an kudyn [yw] aga bos ervys gans Google Translate. A-varra nyns ens ervys marnas gans gerlyvrow.”1
Kernewek, kepar hag oll marnas 60 a ogas lowr 7,000 yeth a’n bys, yw klassys avel “isel y asnodhow”, ow styrya nag eus dhodho kedhlow lowr dhe drenya jynn.2 Rakhenna, dynyek yw desevos bos an assoylyans profya moy a gedhlow. Byttegyns, res yw petavaytys a dekst, son ha gwydhyow—klassys dre leuv hag yn furvas redyadow gans jynn— dhe drenya PYB, tresorva efan nag eus dhe Gernewek yn sempel.3 Y kews Professor Will Lamb, Kaderyer Ethnologieth ha Yethonieth Wodhalek orth Pennskol Karedin, a “vilvilyow a ourys ober sakrys orth unn wedh hepken” a SK owth oberi.4
Hogen mars yw ChatGPT trenys war yeth a-der Sowsnek, an termyn hag ober yw res a styr y vos martesen anhewul dre vras. Arvreusyansow a-lemmyn a berformyans a ChatGPT rag yethow dyffrans re dhiskwedhas y perform gweth yn oberennow oll.5
Prof. Lina Dencik, Data Justice Lab
Pella, nyns yw an myns a gedhlow hag ober an unsel lett; a vern yw natur an yeth y honan. Microsoft re drovyas y kaws yethow kepar ha Bretonek—hag ytho Kernewek—kevradh ughel a wallow diblans a vraster aga sett kedhlow, drefen nasyow gramasek, kepar ha treylyansow, nag usi kevys yn yethow ughel aga asnodhow. Yndella, i a bes orth bos drog heb meur a ober keworransel.6 Yn essensek, possybyl yw ny wra keworra moy a Gernewek yn sempel gweres. Yndelma, oberi gans SK yw, rag Kernewek, omgelmi orth skomblans.
CORNISH UNDER CAPITALISM
But surely we can improve things over time? It will take a lot of help from AI companies, but it will be worth it. Sadly, Gabriel Nicholas, a research fellow at the Center for Democracy and Technology, has found that once a tech company has established basic capabilities for a language, they pat themselves on the back and move on.7
Big tech companies are just that: companies. They exist to make a profit. Unfortunately, a market dominated by big languages gives them no incentive to invest in improvements for small ones.
All of the speech technology, smart homes and voice interaction systems used today are the products of commercial research. To put it bluntly, they exist to either make money from your data, to sell you more goods and services, or to influence your thinking. None of this AI exists for the public good. […] Unless there is a strong enough economic argument, don’t expect big companies to rush into producing Welsh, Gaelic or Cornish speech systems.8
Prof. Ian McLoughlin, University of Kent
Should they decide that a Kernewek AI is a viable profit-making enterprise, our situation may even be worse than abandonment. As Dr. Fintan Mallory remarks, the dominant means of profit for privately-funded AI enterprises is to convert their tools into surveillance devices.9 As Kernewek is currently one of the UK’s only languages which is not currently easily surveillable, this poses a huge risk to Kernewek activism and the fight for self-determination in a state that seeks to criminalise dissent.
While we’re on the subject of Kernewek and its position under capitalism, let’s consider the human cost. I lost my 13-year career in language to AI as soon as English output became viable enough to excuse not paying a human. In the unlikely instance that we achieve an AI that can produce quality Kernewek, why would anyone bother paying speakers? The idea of AI sucking all the life out of my heritage language when we are struggling to survive as-is is appalling.
Simply put, profit is antithetical to people. While AI is the new favourite toy of profit, it will be antithetical to people. And a language is its people.
KENEDHEL HEB YETH, KENEDHEL HEB KOLON
Combinations of characters on a screen mean nothing without agency and intention.10
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
While language is not unique to humans, it is one of the chief parts of being human. It cannot be reduced to mere data, but is a highly social process.11 We all know how synthetic customer support via robot sounds or how AI fails to pick up nuance. As Dr. Mallory comments, “Language [is] something more like the soul of a community. You can’t store this in a machine. You can’t solve a human problem like linguicide with a view of language that removes the human component.”12
AI cannot comprehend Kernewek or any other language. It is a stochastic parrot: predicting what word is likely to follow the previous one.13 It cannot understand us. It cannot intend anything. If it tells you it feels delighted to help you, it is lying. I want our community to grow, but one hundred ‘Cornish-speaking’ computers do not add to it. One human does—bringing ideas and hopes and fears and foibles—and I do not think the Kernewek ‘speaking’ computers will add even one human to our community.
Worse, if it does, there is evidence from Microsoft to suggest that the use of GenAI on language tasks, even once a week, impairs cognitive ability to learn, leading to decreased engagement with the topic, overreliance on the technology and hobbled skills in independent problem-solving.14 By using AI tools to ‘teach’ a learner Kernewek, we may in fact be impairing their ability to learn the language at all without this crutch. We will make regurgitators in place of speakers.
Perlin also emphasises the human element, saying that when we hold community central to our languages, as we do, the stochastic parrot can feel like a violation.15 At the moment, I can tell when someone is using AI ‘Kernewek’ to me. The idea that one day I will not know when an outsider—someone I would welcome if they took up a book or a class—is puppeting my ancestors’ jaws and speaking through them is ghoulish. It has the instant sting of colonialism, of appropriation when one could appreciate, of parroting when one could join our chorus.
Hawai’ian scholar Ha‘alilio Solomon agrees: “It is painful, because it reminds us of all the times that our culture and language has been appropriated. We have been fighting tooth and nail in an uphill climb for language revitalization.[…] People are going to think that this is an accurate representation of the Hawaiian language.”16
TRUST AND COMMUNITY FEELING
The anti-machine backlash has long been simmering but is now seemingly breaking to the surface.17
NBC NEWS
The explosion of insults for AI itself (clanker, tinskin, toaster), its output (slop, dross, brainrot) and its users (slopper, groksucker, botlicker, second-hand thinker)—as well as others more clearly based on real-world slurs than I am comfortable to include—tells a tale of the general attitude of distrust and disgust towards the technology and its use on anglophone and other majority language internet.18 While the attitude among tech bros and corporates remains bombastic, for the general public AI is “becoming interchangeable with things that sort of suck.”19
Further, it’s not just majority languages with this negative view of AI as taint. A quick sampling of social media comments and likes regarding AI and Scottish Gaelic by Professor Lamb showed a split of 54% negative, 33% positive and 13% neutral. (Lamb, 2024) The sentiment of the top-rated negative comment was that AI is harmful and the second-highest that AI should be kept away from heritage languages.
What are we telling our descendants? That our language and culture isn’t worth the personal effort? That’s how I might read it, if I were them.20
Kernewek survey respondent
Kernewek paints an even starker picture, especially among younger and more technologically-savvy learners and speakers. A survey on Cornish Discord and Whatsapp found that 65% felt AI would be bad (11.5%) or very bad (53%) for the language. When asked what the community response should be to AI, 46% said we should prevent it and 27% avoid it, with only over-60s thinking that we should work with it.20
31% of respondents said using AI in Kernewek would cause them to feel estranged from the language, while 54% said that they would feel strongly estranged and 23% a little estranged from any organisation, resource or teacher using AI.
The response from those who gave their knowledge of AI as either “expert” or “good” was particularly damning. Everyone in this group responded that AI would be harmful for the language, that the use of AI would estrange them from a source strongly and that we should prevent the use of AI for Kernewek.
IDENTITY, AUTHENTICITY AND DIVERSITY
Aristotelis Ioannis Paschalidis, writing for UNESCO, was not speaking specifically about minoritised languages when he asked this, but the question resonates even more strongly for us: “How much loss of identity is one willing to sacrifice for efficiency?”21
Identity is of paramount importance to Kernewek speakers. Ute Wimmer’s study Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish identified the language’s “function as a symbol of national identity” as the second highest motive (66%**) among speakers and learners, beaten only by Cornish culture (80%).22 This would seem cause for celebration, but when AI is added to the mix, it becomes a risk. Vincent Koc of Hyperlink states that AI can “inadvertently contribute to the dilution of language and cultural identity.”23
He also identifies that automating language learning or generation “may diminish the richness and authenticity that comes from human speakers who carry cultural histories in their speech.” Indeed, four studies by the University of Southern California have shown that using LLMs to assist writing “is linked to notable declines in linguistic diversity and may interfere with the societal and psychological insights language provides.”24
This is in English, one of the richest and largest languages in the world. Imagine the possible impact on a smaller language like Kernewek—with less documentation, less data, a tiny speakerbase and basically no money—and on its many language varieties and orthographies. Particular to the Kernewek context, Late speakers are already struggling to be seen as valid under the dominance of Middle. Do we think AI knows the difference? Thoughtlessly, it will either mix everything together, confusing everyone, or it will use Middle to overwhelm Late.
Generative AI-driven content creation, by favoring standardized languages, risks the disappearance of regional dialects.25
Barcelona supercomputing Center ….
Not only are varieties at risk; AI threatens to drown Kernewek as a whole. Perlin agrees that the linguistic flattening that occurred over centuries in English could manifest overnight in a minoritised language with AI at the helm—as it would be, being able to effortlessly outstrip human Kernewek. He raises concerns of LLMs freezing a language in place and even defining what it means to know the language, especially with low numbers of native speakers.26
Garbage translations multiply online like fake news. Native speakers of the languages in question are bypassed as being “too hard to find,” compared with automated methods of vetting that are completely disconnected from real-life communication. While larger and more powerful language communities may be able to hold the bots to account and even make strategic use of them, it is all too easy to imagine [a minority language] being overwhelmed.26
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Uncontrolled and in the hands of tech giants, synthetic Kernewek will outnumber and outmanoeuvre human Kernewek.
DATA SOVEREIGNTY AND COLONIALISM
Indigenous data sovereignty is the right of [an indigenous nation] to govern the collection, ownership, and application of its own data.27
Native Nations Institute
There are, however, indigenous cultures that are working on a more equitable relationship with AI. Tech without the giant requires resources, but it allows communities to retain data sovereignty over the cultural asset that is their language. Te Mana Raraunga, the Māori Data Sovereignty Network, has created a list of principles for the creation, use and sharing of Māori data, prioritising the need to enhance control for current and future Māori.
They raise a key point that should be considered carefully by stewards of linguistic and cultural knowledge: “Data from us, and about us and our resources, are valuable assets. Once control of it is lost, it is difficult to regain.”28 Decisions must not be taken lightly or hastily; we can always say “yes” if we have previously said “no” to a particular dataset’s use, but can never say “no” if we have already said “yes”.
The AI field, like any other space, is occupied by people who are set in their ways and unintentionally have a very colonial perspective.29
Michael Running Wolf, First Languages AI Reality
This is vital in the context of the potential control of Kernewek data by powerful external corporations. Capitalist extractivism has long been a bane on societies in the imperial periphery and our Cornish society is no different, having faced centuries of its wealth and natural resources being stripped and sold by and large for the profit of those outside Cornwall.
The book Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy notes that current data relations can be seen as “a continuation of the processes and underlying belief systems of extraction, exploitation, accumulation and dispossession that have been visited on Indigenous populations through historical colonialism.”30 This extractive understanding of information is, they note, not disrupted but rather replicated by paying people for their data.
Ultimately, our language must not lie in outside hands governed by proprietary principles that do not allow us sufficient sovereignty over one of our most valuable natural resources: our language. We must have open data principles, not bow to corporate control. We must steer and steward the use of our data, rather than expose it to use against our interests and for the pockets of big tech.
Rather than approaching language preservation as a technical problem, I think indigenous communities need to be politically empowered, whether that be funding from governments or legal protections to use their languages.31
Dr. Fintan Mallory, Durham University
We must prioritise language-as-community and seek open, equitable and ethical use of our language, heritage and other cultural assets. We must avoid thinking of AI as the magic that it promises and invest in basic research, driven by our own community. Corporations will not save us and, indeed, may do us great harm.
NO CORNISH ON A DEAD PLANET
Global capitalism and governments […] are addicted to ‘free’ market ideology over the wellbeing of communities, people and the planet.32
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Maniffesto 2022
Honestly, most takedowns of AI would have hit this point already. It’s one of the main arguments against Generative AI, but in case you’re not familiar with it, we will briefly look over the main points.
Water used in cooling AI data centers must be drinkable water. AI guzzles this water. The University of California has reported that “global water demand from AI could reach 4.2-6.6 billion cubic meters by 2027. That exceeds 50 percent of the UK’s annual water use in 2023.”33 All this while the Global Commission on the Economics of Water has declared “a rapidly accelerating water crisis” to which Kernewek should not be contributing.34
We have become utterly dependent on private technologies manufactured and controlled by a handful of opaque companies [who] appear mostly indifferent to the social consequences of their activities and only invest minimally if obliged by government regulations to enhance their public image.35
Iker Erdocia, Dublin City University
AI requires vast quantities of hardware at the cost of mining rare earth minerals. These are difficult to extract and purify and come with heavy environmental and social costs. They are often extracted from mines in countries with poorer environmental and labour protections. Reset states that “communities living near these mines, often indigenous or minority groups, regularly face land degradation, water contamination and human rights abuses. Much of this can be directly linked to the AI hardware.”36 When the hardware inevitably cooks and is useless, it is then thrown out as e-waste into poor communities. The potential advancement of Kernewek must not come at the expense of our sister indigenous and minority communities.
Training an also AI requires huge amounts of energy, soon perhaps as much as a small country37 and has an enormous carbon footprint.38 What is clear is that—through water usage, extractive industry, energy consumption and carbon footprint—AI is bad news for the struggling environment of the planet we live on and there is no Cornish on a dead planet.
MAKING AI AN EX-PARROT
Rather than making minority languages more accessible, AI is now creating an ever expanding minefield for students and speakers of those languages to navigate.39
mit technology review
We have heard of the vast improbability of getting AI to be able to mimic Kernewek in light of the costs in data, work, time and technology. We have considered the likely choice of cold negligence or surveillance product and the importance of data sovereignty. We have read about the effects on the livelihoods of Cornish speakers, as well as the the catastrophic costs to the environment and indigenous peoples.
We have learned that linguistic flattening by AI impoverishes its subjects and how AI may decide for us how our language must operate. We have seen the inescapability of language as human and the risks of creating ‘learners’ who cannot learn and ‘speakers’ who cannot speak. We have seen the dangers to reputation and trust for any organisation who would shovel what is seen as ‘slop’.
We have heard why giving in to the juggernaut of AI would be a mistake for Kernewek and how our community does not support our laying down of the shield. Instead, we must fight. We must make Kernewek a space as free of slop as possible, we must educate botlickers into ethical and effective language learning and use, we must avoid second-hand thinking.
We must make our language a no AI zone, a network of reliable humans and their human creations, built on authenticity, community, effort and trust: a Kernewek for the people, of the people and by the people.
KERNEWEK YN-DANN GEVALAV
Mes yn sur y hyllyn ni gwellhe taklow dres termyn? Y fydh res meur a weres a gompanis SK, mes y talvia dhyn. Yn trist, Gabriel Nicholas, kesvroder hwithrans orth an Center for Democracy and Technology, re drovyas pan wrug kompani tek fondya gallosow selyek rag unn yeth, i a omgeslowenha yn ughel hag ena movya yn-rag.7
Kompanis tek bras yw yndella poran: kompanis. Ymons i ena rag gwaynya budh. Y’n gwettha prys, ny wra marghas rewlys gans yethow bras ri kentryn dhe gevarghewi yn gwellhe rag an re byghan.
Oll a’n deknegieth kows, chiow konnyk ha systemow ynterweythres lev usys hedhyw yw an askorrasow a hwithrans kenwerthel. Dhe vos sogh, yth yns i po rag dendyl arghans a’th kedhlow, po gwertha gwara ha gonisyow, po delenwel dha dybyansow. Nyns yw tra vyth a’n SK ma rag an les kemmyn. […] Mar nag eus argyans erbysek krev lowr, na wra gwaytya kompanis bras dhe fyski dhe askorra systemow kows Kembrek, Godhalek po Kernewek.8
Prof. Ian McLoughlin, pennskol kint
Ha mars ervirons bos SK Kernewek aventur a yll gwaynya budh, possybyl yw bos agan studh gweth ages dell via gans forsakyans. Dell lever Dr. Fintan Mallor, an fordh vrassa a waynya budh rag kompanis SK arghesys yn privedh yw kedreylya aga thoulys yn devisyow aspians.9 Drefen bos Kernewek onan a’n yethow boghes y’n RU nag yw aspiadow yn es y’n eur ma, hemm yw peryl kowrek rag gweythresieth Kernewek ha’gan strif a-barth omdhetermyans yn stat a vynn galweythegi dissent.
Ha ni ow tochya Kernewek ha’y savla yn-dann gevalav, gwren ni mires orth an kost denel. My a gellis ow soodh 13 bloodh yn yethow dhe SK kettooth ha dell veu eskorrans Sowsnek hewul lowr dhe askusya sevel orth tyli den. Y’n kas diwirhaval may kevyn SK hag a yll askorra Kernewek da, prag y hwrussa nebonan omankombra ow pe kowser? An tybyans a SK ow tenna oll an bewnans a’m taves ertach ha ni ow kwynnel dhe dreusvewa dell on yw skruthus.
Yn sempel, budh yw gorthenebel orth tus. Hedre vo SK an degen nowydh flamm a vudh, y fydh gorthenebel orth tus. Ha yeth yw hy thus.
KENEDHEL HEB YETH, KENEDHEL HEB KOLON
Nyns eus styr dhe gesunyansow a lytherennow war skrin heb dewis ha heb mynnas.10
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Kyn nag yw yeth dibarow dhe dhensys, onan a’n rannow chif a vos denel yw. Ny yll bos lehes dhe gedhlow hepken, mes yth yw argerdh sosyel dres eghen.11 Ni oll a wor py mar synthesek y sen skoodhyans prener der SK po fatel yll SK fyllel orth konvedhes arliwyow. Dell gampol Dr. Mallory, “Yeth [yw] neppyth moy kepar hag enev a gemeneth. Ny yllir gwitha hemma yn jynn. Ny yllir assoylya kudyn denel kepar ha yethladhans gans gwel a yeth hag a remov an gerann denel.”12
Ny yll SK konvedhes Kernewek po taves vyth aral. Papynjay chonsus yw: y targan py ger yw gwirhaval wosa an huni kyns.13 Ny yll agan konvedhes. Ny yll mynnes tra vyth. Mar kwra derivas orthis y vos pes da dha weres, gow yw. My a vynn agan kemeneth dhe devi, mes ny wra kans jynn-amontya a yll ‘kewsel Kernewek’ keworra orti. Y hwra unn den—ow tri tybyansow ha govenegow hag ownow ha gwanderyow—ha ny dybav y hwra an jynnys-amontya kernwegorek keworra unn den hogen orth agan kemeneth.
Gwettha, mar kwra, yma dustuni a-dhyworth Microsoft hag a brof y hwra an devnydh a SKDin war oberennow yeth, unweyth an seythen hogen, aperya gallos godhvosel a dhyski, ow ledya orth omworrans lehes gans an desten, gorfydhyans y’n deknegieth ha sleyneth sprallys a assoylya kudynnow yn anserghek.14 Der usya toulys SK dhe ‘dhyski’ Kernewek, possybyl yw ni dhe shyndya gallos dyski an yeth vytholl heb an kroch ma. Ni a wra gul mimyoryon yn le Kernewegoryon.
Ynwedh Perlin a boslev an elven dhenel, ow leverel pan wren ni synsi kemeneth avel kres agan yethow, dell wren, an papynjay chonsus a yll bos klewys kepar ha defolyans.15 Y’n eur ma, my a aswon pan eus nebonan owth usya ‘Kernewek’ SK dhymm. An tybyans ny wrav vy unn jydh godhvos pan eus estren—nebonan a wrussen vy dynerghi mar pe lyver po klass ganses—ow popettya diwawen ow hengerens ha kewsel dresta yw bedhrosus. Yma dhe’n dra an wan dhistowgh a drevesigeth, a berghenegyans pan yllir gwerthveurhe, a bapynjaya pan yllir junya agan kesgan.
Unver yw skolheyk Hawai’i henwys Noah Ha‘alilio Solomon: “Ankensi yw, drefen ni dhe vos kofhes a’n prysyow oll re beu agan gonisogeth ha yeth perghenegys. Ni re beu owth omladh dre dhens hag ewines yn batel gales a-barth dasvewheans yeth.[…] Y hwra pobel krysi bos hemma representyans ewn a’n yeth a Hawai’i.”16
TREST HAG OMGLEWANS AN GEMENETH
Hir re beu an kil-lash gorthjynn ow kovryjyon mes lemmyn yma va ow terri an arenep dell hevel.17
NBC NEWS
Tardh an arvedhennow rag SK y honan (clanker, tinskin, toaster), y askorras (slop, dross, brainrot) ha’y usyoryon (slopper, groksucker, botlicker, second-hand thinker)—keffrys hag erel selys moy yn kler war geryow kas gwir dell ov attes gans aga heworra—a re hwedhel a stons ollgemmyn a wogrys ha divlases war-tu hag an deknegieth ha’y devnydh war an kesrosweyth Sowsnek ha yethow bras erel.18 Kynth yw an stons yn-mysk gwesyon dek ha korforeth hwath gwresek, rag an boblek gemmyn y hwra SK “dos ha bos keschanjyadow gans taklow tamm kawgh.”19
Pella, nyns yw marnas yethow moyhariv gans an gwel negedhek ma a SK avel podrek. Sampel uskis a gampollow media sosyel ha meusi ow tochya SK ha Godhalek Alban gans Professor Lamb a dhiskwedhas fals a 54% negedhek, 33% posedhek ha 13% heptu. (Lamb, 2024) Sentiment an kampol negedhek an moyha talvesys o bos SK dregynnus hag an nessa y talvia dhyn lettya SK rag kestav gans tavosow ertach.
Pyth eson ni ow leverel orth agan diyskynysi? Ny dal agan yeth ha gonisogeth an strivyans personel? Hemm yw martesen fatel wrussen vy y redya, a pen vy i.20
Gorthebydh sondyans Kernewek
Kernewek a baynt aven moy serth, yn arbennik gans dyskoryon ha kowsoryon yowynka ha moy skentel gans tek. Sondyans war Discord ha Whatsapp Kernewek a drovyas bos 65% a grysis y fia SK drog (11.5%) po pur dhrog (53%) rag an yeth. Pan veu govynnys pyth a dal bos gorthyp an gemeneth orth SK, 46% a leveris y kodh y hedhi ha 27% y woheles, gans an dus moy ha 60 bloodh hepken ow tybi y kodh oberi ganso.20
31% a worthebydhyon an sondyans a leveris y hwrussa an devnydh a SK yn Kernewek aga fellhe a’n yeth, hag ynwedh 54% a leveris y fiens i pellhes yn krev ha 23% pellhes tamm a by kowethas, asnodh po dyskador pynag ow tevnydhya SK.
An gorthyp a’n re a leveris bos aga godhvos a SK po “konnyk” po “da” o dampnus yn arbennik. Pubonan y’n bagas ma a worthebis y fia SK dregynnus rag Kernewek, y hwrussa an devnydh a SK gans pennfenten aga fellhe a’n bennfenten na yn krev hag y kodh dhyn hedhi an devnydh a SK rag Kernewek.
HONANIETH, LELDER HA DIVERSETH
Nyns esa Aristotelis Ioannis Paschalidis, ow skrifa a-barth UNESCO, ow kewsel yn komparek a-dro dhe yethow lyharivhes pan wrug ev y wovyn, mes an govyn a dhassen yn kreffa ragon: “Pygemmys koll a honanieth a vynnir sakrifia rag effeythuster?”21
Honanieth yw a’n moyha bri rag Kernewegoryon. Studhyans Ute Wimmer Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish a henow “gweythres [an yeth] avel arwodh a honanieth kenedhlek” avel an nessa ughella skila (66%**) yn-mysk kowsoryon ha dyskoryon, fethys gans gonisogeth Kernow (80%) hepken.22 Yth havalsa hemma bos acheson solempnyans, mes pan vo SK keworrys, y teu ha bos peryl. Vincent Koc a Hyperlink a lever y hyll SK “kevri dre wall orth an gwannheans a yeth ha honanieth wonisogethel”.23
Ev a aswon ynwedh y hallsa awtomategi dyski po dinythi yeth “lehe an rychedh ha lelder hag a dheu a gowsoryon dhenel neb a dheg istoriow gonisogethel y’ga hows”. Yn hwir, peswar studhyans gwrys gans Pennskol Kaliforni Soth re dhiskwedhas bos devnydhya PYB dhe weres gans skrifa “kelmys orth dyfygyansow nosedhek yn diverseth yethel hag y hyll mellya gans an konvedhes brysoniethel ha kowethasel yw proviys gans yeth.”24
Ha hemm yw yn Sowsnek, onan a’n yethow an ryccha ha brassa y’n bys. Dismyk an effeyth war yeth byghanna kepar ha Kernewek—gans le a dhogvennans, le a gedhlow, sel kowsoryon munys hag ogas hag arghans mann—ha war y lies orgraf hag eghen yeth. Yn arbennik yn gettesten Kernewek, seulabrys yma kowsoryon Diwedhes ow strivya dhe vos gwelys avel vas gans gwartheyvans Kres. A dybyn y hwor SK an dyffrans? Heb preder, y hwra po kemyska puptra warbarth, ow sowdheni pubonan, po devnydhya Kres dhe fetha Diwedhes.
An gwruthyl a dhalgh herdhys gans SK Dinythus, dre favera yethow savonegys, a argyl an vansyans a rannyethow ranndiryel.25
Kresen woramontyorieth Barcelona
Nyns yw eghennow hepken yn peryl; SK a wodros beudhi Kernewek yn tien. Akordys yw Perlin y hallsa an platheans yethel a hwarva dres kansbledhynnyow yn Sowsnek hwarvos dres nos yn yeth lyharivhes gans SK orth an fronnow—dell via, ow pos gallosek a bassya Kernewek denel heb assay. Ev a venek prederow yn kever PYB ow rewi yeth yn hy le ha hogen ow settya pyth yw an styr a wodhvos an yeth, yn arbennik gans niverow munys a gowsoryon deythyek.26
Treylyansow leun a atal a liesha warlinen kepar ha nowodhow fug. Kowsoryon deythyek a’n yethow ma yw passyes avel bos “re gales dhe drovya”, komparys orth fordhow awtomategys a surheans kwalita hag yw disjunys yn tien a geskomunyans y’n bys gwir. Kynth yw possybyl rag kemenethow yeth brassa ha moy gallosek synsi an bottys ma dhe akont ha’ga devnydhya yn stratejek hogen, re es yw dismygi [yeth lyhariv] ow pos reverthys.26
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Heb kontrol hag yn diwla an gewri deknegieth, Kernewek synthesek a wra gornivera ha gorthrabellhe Kernewek denel.
SOVRANEDH KEDHLOW HA KOLONEGIETH
Sovranedh kedhlow teythyek yw an gwir gans [kenedhel teythyek] a woverna an kuntel, perghenogeth ha gweytha a’y hedhlow hy honan.27
Native Nations Institute
Byttegyns, yma gonisogethow teythyek hag usi owth oberi war geskowethyans moy ewnhynsek gans SK. Tek heb an kowr a res asnodhow, mes y as kemenethow gwitha sovranedh kedhlow war an gerthen wonisogethel hag yw aga yeth. Te Mana Raraunga, Rosweyth Sovranedh Kedhlow Māori, re wrug rol a bennrewlys rag an gwruthyl, devnydhya ha kevrenna a gedhlow Māori, ow ragwirhe an edhom a grefhe maystri rag Māori a-lemmyn hag a dheu.
I a venek poynt posek hag a dalvia bos konsidrys gans rach gans stywards a skians yethel ha gonisogethel: “Kedhlow ahanan, a-dro dhyn ha’gan asnodhow, yw kerthennow a bris. Pan vo maystri kellys, kales yw y dhaskemeres.”28 Ny dal gul erviransow yn skav po yn uskis; y hyllyn pupprys leverel “ea” mar kwrussyn leverel “na” kyns orth us sett kedhlow, mes ny yllyn nevra leverel “na” mar kwrussyn leverel “ea” seulabrys.
An desten SK, kepar ha pub le aral, yw leun a dus hag yw settys y’ga maneryow ha gans gwel pur drevesigel yn tidowl.29
Michael Running Wolf, First Languages AI Reality
Hemm yw pur bosek y’n gettesten a’n kontrol possybyl a gedhlow Kernewek gans korforethow gallosek a-ves. Estenegieth jatelydhek re beu molleth war gowethasow y’n amal emperourethek ha nyns yw kowethas Kernewek dyffrans, wosa enebi kansvledhynnyow a’y rychys hag asnodhow naturek ow pos destryppys ha gwerthys dre vras gans budh tus yn-mes a Gernow.
An lyver henwys Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy a verk lemmyn y hyllir gweles perthynyansow kedhlow avel “pesyans a’n argerdhow ha systemow-krysi isworwedhek a estennans, drogusyans, kuntellyans ha diberghenogeth re beu gwrys war boblansow Teythyek dres trevesigeth istorek.”30 An konvedhes estennek ma a gedhlow yw, dell verkons, hevelebys a-der goderrys gans tyli pobel rag aga hedhlow.
Wostiwedh, res yw ma na vo agan yeth gorrys yn diwla a-ves routys gans pennrewlys perghenogel na as dhyn sovranedh lowr a onan a’gan asnodhow naturel an moyha posek: agan yeth. Res yw dhyn kavos pennrewlys kedhlow ygor, a-der plegya orth kontrol korforethel. Res yw dhyn lewya ha gidya an devnydh a’gan kedhlow, a-der y usya erbynn agan lesow ha rag pocketys tek bras.
A-der drehedhes an arwithans a davosow avel kudyn teknegiethel, my a dyb bos res dhe gemenethow teythyek bos reythhes yn politek, po der arghasans a wovernansow po dre dhifresyansow laghel dhe dhevnydhya aga yethow.31
Dr. Fintan Mallory, Pennskol Durham
Res yw dhyn ragwirhe yeth-avel-kemeneth ha hwilas devnydh ygor, ewnhynsek hag ethegel a’gan kerthennow yeth, ertach ha gonisogethel. Res yw dhyn goheles tybi a SK avel an hus mayth ambos ha kevarghewi yn hwithrans selyek, lewys gans agan kemeneth. Ny wra korforethow agan selwel ha, hogen, i a yll agan shyndya.
NYNS EUS KERNEWEK WAR BLANET MAROW
Governansow ha kevalav ollvysel […] yw omres dhe ideologieth marghas ‘rydh’ moy es dell yns omres dhe sewena kemenethow, pobel ha’n planet.32
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Maniffesto 2022
An brassa rann a vreusyansow a SK a wrussa meneges hemma seulabrys. Onan a’n argyansow brassa yw erbynn SK Dinythus, mes rag own bos ankoth dhis, ni a wra mires orth an chif boyntys.
Res yw bos evadow an dowr goyeynhe pub kresen kedhlow SK. Y kollenk an dowr ma. Pennskol Kaliforni re dherivas “y hallsa demond dowr ollvysel SK hedhes 4.2-6.6 bilvil metrow kubek erbynn 2027. Henn yw moy es 50 kansran a us dowr bledhynnyek an RU yn 2023.”33 Y kettermyn, an Desedhek Ollvysel Erbysieth Dowr a dheklaryas “barras dowr ow tardha yn uskis” ma na dal Kernewek kevri dhodho.34
Ni re dheuth ha bos yn hwir omres dhe deknegiethow privedh gwrys ha kontrolys gans dornas a gompanis diskler [hag] a hevel bos mygyl dre vras orth an sewyansow sosyel a’ga gwriansow ha kevri yn ispoyntel marnas mars yns i konstrinys gans rewlys an wovernans dhe wellhe aga imach poblek.35
Iker Erdocia, Pennskol Sita Dulyn
Yma edhom dhe SK a vynsow kowrek a galesweyth orth kost palas monyow tanow. Kales yw estenna ha purhe an re ma hag yma kostow kerghynedhel ha sosyel poos. Estennys yns i yn fenowgh a hwelyow yn powyow gans difresyansow lakka rag lavur ha’n kerghynnedh. Reset a lever “yn fenowgh y hwra kemenethow yw trigys yn ogas dhe’n hwelyow, yn fenowgh bagasow lyhariv po teythyek, enebi gwethheans an tir, defolyans an dowr hag abusyans gwiryow denel. Meur a hemma a yll bos kelmys yn tidro orth an galesweyth SK.”36 Pan yw an galesweyth kegys yn sertan hag euver, ena tewlys yw avel e-wast yn kemenethow boghosek. Res yw nyns yw an avonsyans possybyl a Gernewek orth kost agan kemenethow hwor lyhariv ha teythyek.
Ynwedh res yw myns hujes a nerth rag trenya SK, yn skon martesen an keth myns ha pow byghan37 hag yma ol troos karbon kowrek.38 Kler yw—der usadow dowr, diwysyans estennek, konsumyans nerth hag ol troos karbon—bos SK yeyn nowodhow rag kerghynnedh ow strivya a’n planet mayth on ni trigys warnodho ha nyns eus Kernewek war blanet marow.
GUL DHE SK BOS EKS-PAPYNJAY
A-der gul dhe yethow lyhariv bos moy hedhadow, lemmyn yma SK ow kwruthyl tardhek pupprys owth omlesa rag studhyoryon ha kowsoryon a’n yethow ma dhe wolya.39
mit technology review
Ni re glewas a’n anwirhevelepter efan a wul dhe SK gallos mimya Kernewek yn golow an kostys yn kedhlow, ober, termyn ha teknegieth. Ni re gonsidras lycklod an dewisynter dispresyans yeyn po askorras-aspia ha’n posekter a sovranedh kedhlow. Ni re redyas a-dro dhe’n effeythyow war vewnansow Kernewegoryon, keffrys ha’n kostys katastrofek rag an kerghynnedh ha poblow teythyek.
Ni re dhyskas y hwra platheans yethel gans SK boghosekhe y destennow ha fatel yll SK martesen ervira a’gan parth fatel godh dh’agan yeth oberi. Ni re welas an anwoheladewder a yeth avel denel ha’n peryllyow a wul ‘dyskoryon’ na yll dyski ha ‘kowsoryon’ na yll kewsel. Ni re welas an peryllyow orth bri ha fydhyans rag kowethasow a wrussa palas an pyth hag yw gwelys avel ‘skomblans’.
Ni re glewas prag y fia omblegya orth an jagganat a SK error rag Kernewek ha dell na vynn agan kemeneth skoodhya gorra an skoos a-dhyworthyn. Yn y le, res yw dhyn batalyas. Res yw dhyn gul dhe Gernewek bos spas mar rydh a skomblans dell yll bos, res yw adhyski orth botlapyoryon yn dyski ha devnydh yeth yn ethegel hag yn effeythus, res yw goheles tybi wortaswerth.
Res yw dhyn gul dh’agan yeth bos parth heb SK, rosweyth a dus fydhyadow ha’ga gwriansow denel, drehevys war lelder, kemeneth, assay ha trest: Kernewek hag yw a-barth an bobel, a’n bobel ha gans an bobel.
Niwlen Ster
Notennow
* A prime example is the laughably-unaffordable restaurant RenMor, which The Headland Hotel thinks is a version of “Re’n Mor”, which they believe means “by the sea” as in “next to the sea” but actually means “by the sea!” like saying “by Zeus!”. This is both hilarious and enraging.
** A figure perhaps lower than it should be if you consider that many of the “emotional motives” which were not counted in this category, such as “I’m Cornish, what better reason do you need?”, do also refer to identity.
FENTENNOW
1. Judah, J. (2025) How AI and Wikipedia have sent vulnerable languages into a doom spiral, MIT Technology Review.
2. Ackermann, A. (2023) When AI doesn’t speak your language, Coda.
3. Crichton, D. (2024) AI and the Death of Human Languages, Lux.
4. Lamb, W. (2024). Could Artificial Intelligence save Scottish Gaelic?, The University of Edinburgh.
5. Dencik, L. (/2025) AI Inequalities: Minority Languages, TUC Cymru.
6. Joshi, P., Santy, S., Budhiraja, A., Bali, K., & Microsoft Research, India. (2020). The State and Fate of Linguistic Diversity and Inclusion in the NLP World. Proceedings of the 58th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics.
7. Ackermann, A. (op cit)
8. McLoughlin, I. (2018) How to teach AI to speak Welsh (and other minority languages), The Conversation.
9. Mallory, F. (2025) RISE UP Panel Discussion & Q&A: What AI Can and Cannot Do for Minoritised Languages, YouTube.
10. Perlin, R. (2024) AI Won’t Protect Endangered Languages, The Dial.
11. RISE UP (2025) #4 RISE UP Event Summary: What AI Can and Cannot Do For Minoritised Languages, RISE UP.
12. Mallory, F. (2024) European Day of Languages: Will lesser spoken languages soon only be kept alive by AI technology? Durham University.
13. Bender, E., Gebru, T., McMillan-Major, A., & Mitchell, M. (2021) On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big? Proceedings of the 2021 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency
14. Lee, H.-P., Sarkar, A., Tankelevitch, L., Drosos, I., Rintel, S., Banks, R., & Wilson, N. (2025) The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers. Microsoft.
15. Perlin, R. (op cit)
16. Judah, J. (op cit)
17. Abbruzzese, J., & Wile, R. (2025) Is an AI backlash brewing? What ‘clanker’ says about growing frustrations with emerging tech, NBC News.
18. Webster, K. (2025) Why Using ChatGPT at Work Could Hurt Your Reputation, Inc. Magazine.
19. Herrman, J. (2024) Is That AI? Or Does It Just Suck?, Intelligencer.
20. Wilson, L. (2025) Skians Kreftus ha Kernewek/Artificial Intelligence and Cornish
21. Paschalidis, A. I. (2025) AI and the great linguistic flattening, UNESCO.
22. Wimmer, U. (2010). Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish. Cornish Language Board, p. 113
23. Koc, V. (2025) Generative AI and Large Language Models in Language Preservation: Opportunities and Challenges, ResearchGate.
24. Sourati, Z., Karimi-Malekabadi, F., & Ozcan, M. (2025) The Shrinking Landscape of Linguistic Diversity in the Age of Large Language Models, ResearchGate.
25. Melero, M. (2024) The Future of Language (and Cultural) Diversity in the Age of AI, CLARIN.
26. Perlin, R. (op cit)
27. Russo Carroll, S., Rodriguez Lonebear, D., & Martinez, A. (2017). Data Governance for Native Nation Rebuilding, Native Nations Institute.
28. Te Mana Raraunga. (2018). Frequently Asked Questions, Te Mana Raraunga.
29. Ackermann, A. (op cit)
30. Walter, M., Kukutai, T., Carroll, S. R., & Rodriguez-Lonebear, D. (Eds.). (2020). Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy. Taylor & Francis, p. 24
31. Mallory, F. (op cit)
32. Cymdeithas yr Iaith (2022) Cymru Rydd, Cymru Werdd, Cymru Gymraeg., p. 27
33. O’Sullivan, L. (2025). How AI’s Failure on Linguistic Diversity is Deepening Global Inequality, RESET – Digital for Good.
34. Harvey, F. (2024). Global water crisis leaves half of world food production at risk in next 25 years, The Guardian.
35. Erdocia, I., Migge, B., & Schneider, B. (2024). Language is not a data set—Why overcoming ideologies of dataism is more important than ever in the age of AI. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 28(5), p. 23
36. O’Sullivan, L. (op cit)
37. Erdenesanaa, D. (2023) A.I. Could Soon Need as Much Electricity as an Entire Country, The New York Times
38. Heikkilä, M. (2022) We’re getting a better idea of AI’s true carbon footprint, MIT Technology Review.
39. Judah, J. (op cit)#4 #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Breus #Cornish #Cornwall #data #generativeAI #history #jynn #kedhlow #Kernewek #Kernow #Kernowek #LLM #machine #PYB #SK #SKDinythus #SkiansKreftus #Sordya
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Cinque Film 1: Il Viaggio
Amici cinefili e amiche cinefile, oggi diamo il benvenuto a una nuova rubrica, che spero diventerà un bel punto di riferimento per tutti voi lettori e lettrici. Contagiato da quel solito, immenso, pozzo di ispirazione che è Alta Fedeltà di Nick Hornby, mi dedicherò a liste di vario genere, quasi delle Top 5 in ordine sparso, ognuna con un tema diverso ad ogni puntata. Ovviamente il cinema sarà il perno di questo nuovo speciale, ma – udite udite – stavolta non sarà solo: l’idea infatti è di accompagnare le liste di Cinque Film con piccoli bonus che potrebbero cambiare, una volta composti da una canzone, un’altra da un libro, vedremo. Inoltre spesso sarete voi a consigliare il tema della rubrica: lo sceglierò infatti in base alle proposte che riceverò nelle stories instagram della pagina Film People, un modo per rendere sempre più vostro questo spazio.
Come primo tema di questa rubrica ho scelto il viaggio, anche perché la scorsa settimana è uscito il mio libro e quindi voglio raccontarvi Cinque Film che hanno ispirato la stesura del mio diario di viaggio. Non solo una strada da percorrere, ma anche film che parlano di incontri in terre straniere, connessioni, bisogno di ritrovarsi. Cominciamo!
Before Sunrise (1995): Ethan Hawke e Julie Delpy si conoscono in treno e passano una giornata intera per le strade di Vienna. Se c’è un piccolo sognatore dentro qualcuno di noi, quello scomodo individuo romantico che si muove sotto la nostra pelle amerà questo film, perché forse ci ricorderà vagamente quella notte che abbiamo vissuto anche noi in questo o quel viaggio, o forse ci commuove perché noi un’esperienza così non la vivremo mai. Primo capitolo della straordinaria trilogia di Richard Linklater. Quando il viaggio è un incontro, una scoperta, un nuovo amore.
I Diari della Motocicletta (2004): Gael Garcia Bernal si fa conoscere al grande pubblico grazie a questo cult movie di Walter Salles, incentrato sul viaggio di Ernesto Guevara de la Serna e Alberto Granado, che in sella a una vecchia motocicletta hanno attraversato la loro maiuscola America. La scoperta di una coscienza che trasformerà un “quasi” dottore in medicina in uno dei più grandi combattenti per la libertà. Quando il viaggio è un modo per scoprire chi siamo veramente.
Lost in Translation (2003): Quando si parla di film sui viaggi è impensabile non citare questo capolavoro di Sofia Coppola, con Bill Murray e una giovane Scarlett Johansson che si incontrano in un albergo di Tokyo, dove condivideranno parole, sussurri, canzoni e malinconie. La capitale del Giappone diventa un personaggio vero e proprio, in questo splendido film in cui il viaggio è l’incontro tra due solitudini.
Midnight in Paris (2011): Owen Wilson, in viaggio in Francia, viaggia nel tempo e si ritrova nella Parigi degli anni 20, dove conosce i più grandi artisti di quell’epoca. Quando uscì questo film, amici francesi e italiani mi scrissero in massa, indipendentemente gli uni dagli altri, per dirmi cose del tipo: “Woody Allen ha fatto un film su di te”, “Ma lo hai scritto tu questo film?” o anche “Ti ho pensato tanto”. Questo perché solo un anno prima ho vissuto per un breve periodo nella Ville Lumiere, dove camminavo per la città in cerca di ispirazioni, risposte, un po’ come fa Owen Wilson. Certo, io non ho incontrato nei bar né Hemingway né Scott Fitzgerald, ma non mi posso di certo lamentare (se volete saperne di più, nel mio libro trovate anche queste storie!). Quando il viaggio è cambiamento e una nuova consapevolezza.
I Sogni Segreti di Walter Mitty (2013): L’archivista Ben Stiller, che non ha mai messo il naso fuori New York, per salvare il proprio posto di lavoro deve ripercorrere le tracce del fotografo freelance Sean Penn in giro per il mondo. Per il protagonista sarà l’occasione di vivere esperienze straordinarie che non avrebbe mai neanche immaginato. Il fascino dello scatto fotografico, ma anche l’attrazione dei viaggi in solitaria. Probabilmente ciò che rende davvero speciale questo film è, nonostante le incongruenze e le assurdità, la sua capacità di lasciarci sui titoli di coda con la voglia di rendere magico ogni momento della nostra vita. Quando il viaggio è scoperta e ispirazione.
Quali film aggiungereste a questa lista? Quale volete che sia il prossimo tema della rubrica Cinque Film?
BONUS
Una bella canzone che parla di viaggi: La Strada, Modena City Ramblers.
Un bel libro che parla di viaggi: Strade Blu, William Least Heat-Moon#cinemaViaggi #cinqueFilm #daVedere #film #filmSuiViaggi #roadMovie #storieDiViaggio #top5 #viaggi
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Top 20 – I Miei Film del 2025
Come ogni anno, dopo la grande corsa ai recuperi di fine dicembre, siamo giunti ad una più o meno soddisfacente decisione su quali sono o penso che siano i 20 film che più mi sono piaciuti di questo 2025. Come ribadito nel titolo, si tratta dei miei film preferiti e non dei migliori film, perché è bene ricordare che la lista in questione non si erge a verità assoluta sulle opere più belle uscite quest’anno, ma elenca semplicemente i 20 titoli più amati dal sottoscritto. Quindi non gridate allo scandalo se non trovate il vostro film preferito, può essere che, pur riconoscendone l’ottima fattura, mi sia piaciuto meno rispetto a un film magari meno perfetto ma più emozionante (oppure un altro motivo per cui manca potrebbe essere che non l’ho proprio visto, come ad esempio Father Mother Sister Brother di Jarmusch, che ho perso causa influenza: in tal caso vi invito a scrivere nei commenti ogni suggerimento atto a colmare le mie tante lacune).
Ricordo come sempre che in classifica compaiono solo film distribuiti in Italia (al cinema o in esclusiva streaming) nel 2025, anche se sono stati presentati in qualche festival negli anni precedenti. La discriminante è sempre stata questa, dal 2008 a oggi, e non è cambiata. A presentare questa sedicesima edizione della Top 20 quest’anno troviamo Jack Nicholson, straordinario protagonista di Qualcuno Volò sul Nido del Cuculo (Milos Forman, 1975).
Fatte le doverose premesse del caso (a- Miei film preferiti, non migliori film in assoluto e b- solo film distribuiti in Italia nel 2025), prima di lasciarvi ai titoli della Top 20 ci tengo a sottolineare che ovviamente non è stato possibile vedere tutto ciò che è uscito durante l’anno solare ma soltanto una settantina di titoli e che quindi, come sempre, è una classifica molto parziale che si fa più per gioco che per reale utilità. Apriamo le danze dunque e, mi raccomando, fatemi sapere anche le vostre scelte!
20- Alpha (Julia Ducournau)
Da che mondo è mondo, in una classifica di preferenze la posizione numero 20 è molto più difficile della numero 1. Alla fine però, l’ultima fatica di Julia Ducournau non poteva restare fuori: un lungo massaggio cardiaco alle emozioni dello spettatore, continuamente messo alla prova dagli sbalzi ermetici di un film molto bello, innegabilmente in grado di scavare nel profondo grazie anche a tre interpretazioni pazzesche. Un film sulle difficoltà di essere adolescenti, su quanto sia difficile essere madre di una ragazza in crisi e sorella di un uomo disperato, sopraffatto dalla tossicodipendenza, ma soprattutto, come dicevo, è un lungo massaggio cardiaco: c’è un costante bisogno di aggrapparsi alla vita, di curare, di salvare, di salvarsi.19- Sinners (Ryan Coogler)
Onestamente non ero certo di voler vedere questo film. Ne avevo sentito parlare come una versione afroamericana di Dal Tramonto all’Alba, o qualcosa del genere e temevo si trattasse dell’ennesima boiata spacciata per horror. Invece il film di Ryan Coogler (già regista del meraviglioso Fruitvale Station, ma anche di quella cazzata allucinante di Black Panther) fa davvero centro. Al di là della bellissima estetica del film e dell’ottima ambientazione (per non parlare della colonna sonora), mi è piaciuto come la prima parte sia tutta dedicata alla preparazione del climax finale e come lo scontro notturno sia molto più psicologico rispetto al carrozzone splatter che uno potrebbe aspettarsi. Sorprendente, nonostante i mille finali.18- A House of Dynamite (Kathryn Bigelow)
Kathryn Bigelow realizza l’incontro ideale tra il Dr Stranamore e WarGames, senza però la spassosa ironia del primo né l’avventura adolescenziale del secondo. Il film si svolge in 19 fatali minuti, dilatati però in due ore per mezzo del cosiddetto effetto Rashomon. Lo scenario, non così distopico come si può pensare, è spaventoso, e la storia regge, nonostante qualche calo di tono nella parte centrale. Appena si entra nella storia infatti, è impossibile staccare gli occhi dallo schermo, dagli sguardi confusi e spaventati dei protagonisti, da quei numeri che scorrono sui monitor. Lo trovate su Netflix e, al di là di tutto, Kathryn Bigelow sa come si gira un film: è grande cinema.17- L’Ultimo Turno (Heldin, Petra Volpe)
Non sorprendetevi se, nella prossima cinquina di candidati per l’Oscar al Miglior Film Straniero, dovesse esserci anche questo bellissimo film svizzero, realizzato da Petra Volpe. Un’escalation di situazioni, allarmi, capricci, ansie, dove la mano di Leonie Benesch, ma soprattutto il cuore, può essere piuma e può essere ferro (cit). Un film ansiogeno, dove allo spettatore non viene concesso un momento di pausa, stesso destino riservato alla sua protagonista. Il messaggio che compare nel finale, prima del fade to black, chiarisce molto meglio il punto di tutto il film, ovvero la grave carenza di infermieri negli ospedali svizzeri. Bellissimo, ma che ansia.16- Sotto le Foglie (Quand Vient l’Automne, François Ozon)
François Ozon, uno dei registi più attivi degli ultimi decenni, riesce sempre a sfornare bei film, ma quasi mai film davvero bellissimi (almeno secondo me). Ecco, questa potrebbe essere la volta buona in cui il regista francese tira fuori la perla, un dramma che si svela piano piano, strato dopo strato, mettendo in tavola una bella teglia di dubbi, ipotesi, che lo spettatore può abbracciare o rifiutare. Una serie di eventi in cui la risposta non è mai una sola, dove si scoprono realtà scomode, passati ingombranti, verità inconfutabili. E quando entri in questo labirinto di sospetti, non ne esci più. Grande film.15- Nosferatu (Robert Eggers)
Parafrasando Nietzsche, si può dire che se tu guarderai a lungo nell’oscurità, anche l’oscurità vorrà guardare dentro di te. Ed è proprio in un buio accecante che Eggers immerge lo spettatore (e Lily-Rose Depp) sin dalla primissima inquadratura, come a volerlo rendere parte di quella stessa notte buia, la stessa oscurità nella quale il regista fa muovere le sue ombre. La grandezza di questa nuova versione è, al di là dell’indubbia potenza visiva, la capacità di reinventarsi in ogni scena, di essere coinvolgente anche di fronte a una storia che abbiamo visto in tutte le salse, che il regista statunitense però riesce a modernizzare con la metafora, neanche troppo sottile, di una donna indipendente in lotta contro una società di maschi dominanti. L’oscurità non è mai stata così “buia”: spegnete le luci.14- Grand Theft Hamlet (Sam Crane, Pinny Grylls)
Durante la pandemia, due attori di teatro, rimasti improvvisamente a spasso, decidono di mettere in scena l’Amleto all’interno dell’open world del videogioco GTA, facendo casting, prove e l’intero spettacolo dentro il gioco, cercando di evitare di essere uccisi da altri gamer (per i meno pratici, GTA è uno dei videogame più violenti di sempre, dove chi gioca può rubare, uccidere e compiere qualunque attività criminale per ottenere bonus di vario genere). L’idea di Sam Crane e Pinny Grylls non è soltanto originalissima, ma è anche divertente, oltre che incredibilmente coinvolgente: dopo i primi cinque minuti sarà impossibile smettere di guardare questo assurdo documentario, se così si può definire. Anche in un periodo di grande crisi, uno splendido esempio di umanità e di come il bisogno di esprimersi artisticamente riesca ad abbattere ostacoli apparentemente insormontabili. Che bello!13- Aragoste a Manhattan (La Cocina, Alonso Ruizpalacios)
Dopo il successo di The Bear, tutto ciò che si svolge dentro una cucina deve caricarsi sulle spalle vari esami del dna per definire il grado di parentela con la serie. Ciò che vediamo nel film di Ruizpalacios ha però delle vibrazioni tutte sue, che raccontano molto del mondo che viviamo oggi: individui di culture diverse si districano tra i muri dell’incomprensione, mentre il macigno del capitalismo tenta di sacrificare ogni individualità, ogni sogno, ogni speranza sull’altare del profitto e del consumo. A condire tutte queste vicende c’è tanto umorismo caustico e una regia piena di belle intuizioni, tra cui un piano sequenza da urlo: quanta fame (di vita!) in un film così piccolo.12- September 5 (Tim Fehlbaum)
Quasi interamente girato all’interno della cabina di regia della ABC durante il sequestro degli atleti israeliani durante le Olimpiadi del 1972, il film lascia da parte qualunque approfondimento politico per concentrarsi esclusivamente sul lavoro giornalistico, con le sue urgenze, i suoi errori, le improvvise rivelazioni, la corsa alla notizia. Breve, dal ritmo serrato, senza dubbio coinvolgente, con alcuni volti interessanti come Peter Saarsgard, Ben Chaplin, John Magaro (il marito di Past Lives) e Leonie Benesch (protagonista de La Sala Professori e de L’Ultimo Turno, che avete già incontrato in questa classifica). La conferma che, ancora una volta, quello del giornalista è il lavoro più bello da vedere in un film.11- Io Sono Ancora Qui (Ainda Estou Aqui, Walter Salles)
L’ultimo lavoro del grande Walter Salles entra di diritto nella rosa dei più importanti film brasiliani della storia. Splendido nel modo in cui divide perfettamente la leggerezza del primo atto con la brutale sofferenza del secondo, Salles racconta una storia che meritava di tornare sotto l’attenzione del grande pubblico, per farci ricordare ancora una volta, se mai ce ne fosse bisogno, una cosa che dovremmo tenere sempre bene a mente: i fascisti sono una merda. Gran film.10- Presence (Steven Soderbergh)
Steven Soderbergh piazza lo spettatore a osservare una “normale” famiglia statunitense dal punto di vista grandangolare di un fantasma che vive nella loro casa, raccontando la crisi di una generazione, le aspettative, la competitività, il bisogno di vivere di apparenza pur di restare a galla, inzuppando tutta questa vita ordinaria con alcune tracce di sovrannaturale (oggetti che levitano, una medium che avverte la presenza, ecc). Il regista ci apparecchia la tavola per la prima ora, senza mai stancare, fino a spiazzarci nell’ultimo quarto d’ora, in un paio di scene che regalano brividi. Chi lo va a vedere aspettandosi un horror resterà molto deluso, è un filmone che parla di tutt’altro. Stupendo.9- Springsteen – Liberami dal Nulla (Deliver Me From Nowhere, Scott Cooper)
Chi si aspetta di vedere su grande schermo il mito di Bruce Springsteen, troverà invece un’opera che gli toglie la maschera, soffoca la leggenda per alimentare però la sua umanità, il suo cuore, il suo bisogno di essere ancora una persona normale in un mondo di luci accecanti. In questo bellissimo film di Scott Cooper scoprirete finalmente il lato oscuro del mito, l’animo intimo di un artista che non è mai sceso a compromessi con il suo successo, che ha cercato di restare se stesso sempre, mentre il mondo intorno a lui continuava a girare vorticosamente. Anche perché, come ci suggerisce il film, il passato non esiste più e il futuro non si può rincorrere: possiamo vivere soltanto dentro noi stessi, ora.8- No Other Land (Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal)
Un collettivo di registi israeliani e palestinesi racconta la violenza e la distruzione da parte dei coloni israeliani di una piccola comunità rurale della Cisgiordania, Masafer Yatta. Il rapporto tra un giornalista di Isreaele e un giovane attivista palestinese è uno dei tantissimi spunti di un film che, inevitabilmente, atterrisce lo spettatore con le tante crudeltà che mostra e che, al tempo stesso, commuove per l’enorme forza e la necessità di sopravvivere che mette in scena minuto dopo minuto. È complicato racchiudere in poche righe tutta l’impotenza che si prova durante la visione, ma anche la voglia di abbracciare i bambini che vengono fatti sfollare dalla scuola, prima che venga distrutta da una ruspa. Premio Oscar per il miglior documentario, una storia che fa male, ma che riesce anche a illuminare con la sua umanità.7- A Complete Unknown (James Mangold)
Mangold riesce a costruire un film che contiene al suo interno mille storie diverse, che gravitano tutte intorno al grande protagonista Bob Dylan: dalla leggenda Woody Guthrie allo sfortunato Dave Van Ronk, dal sogno di Pete Seeger di cambiare il mondo attraverso la musica, all’attivista Joan Baez, regina del folk, che pochi anni dopo sarebbe diventata “l’usignolo di Woodstock”. Oppure Sylvie, personaggio fittizio chiaramente ispirato a Suze Rotolo, musa e compagna del cantautore, prima di quella metamorfosi artistica che avrebbe cambiato la sua vita e (soprattutto?) la storia della musica. Per chi la vuole cercare, c’è davvero tanta carne al fuoco: un film completo, totalmente credibile, coinvolgente, straordinario nelle interpretazioni, che racconta l’uomo dietro il genio, l’essere umano dietro il rivoluzionario, il futuro premio Nobel per la letteratura dietro i capelli spettinati di un “completo sconosciuto”. Ma soprattutto c’è tanta, tantissima, musica stupenda. I tempi cambiano, per noi comuni mortali, così come per i geni: basta viverli, una canzone per volta.6- Bird (Andrea Arnold)
Tra echi di urgenza sociale che richiamano il miglior Ken Loach e una deriva favolistica alla Alice Rohrwacher, Andrea Arnold procede in equilibrio tra realismo magico e fiaba malinconica: la protagonista Nykiya Adams (che brava!) si arrangia come può in un contesto ostile, mostrando la capacità degli adolescenti di trovare luce ovunque, anche nelle condizioni peggiori. Ed è proprio lì, tra la vita aspra che mostra e l’incanto che ti regala, che questo film ti tiene stretto, facendoti pensare che è una delle cose più belle che hai visto quest’anno. Inoltre, la colonna sonora è pazzesca e va da Too Real e A Hero’s Death dei Fontaines DC a Lucky Man dei Verve, da The Universal dei Blur a Yellow dei Coldplay. Come dicono proprio i Blur, “When the days they seem to fall through you, well, just let them go”.5- The Brutalist (Brady Corbet)
La cosa più difficile da fare con quest’opera immensa di Brady Corbet è scegliere di cominciare a vederla. Poi tutto va in discesa perché l’attenzione che gli dedichi, il film te la restituisce sottoforma di splendido cinema: è davvero tanta roba. Potete facilmente immaginare che, in oltre 3 ore di film, di cose ne succedono parecchie e ci sarebbe tantissimo da dire: è una di quelle storie che ti porti appresso fuori dalla sala, che ti si arrampica dentro durante la notte, a cui inevitabilmente ripensi al mattino. Adrien Brody è magnifico e quello di Guy Pearce è un piacevolissimo ritorno sulle scene di un film importante. Girato con un budget ridotto, è uno dei più ambiziosi ed enormi film indipendenti mai realizzati. Clamoroso.4- La Voce di Hind Rajab (Ṣawt al-Hind Rajab, Kaouther Ben Hania)
Sono andato al cinema senza sapere neanche di cosa parlasse. Sapevo solo che dovevo vederlo. Il film di Kaouther Ben Hania mescola realtà e finzione, ricostruendo il tentativo da parte della Mezzaluna Rossa (il corrispettivo mediorientale della nostra Croce Rossa) di ottenere i permessi necessari per salvare una bambina palestinese chiusa dentro un’automobile, appena assaltata dai soldati israeliani che hanno sterminato la famiglia della piccola Hind Rajab. Solo questo basterebbe a renderlo un film potentissimo, ma il punto di forza (nonché elemento straziante) è che la voce al telefono che sentiamo per tutto il film è la voce reale della bambina, ovvero la registrazione delle conversazioni telefoniche avvenute tra lei e i soccorritori (che invece sono interpretati da attori e attrici). Un’opera di rara potenza ed emozione, commovente, agghiacciante, spaventosa. Se il Cinema con la C maiuscola ha il dovere di raccontare il tempo che vive, questo film è destinato a essere ricordato in eterno.3- Emilia Perez (Jacques Audiard)
Vincitore del premio della Giuria a Cannes, è una sorta di musical incentrato su un boss del cartello messicano che decide di cambiare sesso (!). Da un’idea assurda, quasi grottesca a pensarci, nasce un’opera meravigliosa su genere, identità, violenza, redenzione, senza mai perdere un grammo di credibilità. Un film che ha dentro di sé mille film diversi: musical, gangster, dramma sociale, sentimento. Girato con un gusto estetico superiore (parliamo sempre di Jacques Audiard, uno dei più grandi registi europei della sua generazione), una fotografia meravigliosa e un trio di attrici fuori dall’ordinario: Zoe Saldana, in particolare, è incredibile e il film è stu-pen-do.2- Una Battaglia Dopo l’Altra (One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson)
Quasi un decennio dopo il fortunato Vizio di Forma, il regista di Los Angeles torna a pescare idee dalla narrativa di Thomas Pynchon, il cui romanzo Vineland ha fornito il materiale di base sul quale modellare poi la storia, molto diversa, di questo nuovo film. Ci sono momenti che sembrano uscire fuori dal cinema dei fratelli Coen, ma soprattutto c’è l’enorme talento di PTA nel raccontare storie, nel prendere per mano lo spettatore e coinvolgerlo in un caleidoscopio di ironia, azione, calore umano e battute fulminanti, fino a una bellissima scena di inseguimento nel deserto, tra dossi, salite e discese, in una sorta di “labirinto rettilineo” che tiene con il fiato sospeso. Il mondo forse si può davvero cambiare, una battaglia dopo l’altra. Nel frattempo, godiamoci film stupendi come questo: “ocean waves“, amici e amiche, “ocean waves“.1- Un Semplice Incidente (Yak Taṣādof-e Sāde, Jafar Panahi)
Anche stavolta il regista iraniano gira il film in totale segreto, senza permessi, e anche stavolta realizza qualcosa di stupendo, una riflessione profonda sul ruolo di vittima e carnefice, sull’umanità, sulle conseguenze che ha ogni azione. Il film si apre sull’interno di un’automobile di notte: al volante c’è il padre di una famiglia composta da moglie incinta e una bambina vispa e solare. Improvvisamente l’uomo investe un cane e questo piccolo incidente procurerà un piccolo danno all’auto, che dovrà fermarsi per una riparazione improvvisa. Da qui comincia una serie di eventi che porterà l’uomo ad essere rapito e a circondarsi di aguzzini pronti ad eliminarlo: ma perché? Chi è quest’uomo? Cosa è successo anni prima? Il suono di quella protesi alla gamba e, soprattutto, quel finale incredibile, me li porterò appresso ancora per molto tempo. Un capolavoro.[Se l’articolo ti è piaciuto, offrimi un caffè o magari una colazione,
una piccola mancia per aiutarmi a sostenere il sito!]#2025 #bestOf2025 #Cinema #classifica #daVedere #film #filmDel2025 #filmDellAnno #filmPiùBelli #fineAnno #lista #listaFilm #miglioriFilm #top10 #top20
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Top 20 – I Miei Film del 2025
Come ogni anno, dopo la grande corsa ai recuperi di fine dicembre, siamo giunti ad una più o meno soddisfacente decisione su quali sono o penso che siano i 20 film che più mi sono piaciuti di questo 2025. Come ribadito nel titolo, si tratta dei miei film preferiti e non dei migliori film, perché è bene ricordare che la lista in questione non si erge a verità assoluta sulle opere più belle uscite quest’anno, ma elenca semplicemente i 20 titoli più amati dal sottoscritto. Quindi non gridate allo scandalo se non trovate il vostro film preferito, può essere che, pur riconoscendone l’ottima fattura, mi sia piaciuto meno rispetto a un film magari meno perfetto ma più emozionante (oppure un altro motivo per cui manca potrebbe essere che non l’ho proprio visto, come ad esempio Father Mother Sister Brother di Jarmusch, che ho perso causa influenza: in tal caso vi invito a scrivere nei commenti ogni suggerimento atto a colmare le mie tante lacune).
Ricordo come sempre che in classifica compaiono solo film distribuiti in Italia (al cinema o in esclusiva streaming) nel 2025, anche se sono stati presentati in qualche festival negli anni precedenti. La discriminante è sempre stata questa, dal 2008 a oggi, e non è cambiata. A presentare questa sedicesima edizione della Top 20 quest’anno troviamo Jack Nicholson, straordinario protagonista di Qualcuno Volò sul Nido del Cuculo (Milos Forman, 1975).
Fatte le doverose premesse del caso (a- Miei film preferiti, non migliori film in assoluto e b- solo film distribuiti in Italia nel 2025), prima di lasciarvi ai titoli della Top 20 ci tengo a sottolineare che ovviamente non è stato possibile vedere tutto ciò che è uscito durante l’anno solare ma soltanto una settantina di titoli e che quindi, come sempre, è una classifica molto parziale che si fa più per gioco che per reale utilità. Apriamo le danze dunque e, mi raccomando, fatemi sapere anche le vostre scelte!
20- Alpha (Julia Ducournau)
Da che mondo è mondo, in una classifica di preferenze la posizione numero 20 è molto più difficile della numero 1. Alla fine però, l’ultima fatica di Julia Ducournau non poteva restare fuori: un lungo massaggio cardiaco alle emozioni dello spettatore, continuamente messo alla prova dagli sbalzi ermetici di un film molto bello, innegabilmente in grado di scavare nel profondo grazie anche a tre interpretazioni pazzesche. Un film sulle difficoltà di essere adolescenti, su quanto sia difficile essere madre di una ragazza in crisi e sorella di un uomo disperato, sopraffatto dalla tossicodipendenza, ma soprattutto, come dicevo, è un lungo massaggio cardiaco: c’è un costante bisogno di aggrapparsi alla vita, di curare, di salvare, di salvarsi.19- Sinners (Ryan Coogler)
Onestamente non ero certo di voler vedere questo film. Ne avevo sentito parlare come una versione afroamericana di Dal Tramonto all’Alba, o qualcosa del genere e temevo si trattasse dell’ennesima boiata spacciata per horror. Invece il film di Ryan Coogler (già regista del meraviglioso Fruitvale Station, ma anche di quella cazzata allucinante di Black Panther) fa davvero centro. Al di là della bellissima estetica del film e dell’ottima ambientazione (per non parlare della colonna sonora), mi è piaciuto come la prima parte sia tutta dedicata alla preparazione del climax finale e come lo scontro notturno sia molto più psicologico rispetto al carrozzone splatter che uno potrebbe aspettarsi. Sorprendente, nonostante i mille finali.18- A House of Dynamite (Kathryn Bigelow)
Kathryn Bigelow realizza l’incontro ideale tra il Dr Stranamore e WarGames, senza però la spassosa ironia del primo né l’avventura adolescenziale del secondo. Il film si svolge in 19 fatali minuti, dilatati però in due ore per mezzo del cosiddetto effetto Rashomon. Lo scenario, non così distopico come si può pensare, è spaventoso, e la storia regge, nonostante qualche calo di tono nella parte centrale. Appena si entra nella storia infatti, è impossibile staccare gli occhi dallo schermo, dagli sguardi confusi e spaventati dei protagonisti, da quei numeri che scorrono sui monitor. Lo trovate su Netflix e, al di là di tutto, Kathryn Bigelow sa come si gira un film: è grande cinema.17- L’Ultimo Turno (Heldin, Petra Volpe)
Non sorprendetevi se, nella prossima cinquina di candidati per l’Oscar al Miglior Film Straniero, dovesse esserci anche questo bellissimo film svizzero, realizzato da Petra Volpe. Un’escalation di situazioni, allarmi, capricci, ansie, dove la mano di Leonie Benesch, ma soprattutto il cuore, può essere piuma e può essere ferro (cit). Un film ansiogeno, dove allo spettatore non viene concesso un momento di pausa, stesso destino riservato alla sua protagonista. Il messaggio che compare nel finale, prima del fade to black, chiarisce molto meglio il punto di tutto il film, ovvero la grave carenza di infermieri negli ospedali svizzeri. Bellissimo, ma che ansia.16- Sotto le Foglie (Quand Vient l’Automne, François Ozon)
François Ozon, uno dei registi più attivi degli ultimi decenni, riesce sempre a sfornare bei film, ma quasi mai film davvero bellissimi (almeno secondo me). Ecco, questa potrebbe essere la volta buona in cui il regista francese tira fuori la perla, un dramma che si svela piano piano, strato dopo strato, mettendo in tavola una bella teglia di dubbi, ipotesi, che lo spettatore può abbracciare o rifiutare. Una serie di eventi in cui la risposta non è mai una sola, dove si scoprono realtà scomode, passati ingombranti, verità inconfutabili. E quando entri in questo labirinto di sospetti, non ne esci più. Grande film.15- Nosferatu (Robert Eggers)
Parafrasando Nietzsche, si può dire che se tu guarderai a lungo nell’oscurità, anche l’oscurità vorrà guardare dentro di te. Ed è proprio in un buio accecante che Eggers immerge lo spettatore (e Lily-Rose Depp) sin dalla primissima inquadratura, come a volerlo rendere parte di quella stessa notte buia, la stessa oscurità nella quale il regista fa muovere le sue ombre. La grandezza di questa nuova versione è, al di là dell’indubbia potenza visiva, la capacità di reinventarsi in ogni scena, di essere coinvolgente anche di fronte a una storia che abbiamo visto in tutte le salse, che il regista statunitense però riesce a modernizzare con la metafora, neanche troppo sottile, di una donna indipendente in lotta contro una società di maschi dominanti. L’oscurità non è mai stata così “buia”: spegnete le luci.14- Grand Theft Hamlet (Sam Crane, Pinny Grylls)
Durante la pandemia, due attori di teatro, rimasti improvvisamente a spasso, decidono di mettere in scena l’Amleto all’interno dell’open world del videogioco GTA, facendo casting, prove e l’intero spettacolo dentro il gioco, cercando di evitare di essere uccisi da altri gamer (per i meno pratici, GTA è uno dei videogame più violenti di sempre, dove chi gioca può rubare, uccidere e compiere qualunque attività criminale per ottenere bonus di vario genere). L’idea di Sam Crane e Pinny Grylls non è soltanto originalissima, ma è anche divertente, oltre che incredibilmente coinvolgente: dopo i primi cinque minuti sarà impossibile smettere di guardare questo assurdo documentario, se così si può definire. Anche in un periodo di grande crisi, uno splendido esempio di umanità e di come il bisogno di esprimersi artisticamente riesca ad abbattere ostacoli apparentemente insormontabili. Che bello!13- Aragoste a Manhattan (La Cocina, Alonso Ruizpalacios)
Dopo il successo di The Bear, tutto ciò che si svolge dentro una cucina deve caricarsi sulle spalle vari esami del dna per definire il grado di parentela con la serie. Ciò che vediamo nel film di Ruizpalacios ha però delle vibrazioni tutte sue, che raccontano molto del mondo che viviamo oggi: individui di culture diverse si districano tra i muri dell’incomprensione, mentre il macigno del capitalismo tenta di sacrificare ogni individualità, ogni sogno, ogni speranza sull’altare del profitto e del consumo. A condire tutte queste vicende c’è tanto umorismo caustico e una regia piena di belle intuizioni, tra cui un piano sequenza da urlo: quanta fame (di vita!) in un film così piccolo.12- September 5 (Tim Fehlbaum)
Quasi interamente girato all’interno della cabina di regia della ABC durante il sequestro degli atleti israeliani durante le Olimpiadi del 1972, il film lascia da parte qualunque approfondimento politico per concentrarsi esclusivamente sul lavoro giornalistico, con le sue urgenze, i suoi errori, le improvvise rivelazioni, la corsa alla notizia. Breve, dal ritmo serrato, senza dubbio coinvolgente, con alcuni volti interessanti come Peter Saarsgard, Ben Chaplin, John Magaro (il marito di Past Lives) e Leonie Benesch (protagonista de La Sala Professori e de L’Ultimo Turno, che avete già incontrato in questa classifica). La conferma che, ancora una volta, quello del giornalista è il lavoro più bello da vedere in un film.11- Io Sono Ancora Qui (Ainda Estou Aqui, Walter Salles)
L’ultimo lavoro del grande Walter Salles entra di diritto nella rosa dei più importanti film brasiliani della storia. Splendido nel modo in cui divide perfettamente la leggerezza del primo atto con la brutale sofferenza del secondo, Salles racconta una storia che meritava di tornare sotto l’attenzione del grande pubblico, per farci ricordare ancora una volta, se mai ce ne fosse bisogno, una cosa che dovremmo tenere sempre bene a mente: i fascisti sono una merda. Gran film.10- Presence (Steven Soderbergh)
Steven Soderbergh piazza lo spettatore a osservare una “normale” famiglia statunitense dal punto di vista grandangolare di un fantasma che vive nella loro casa, raccontando la crisi di una generazione, le aspettative, la competitività, il bisogno di vivere di apparenza pur di restare a galla, inzuppando tutta questa vita ordinaria con alcune tracce di sovrannaturale (oggetti che levitano, una medium che avverte la presenza, ecc). Il regista ci apparecchia la tavola per la prima ora, senza mai stancare, fino a spiazzarci nell’ultimo quarto d’ora, in un paio di scene che regalano brividi. Chi lo va a vedere aspettandosi un horror resterà molto deluso, è un filmone che parla di tutt’altro. Stupendo.9- Springsteen – Liberami dal Nulla (Deliver Me From Nowhere, Scott Cooper)
Chi si aspetta di vedere su grande schermo il mito di Bruce Springsteen, troverà invece un’opera che gli toglie la maschera, soffoca la leggenda per alimentare però la sua umanità, il suo cuore, il suo bisogno di essere ancora una persona normale in un mondo di luci accecanti. In questo bellissimo film di Scott Cooper scoprirete finalmente il lato oscuro del mito, l’animo intimo di un artista che non è mai sceso a compromessi con il suo successo, che ha cercato di restare se stesso sempre, mentre il mondo intorno a lui continuava a girare vorticosamente. Anche perché, come ci suggerisce il film, il passato non esiste più e il futuro non si può rincorrere: possiamo vivere soltanto dentro noi stessi, ora.8- No Other Land (Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal)
Un collettivo di registi israeliani e palestinesi racconta la violenza e la distruzione da parte dei coloni israeliani di una piccola comunità rurale della Cisgiordania, Masafer Yatta. Il rapporto tra un giornalista di Isreaele e un giovane attivista palestinese è uno dei tantissimi spunti di un film che, inevitabilmente, atterrisce lo spettatore con le tante crudeltà che mostra e che, al tempo stesso, commuove per l’enorme forza e la necessità di sopravvivere che mette in scena minuto dopo minuto. È complicato racchiudere in poche righe tutta l’impotenza che si prova durante la visione, ma anche la voglia di abbracciare i bambini che vengono fatti sfollare dalla scuola, prima che venga distrutta da una ruspa. Premio Oscar per il miglior documentario, una storia che fa male, ma che riesce anche a illuminare con la sua umanità.7- A Complete Unknown (James Mangold)
Mangold riesce a costruire un film che contiene al suo interno mille storie diverse, che gravitano tutte intorno al grande protagonista Bob Dylan: dalla leggenda Woody Guthrie allo sfortunato Dave Van Ronk, dal sogno di Pete Seeger di cambiare il mondo attraverso la musica, all’attivista Joan Baez, regina del folk, che pochi anni dopo sarebbe diventata “l’usignolo di Woodstock”. Oppure Sylvie, personaggio fittizio chiaramente ispirato a Suze Rotolo, musa e compagna del cantautore, prima di quella metamorfosi artistica che avrebbe cambiato la sua vita e (soprattutto?) la storia della musica. Per chi la vuole cercare, c’è davvero tanta carne al fuoco: un film completo, totalmente credibile, coinvolgente, straordinario nelle interpretazioni, che racconta l’uomo dietro il genio, l’essere umano dietro il rivoluzionario, il futuro premio Nobel per la letteratura dietro i capelli spettinati di un “completo sconosciuto”. Ma soprattutto c’è tanta, tantissima, musica stupenda. I tempi cambiano, per noi comuni mortali, così come per i geni: basta viverli, una canzone per volta.6- Bird (Andrea Arnold)
Tra echi di urgenza sociale che richiamano il miglior Ken Loach e una deriva favolistica alla Alice Rohrwacher, Andrea Arnold procede in equilibrio tra realismo magico e fiaba malinconica: la protagonista Nykiya Adams (che brava!) si arrangia come può in un contesto ostile, mostrando la capacità degli adolescenti di trovare luce ovunque, anche nelle condizioni peggiori. Ed è proprio lì, tra la vita aspra che mostra e l’incanto che ti regala, che questo film ti tiene stretto, facendoti pensare che è una delle cose più belle che hai visto quest’anno. Inoltre, la colonna sonora è pazzesca e va da Too Real e A Hero’s Death dei Fontaines DC a Lucky Man dei Verve, da The Universal dei Blur a Yellow dei Coldplay. Come dicono proprio i Blur, “When the days they seem to fall through you, well, just let them go”.5- The Brutalist (Brady Corbet)
La cosa più difficile da fare con quest’opera immensa di Brady Corbet è scegliere di cominciare a vederla. Poi tutto va in discesa perché l’attenzione che gli dedichi, il film te la restituisce sottoforma di splendido cinema: è davvero tanta roba. Potete facilmente immaginare che, in oltre 3 ore di film, di cose ne succedono parecchie e ci sarebbe tantissimo da dire: è una di quelle storie che ti porti appresso fuori dalla sala, che ti si arrampica dentro durante la notte, a cui inevitabilmente ripensi al mattino. Adrien Brody è magnifico e quello di Guy Pearce è un piacevolissimo ritorno sulle scene di un film importante. Girato con un budget ridotto, è uno dei più ambiziosi ed enormi film indipendenti mai realizzati. Clamoroso.4- La Voce di Hind Rajab (Ṣawt al-Hind Rajab, Kaouther Ben Hania)
Sono andato al cinema senza sapere neanche di cosa parlasse. Sapevo solo che dovevo vederlo. Il film di Kaouther Ben Hania mescola realtà e finzione, ricostruendo il tentativo da parte della Mezzaluna Rossa (il corrispettivo mediorientale della nostra Croce Rossa) di ottenere i permessi necessari per salvare una bambina palestinese chiusa dentro un’automobile, appena assaltata dai soldati israeliani che hanno sterminato la famiglia della piccola Hind Rajab. Solo questo basterebbe a renderlo un film potentissimo, ma il punto di forza (nonché elemento straziante) è che la voce al telefono che sentiamo per tutto il film è la voce reale della bambina, ovvero la registrazione delle conversazioni telefoniche avvenute tra lei e i soccorritori (che invece sono interpretati da attori e attrici). Un’opera di rara potenza ed emozione, commovente, agghiacciante, spaventosa. Se il Cinema con la C maiuscola ha il dovere di raccontare il tempo che vive, questo film è destinato a essere ricordato in eterno.3- Emilia Perez (Jacques Audiard)
Vincitore del premio della Giuria a Cannes, è una sorta di musical incentrato su un boss del cartello messicano che decide di cambiare sesso (!). Da un’idea assurda, quasi grottesca a pensarci, nasce un’opera meravigliosa su genere, identità, violenza, redenzione, senza mai perdere un grammo di credibilità. Un film che ha dentro di sé mille film diversi: musical, gangster, dramma sociale, sentimento. Girato con un gusto estetico superiore (parliamo sempre di Jacques Audiard, uno dei più grandi registi europei della sua generazione), una fotografia meravigliosa e un trio di attrici fuori dall’ordinario: Zoe Saldana, in particolare, è incredibile e il film è stu-pen-do.2- Una Battaglia Dopo l’Altra (One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson)
Quasi un decennio dopo il fortunato Vizio di Forma, il regista di Los Angeles torna a pescare idee dalla narrativa di Thomas Pynchon, il cui romanzo Vineland ha fornito il materiale di base sul quale modellare poi la storia, molto diversa, di questo nuovo film. Ci sono momenti che sembrano uscire fuori dal cinema dei fratelli Coen, ma soprattutto c’è l’enorme talento di PTA nel raccontare storie, nel prendere per mano lo spettatore e coinvolgerlo in un caleidoscopio di ironia, azione, calore umano e battute fulminanti, fino a una bellissima scena di inseguimento nel deserto, tra dossi, salite e discese, in una sorta di “labirinto rettilineo” che tiene con il fiato sospeso. Il mondo forse si può davvero cambiare, una battaglia dopo l’altra. Nel frattempo, godiamoci film stupendi come questo: “ocean waves“, amici e amiche, “ocean waves“.1- Un Semplice Incidente (Yak Taṣādof-e Sāde, Jafar Panahi)
Anche stavolta il regista iraniano gira il film in totale segreto, senza permessi, e anche stavolta realizza qualcosa di stupendo, una riflessione profonda sul ruolo di vittima e carnefice, sull’umanità, sulle conseguenze che ha ogni azione. Il film si apre sull’interno di un’automobile di notte: al volante c’è il padre di una famiglia composta da moglie incinta e una bambina vispa e solare. Improvvisamente l’uomo investe un cane e questo piccolo incidente procurerà un piccolo danno all’auto, che dovrà fermarsi per una riparazione improvvisa. Da qui comincia una serie di eventi che porterà l’uomo ad essere rapito e a circondarsi di aguzzini pronti ad eliminarlo: ma perché? Chi è quest’uomo? Cosa è successo anni prima? Il suono di quella protesi alla gamba e, soprattutto, quel finale incredibile, me li porterò appresso ancora per molto tempo. Un capolavoro.[Se l’articolo ti è piaciuto, offrimi un caffè o magari una colazione,
una piccola mancia per aiutarmi a sostenere il sito!]#2025 #bestOf2025 #Cinema #classifica #daVedere #film #filmDel2025 #filmDellAnno #filmPiùBelli #fineAnno #lista #listaFilm #miglioriFilm #top10 #top20
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Top 20 – I Miei Film del 2025
Come ogni anno, dopo la grande corsa ai recuperi di fine dicembre, siamo giunti ad una più o meno soddisfacente decisione su quali sono o penso che siano i 20 film che più mi sono piaciuti di questo 2025. Come ribadito nel titolo, si tratta dei miei film preferiti e non dei migliori film, perché è bene ricordare che la lista in questione non si erge a verità assoluta sulle opere più belle uscite quest’anno, ma elenca semplicemente i 20 titoli più amati dal sottoscritto. Quindi non gridate allo scandalo se non trovate il vostro film preferito, può essere che, pur riconoscendone l’ottima fattura, mi sia piaciuto meno rispetto a un film magari meno perfetto ma più emozionante (oppure un altro motivo per cui manca potrebbe essere che non l’ho proprio visto, come ad esempio Father Mother Sister Brother di Jarmusch, che ho perso causa influenza: in tal caso vi invito a scrivere nei commenti ogni suggerimento atto a colmare le mie tante lacune).
Ricordo come sempre che in classifica compaiono solo film distribuiti in Italia (al cinema o in esclusiva streaming) nel 2025, anche se sono stati presentati in qualche festival negli anni precedenti. La discriminante è sempre stata questa, dal 2008 a oggi, e non è cambiata. A presentare questa sedicesima edizione della Top 20 quest’anno troviamo Jack Nicholson, straordinario protagonista di Qualcuno Volò sul Nido del Cuculo (Milos Forman, 1975).
Fatte le doverose premesse del caso (a- Miei film preferiti, non migliori film in assoluto e b- solo film distribuiti in Italia nel 2025), prima di lasciarvi ai titoli della Top 20 ci tengo a sottolineare che ovviamente non è stato possibile vedere tutto ciò che è uscito durante l’anno solare ma soltanto una settantina di titoli e che quindi, come sempre, è una classifica molto parziale che si fa più per gioco che per reale utilità. Apriamo le danze dunque e, mi raccomando, fatemi sapere anche le vostre scelte!
20- Alpha (Julia Ducournau)
Da che mondo è mondo, in una classifica di preferenze la posizione numero 20 è molto più difficile della numero 1. Alla fine però, l’ultima fatica di Julia Ducournau non poteva restare fuori: un lungo massaggio cardiaco alle emozioni dello spettatore, continuamente messo alla prova dagli sbalzi ermetici di un film molto bello, innegabilmente in grado di scavare nel profondo grazie anche a tre interpretazioni pazzesche. Un film sulle difficoltà di essere adolescenti, su quanto sia difficile essere madre di una ragazza in crisi e sorella di un uomo disperato, sopraffatto dalla tossicodipendenza, ma soprattutto, come dicevo, è un lungo massaggio cardiaco: c’è un costante bisogno di aggrapparsi alla vita, di curare, di salvare, di salvarsi.19- Sinners (Ryan Coogler)
Onestamente non ero certo di voler vedere questo film. Ne avevo sentito parlare come una versione afroamericana di Dal Tramonto all’Alba, o qualcosa del genere e temevo si trattasse dell’ennesima boiata spacciata per horror. Invece il film di Ryan Coogler (già regista del meraviglioso Fruitvale Station, ma anche di quella cazzata allucinante di Black Panther) fa davvero centro. Al di là della bellissima estetica del film e dell’ottima ambientazione (per non parlare della colonna sonora), mi è piaciuto come la prima parte sia tutta dedicata alla preparazione del climax finale e come lo scontro notturno sia molto più psicologico rispetto al carrozzone splatter che uno potrebbe aspettarsi. Sorprendente, nonostante i mille finali.18- A House of Dynamite (Kathryn Bigelow)
Kathryn Bigelow realizza l’incontro ideale tra il Dr Stranamore e WarGames, senza però la spassosa ironia del primo né l’avventura adolescenziale del secondo. Il film si svolge in 19 fatali minuti, dilatati però in due ore per mezzo del cosiddetto effetto Rashomon. Lo scenario, non così distopico come si può pensare, è spaventoso, e la storia regge, nonostante qualche calo di tono nella parte centrale. Appena si entra nella storia infatti, è impossibile staccare gli occhi dallo schermo, dagli sguardi confusi e spaventati dei protagonisti, da quei numeri che scorrono sui monitor. Lo trovate su Netflix e, al di là di tutto, Kathryn Bigelow sa come si gira un film: è grande cinema.17- L’Ultimo Turno (Heldin, Petra Volpe)
Non sorprendetevi se, nella prossima cinquina di candidati per l’Oscar al Miglior Film Straniero, dovesse esserci anche questo bellissimo film svizzero, realizzato da Petra Volpe. Un’escalation di situazioni, allarmi, capricci, ansie, dove la mano di Leonie Benesch, ma soprattutto il cuore, può essere piuma e può essere ferro (cit). Un film ansiogeno, dove allo spettatore non viene concesso un momento di pausa, stesso destino riservato alla sua protagonista. Il messaggio che compare nel finale, prima del fade to black, chiarisce molto meglio il punto di tutto il film, ovvero la grave carenza di infermieri negli ospedali svizzeri. Bellissimo, ma che ansia.16- Sotto le Foglie (Quand Vient l’Automne, François Ozon)
François Ozon, uno dei registi più attivi degli ultimi decenni, riesce sempre a sfornare bei film, ma quasi mai film davvero bellissimi (almeno secondo me). Ecco, questa potrebbe essere la volta buona in cui il regista francese tira fuori la perla, un dramma che si svela piano piano, strato dopo strato, mettendo in tavola una bella teglia di dubbi, ipotesi, che lo spettatore può abbracciare o rifiutare. Una serie di eventi in cui la risposta non è mai una sola, dove si scoprono realtà scomode, passati ingombranti, verità inconfutabili. E quando entri in questo labirinto di sospetti, non ne esci più. Grande film.15- Nosferatu (Robert Eggers)
Parafrasando Nietzsche, si può dire che se tu guarderai a lungo nell’oscurità, anche l’oscurità vorrà guardare dentro di te. Ed è proprio in un buio accecante che Eggers immerge lo spettatore (e Lily-Rose Depp) sin dalla primissima inquadratura, come a volerlo rendere parte di quella stessa notte buia, la stessa oscurità nella quale il regista fa muovere le sue ombre. La grandezza di questa nuova versione è, al di là dell’indubbia potenza visiva, la capacità di reinventarsi in ogni scena, di essere coinvolgente anche di fronte a una storia che abbiamo visto in tutte le salse, che il regista statunitense però riesce a modernizzare con la metafora, neanche troppo sottile, di una donna indipendente in lotta contro una società di maschi dominanti. L’oscurità non è mai stata così “buia”: spegnete le luci.14- Grand Theft Hamlet (Sam Crane, Pinny Grylls)
Durante la pandemia, due attori di teatro, rimasti improvvisamente a spasso, decidono di mettere in scena l’Amleto all’interno dell’open world del videogioco GTA, facendo casting, prove e l’intero spettacolo dentro il gioco, cercando di evitare di essere uccisi da altri gamer (per i meno pratici, GTA è uno dei videogame più violenti di sempre, dove chi gioca può rubare, uccidere e compiere qualunque attività criminale per ottenere bonus di vario genere). L’idea di Sam Crane e Pinny Grylls non è soltanto originalissima, ma è anche divertente, oltre che incredibilmente coinvolgente: dopo i primi cinque minuti sarà impossibile smettere di guardare questo assurdo documentario, se così si può definire. Anche in un periodo di grande crisi, uno splendido esempio di umanità e di come il bisogno di esprimersi artisticamente riesca ad abbattere ostacoli apparentemente insormontabili. Che bello!13- Aragoste a Manhattan (La Cocina, Alonso Ruizpalacios)
Dopo il successo di The Bear, tutto ciò che si svolge dentro una cucina deve caricarsi sulle spalle vari esami del dna per definire il grado di parentela con la serie. Ciò che vediamo nel film di Ruizpalacios ha però delle vibrazioni tutte sue, che raccontano molto del mondo che viviamo oggi: individui di culture diverse si districano tra i muri dell’incomprensione, mentre il macigno del capitalismo tenta di sacrificare ogni individualità, ogni sogno, ogni speranza sull’altare del profitto e del consumo. A condire tutte queste vicende c’è tanto umorismo caustico e una regia piena di belle intuizioni, tra cui un piano sequenza da urlo: quanta fame (di vita!) in un film così piccolo.12- September 5 (Tim Fehlbaum)
Quasi interamente girato all’interno della cabina di regia della ABC durante il sequestro degli atleti israeliani durante le Olimpiadi del 1972, il film lascia da parte qualunque approfondimento politico per concentrarsi esclusivamente sul lavoro giornalistico, con le sue urgenze, i suoi errori, le improvvise rivelazioni, la corsa alla notizia. Breve, dal ritmo serrato, senza dubbio coinvolgente, con alcuni volti interessanti come Peter Saarsgard, Ben Chaplin, John Magaro (il marito di Past Lives) e Leonie Benesch (protagonista de La Sala Professori e de L’Ultimo Turno, che avete già incontrato in questa classifica). La conferma che, ancora una volta, quello del giornalista è il lavoro più bello da vedere in un film.11- Io Sono Ancora Qui (Ainda Estou Aqui, Walter Salles)
L’ultimo lavoro del grande Walter Salles entra di diritto nella rosa dei più importanti film brasiliani della storia. Splendido nel modo in cui divide perfettamente la leggerezza del primo atto con la brutale sofferenza del secondo, Salles racconta una storia che meritava di tornare sotto l’attenzione del grande pubblico, per farci ricordare ancora una volta, se mai ce ne fosse bisogno, una cosa che dovremmo tenere sempre bene a mente: i fascisti sono una merda. Gran film.10- Presence (Steven Soderbergh)
Steven Soderbergh piazza lo spettatore a osservare una “normale” famiglia statunitense dal punto di vista grandangolare di un fantasma che vive nella loro casa, raccontando la crisi di una generazione, le aspettative, la competitività, il bisogno di vivere di apparenza pur di restare a galla, inzuppando tutta questa vita ordinaria con alcune tracce di sovrannaturale (oggetti che levitano, una medium che avverte la presenza, ecc). Il regista ci apparecchia la tavola per la prima ora, senza mai stancare, fino a spiazzarci nell’ultimo quarto d’ora, in un paio di scene che regalano brividi. Chi lo va a vedere aspettandosi un horror resterà molto deluso, è un filmone che parla di tutt’altro. Stupendo.9- Springsteen – Liberami dal Nulla (Deliver Me From Nowhere, Scott Cooper)
Chi si aspetta di vedere su grande schermo il mito di Bruce Springsteen, troverà invece un’opera che gli toglie la maschera, soffoca la leggenda per alimentare però la sua umanità, il suo cuore, il suo bisogno di essere ancora una persona normale in un mondo di luci accecanti. In questo bellissimo film di Scott Cooper scoprirete finalmente il lato oscuro del mito, l’animo intimo di un artista che non è mai sceso a compromessi con il suo successo, che ha cercato di restare se stesso sempre, mentre il mondo intorno a lui continuava a girare vorticosamente. Anche perché, come ci suggerisce il film, il passato non esiste più e il futuro non si può rincorrere: possiamo vivere soltanto dentro noi stessi, ora.8- No Other Land (Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal)
Un collettivo di registi israeliani e palestinesi racconta la violenza e la distruzione da parte dei coloni israeliani di una piccola comunità rurale della Cisgiordania, Masafer Yatta. Il rapporto tra un giornalista di Isreaele e un giovane attivista palestinese è uno dei tantissimi spunti di un film che, inevitabilmente, atterrisce lo spettatore con le tante crudeltà che mostra e che, al tempo stesso, commuove per l’enorme forza e la necessità di sopravvivere che mette in scena minuto dopo minuto. È complicato racchiudere in poche righe tutta l’impotenza che si prova durante la visione, ma anche la voglia di abbracciare i bambini che vengono fatti sfollare dalla scuola, prima che venga distrutta da una ruspa. Premio Oscar per il miglior documentario, una storia che fa male, ma che riesce anche a illuminare con la sua umanità.7- A Complete Unknown (James Mangold)
Mangold riesce a costruire un film che contiene al suo interno mille storie diverse, che gravitano tutte intorno al grande protagonista Bob Dylan: dalla leggenda Woody Guthrie allo sfortunato Dave Van Ronk, dal sogno di Pete Seeger di cambiare il mondo attraverso la musica, all’attivista Joan Baez, regina del folk, che pochi anni dopo sarebbe diventata “l’usignolo di Woodstock”. Oppure Sylvie, personaggio fittizio chiaramente ispirato a Suze Rotolo, musa e compagna del cantautore, prima di quella metamorfosi artistica che avrebbe cambiato la sua vita e (soprattutto?) la storia della musica. Per chi la vuole cercare, c’è davvero tanta carne al fuoco: un film completo, totalmente credibile, coinvolgente, straordinario nelle interpretazioni, che racconta l’uomo dietro il genio, l’essere umano dietro il rivoluzionario, il futuro premio Nobel per la letteratura dietro i capelli spettinati di un “completo sconosciuto”. Ma soprattutto c’è tanta, tantissima, musica stupenda. I tempi cambiano, per noi comuni mortali, così come per i geni: basta viverli, una canzone per volta.6- Bird (Andrea Arnold)
Tra echi di urgenza sociale che richiamano il miglior Ken Loach e una deriva favolistica alla Alice Rohrwacher, Andrea Arnold procede in equilibrio tra realismo magico e fiaba malinconica: la protagonista Nykiya Adams (che brava!) si arrangia come può in un contesto ostile, mostrando la capacità degli adolescenti di trovare luce ovunque, anche nelle condizioni peggiori. Ed è proprio lì, tra la vita aspra che mostra e l’incanto che ti regala, che questo film ti tiene stretto, facendoti pensare che è una delle cose più belle che hai visto quest’anno. Inoltre, la colonna sonora è pazzesca e va da Too Real e A Hero’s Death dei Fontaines DC a Lucky Man dei Verve, da The Universal dei Blur a Yellow dei Coldplay. Come dicono proprio i Blur, “When the days they seem to fall through you, well, just let them go”.5- The Brutalist (Brady Corbet)
La cosa più difficile da fare con quest’opera immensa di Brady Corbet è scegliere di cominciare a vederla. Poi tutto va in discesa perché l’attenzione che gli dedichi, il film te la restituisce sottoforma di splendido cinema: è davvero tanta roba. Potete facilmente immaginare che, in oltre 3 ore di film, di cose ne succedono parecchie e ci sarebbe tantissimo da dire: è una di quelle storie che ti porti appresso fuori dalla sala, che ti si arrampica dentro durante la notte, a cui inevitabilmente ripensi al mattino. Adrien Brody è magnifico e quello di Guy Pearce è un piacevolissimo ritorno sulle scene di un film importante. Girato con un budget ridotto, è uno dei più ambiziosi ed enormi film indipendenti mai realizzati. Clamoroso.4- La Voce di Hind Rajab (Ṣawt al-Hind Rajab, Kaouther Ben Hania)
Sono andato al cinema senza sapere neanche di cosa parlasse. Sapevo solo che dovevo vederlo. Il film di Kaouther Ben Hania mescola realtà e finzione, ricostruendo il tentativo da parte della Mezzaluna Rossa (il corrispettivo mediorientale della nostra Croce Rossa) di ottenere i permessi necessari per salvare una bambina palestinese chiusa dentro un’automobile, appena assaltata dai soldati israeliani che hanno sterminato la famiglia della piccola Hind Rajab. Solo questo basterebbe a renderlo un film potentissimo, ma il punto di forza (nonché elemento straziante) è che la voce al telefono che sentiamo per tutto il film è la voce reale della bambina, ovvero la registrazione delle conversazioni telefoniche avvenute tra lei e i soccorritori (che invece sono interpretati da attori e attrici). Un’opera di rara potenza ed emozione, commovente, agghiacciante, spaventosa. Se il Cinema con la C maiuscola ha il dovere di raccontare il tempo che vive, questo film è destinato a essere ricordato in eterno.3- Emilia Perez (Jacques Audiard)
Vincitore del premio della Giuria a Cannes, è una sorta di musical incentrato su un boss del cartello messicano che decide di cambiare sesso (!). Da un’idea assurda, quasi grottesca a pensarci, nasce un’opera meravigliosa su genere, identità, violenza, redenzione, senza mai perdere un grammo di credibilità. Un film che ha dentro di sé mille film diversi: musical, gangster, dramma sociale, sentimento. Girato con un gusto estetico superiore (parliamo sempre di Jacques Audiard, uno dei più grandi registi europei della sua generazione), una fotografia meravigliosa e un trio di attrici fuori dall’ordinario: Zoe Saldana, in particolare, è incredibile e il film è stu-pen-do.2- Una Battaglia Dopo l’Altra (One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson)
Quasi un decennio dopo il fortunato Vizio di Forma, il regista di Los Angeles torna a pescare idee dalla narrativa di Thomas Pynchon, il cui romanzo Vineland ha fornito il materiale di base sul quale modellare poi la storia, molto diversa, di questo nuovo film. Ci sono momenti che sembrano uscire fuori dal cinema dei fratelli Coen, ma soprattutto c’è l’enorme talento di PTA nel raccontare storie, nel prendere per mano lo spettatore e coinvolgerlo in un caleidoscopio di ironia, azione, calore umano e battute fulminanti, fino a una bellissima scena di inseguimento nel deserto, tra dossi, salite e discese, in una sorta di “labirinto rettilineo” che tiene con il fiato sospeso. Il mondo forse si può davvero cambiare, una battaglia dopo l’altra. Nel frattempo, godiamoci film stupendi come questo: “ocean waves“, amici e amiche, “ocean waves“.1- Un Semplice Incidente (Yak Taṣādof-e Sāde, Jafar Panahi)
Anche stavolta il regista iraniano gira il film in totale segreto, senza permessi, e anche stavolta realizza qualcosa di stupendo, una riflessione profonda sul ruolo di vittima e carnefice, sull’umanità, sulle conseguenze che ha ogni azione. Il film si apre sull’interno di un’automobile di notte: al volante c’è il padre di una famiglia composta da moglie incinta e una bambina vispa e solare. Improvvisamente l’uomo investe un cane e questo piccolo incidente procurerà un piccolo danno all’auto, che dovrà fermarsi per una riparazione improvvisa. Da qui comincia una serie di eventi che porterà l’uomo ad essere rapito e a circondarsi di aguzzini pronti ad eliminarlo: ma perché? Chi è quest’uomo? Cosa è successo anni prima? Il suono di quella protesi alla gamba e, soprattutto, quel finale incredibile, me li porterò appresso ancora per molto tempo. Un capolavoro.[Se l’articolo ti è piaciuto, offrimi un caffè o magari una colazione,
una piccola mancia per aiutarmi a sostenere il sito!]#2025 #bestOf2025 #Cinema #classifica #daVedere #film #filmDel2025 #filmDellAnno #filmPiùBelli #fineAnno #lista #listaFilm #miglioriFilm #top10 #top20
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Top 20 – I Miei Film del 2025
Come ogni anno, dopo la grande corsa ai recuperi di fine dicembre, siamo giunti ad una più o meno soddisfacente decisione su quali sono o penso che siano i 20 film che più mi sono piaciuti di questo 2025. Come ribadito nel titolo, si tratta dei miei film preferiti e non dei migliori film, perché è bene ricordare che la lista in questione non si erge a verità assoluta sulle opere più belle uscite quest’anno, ma elenca semplicemente i 20 titoli più amati dal sottoscritto. Quindi non gridate allo scandalo se non trovate il vostro film preferito, può essere che, pur riconoscendone l’ottima fattura, mi sia piaciuto meno rispetto a un film magari meno perfetto ma più emozionante (oppure un altro motivo per cui manca potrebbe essere che non l’ho proprio visto, come ad esempio Father Mother Sister Brother di Jarmusch, che ho perso causa influenza: in tal caso vi invito a scrivere nei commenti ogni suggerimento atto a colmare le mie tante lacune).
Ricordo come sempre che in classifica compaiono solo film distribuiti in Italia (al cinema o in esclusiva streaming) nel 2025, anche se sono stati presentati in qualche festival negli anni precedenti. La discriminante è sempre stata questa, dal 2008 a oggi, e non è cambiata. A presentare questa sedicesima edizione della Top 20 quest’anno troviamo Jack Nicholson, straordinario protagonista di Qualcuno Volò sul Nido del Cuculo (Milos Forman, 1975).
Fatte le doverose premesse del caso (a- Miei film preferiti, non migliori film in assoluto e b- solo film distribuiti in Italia nel 2025), prima di lasciarvi ai titoli della Top 20 ci tengo a sottolineare che ovviamente non è stato possibile vedere tutto ciò che è uscito durante l’anno solare ma soltanto una settantina di titoli e che quindi, come sempre, è una classifica molto parziale che si fa più per gioco che per reale utilità. Apriamo le danze dunque e, mi raccomando, fatemi sapere anche le vostre scelte!
20- Alpha (Julia Ducournau)
Da che mondo è mondo, in una classifica di preferenze la posizione numero 20 è molto più difficile della numero 1. Alla fine però, l’ultima fatica di Julia Ducournau non poteva restare fuori: un lungo massaggio cardiaco alle emozioni dello spettatore, continuamente messo alla prova dagli sbalzi ermetici di un film molto bello, innegabilmente in grado di scavare nel profondo grazie anche a tre interpretazioni pazzesche. Un film sulle difficoltà di essere adolescenti, su quanto sia difficile essere madre di una ragazza in crisi e sorella di un uomo disperato, sopraffatto dalla tossicodipendenza, ma soprattutto, come dicevo, è un lungo massaggio cardiaco: c’è un costante bisogno di aggrapparsi alla vita, di curare, di salvare, di salvarsi.19- Sinners (Ryan Coogler)
Onestamente non ero certo di voler vedere questo film. Ne avevo sentito parlare come una versione afroamericana di Dal Tramonto all’Alba, o qualcosa del genere e temevo si trattasse dell’ennesima boiata spacciata per horror. Invece il film di Ryan Coogler (già regista del meraviglioso Fruitvale Station, ma anche di quella cazzata allucinante di Black Panther) fa davvero centro. Al di là della bellissima estetica del film e dell’ottima ambientazione (per non parlare della colonna sonora), mi è piaciuto come la prima parte sia tutta dedicata alla preparazione del climax finale e come lo scontro notturno sia molto più psicologico rispetto al carrozzone splatter che uno potrebbe aspettarsi. Sorprendente, nonostante i mille finali.18- A House of Dynamite (Kathryn Bigelow)
Kathryn Bigelow realizza l’incontro ideale tra il Dr Stranamore e WarGames, senza però la spassosa ironia del primo né l’avventura adolescenziale del secondo. Il film si svolge in 19 fatali minuti, dilatati però in due ore per mezzo del cosiddetto effetto Rashomon. Lo scenario, non così distopico come si può pensare, è spaventoso, e la storia regge, nonostante qualche calo di tono nella parte centrale. Appena si entra nella storia infatti, è impossibile staccare gli occhi dallo schermo, dagli sguardi confusi e spaventati dei protagonisti, da quei numeri che scorrono sui monitor. Lo trovate su Netflix e, al di là di tutto, Kathryn Bigelow sa come si gira un film: è grande cinema.17- L’Ultimo Turno (Heldin, Petra Volpe)
Non sorprendetevi se, nella prossima cinquina di candidati per l’Oscar al Miglior Film Straniero, dovesse esserci anche questo bellissimo film svizzero, realizzato da Petra Volpe. Un’escalation di situazioni, allarmi, capricci, ansie, dove la mano di Leonie Benesch, ma soprattutto il cuore, può essere piuma e può essere ferro (cit). Un film ansiogeno, dove allo spettatore non viene concesso un momento di pausa, stesso destino riservato alla sua protagonista. Il messaggio che compare nel finale, prima del fade to black, chiarisce molto meglio il punto di tutto il film, ovvero la grave carenza di infermieri negli ospedali svizzeri. Bellissimo, ma che ansia.16- Sotto le Foglie (Quand Vient l’Automne, François Ozon)
François Ozon, uno dei registi più attivi degli ultimi decenni, riesce sempre a sfornare bei film, ma quasi mai film davvero bellissimi (almeno secondo me). Ecco, questa potrebbe essere la volta buona in cui il regista francese tira fuori la perla, un dramma che si svela piano piano, strato dopo strato, mettendo in tavola una bella teglia di dubbi, ipotesi, che lo spettatore può abbracciare o rifiutare. Una serie di eventi in cui la risposta non è mai una sola, dove si scoprono realtà scomode, passati ingombranti, verità inconfutabili. E quando entri in questo labirinto di sospetti, non ne esci più. Grande film.15- Nosferatu (Robert Eggers)
Parafrasando Nietzsche, si può dire che se tu guarderai a lungo nell’oscurità, anche l’oscurità vorrà guardare dentro di te. Ed è proprio in un buio accecante che Eggers immerge lo spettatore (e Lily-Rose Depp) sin dalla primissima inquadratura, come a volerlo rendere parte di quella stessa notte buia, la stessa oscurità nella quale il regista fa muovere le sue ombre. La grandezza di questa nuova versione è, al di là dell’indubbia potenza visiva, la capacità di reinventarsi in ogni scena, di essere coinvolgente anche di fronte a una storia che abbiamo visto in tutte le salse, che il regista statunitense però riesce a modernizzare con la metafora, neanche troppo sottile, di una donna indipendente in lotta contro una società di maschi dominanti. L’oscurità non è mai stata così “buia”: spegnete le luci.14- Grand Theft Hamlet (Sam Crane, Pinny Grylls)
Durante la pandemia, due attori di teatro, rimasti improvvisamente a spasso, decidono di mettere in scena l’Amleto all’interno dell’open world del videogioco GTA, facendo casting, prove e l’intero spettacolo dentro il gioco, cercando di evitare di essere uccisi da altri gamer (per i meno pratici, GTA è uno dei videogame più violenti di sempre, dove chi gioca può rubare, uccidere e compiere qualunque attività criminale per ottenere bonus di vario genere). L’idea di Sam Crane e Pinny Grylls non è soltanto originalissima, ma è anche divertente, oltre che incredibilmente coinvolgente: dopo i primi cinque minuti sarà impossibile smettere di guardare questo assurdo documentario, se così si può definire. Anche in un periodo di grande crisi, uno splendido esempio di umanità e di come il bisogno di esprimersi artisticamente riesca ad abbattere ostacoli apparentemente insormontabili. Che bello!13- Aragoste a Manhattan (La Cocina, Alonso Ruizpalacios)
Dopo il successo di The Bear, tutto ciò che si svolge dentro una cucina deve caricarsi sulle spalle vari esami del dna per definire il grado di parentela con la serie. Ciò che vediamo nel film di Ruizpalacios ha però delle vibrazioni tutte sue, che raccontano molto del mondo che viviamo oggi: individui di culture diverse si districano tra i muri dell’incomprensione, mentre il macigno del capitalismo tenta di sacrificare ogni individualità, ogni sogno, ogni speranza sull’altare del profitto e del consumo. A condire tutte queste vicende c’è tanto umorismo caustico e una regia piena di belle intuizioni, tra cui un piano sequenza da urlo: quanta fame (di vita!) in un film così piccolo.12- September 5 (Tim Fehlbaum)
Quasi interamente girato all’interno della cabina di regia della ABC durante il sequestro degli atleti israeliani durante le Olimpiadi del 1972, il film lascia da parte qualunque approfondimento politico per concentrarsi esclusivamente sul lavoro giornalistico, con le sue urgenze, i suoi errori, le improvvise rivelazioni, la corsa alla notizia. Breve, dal ritmo serrato, senza dubbio coinvolgente, con alcuni volti interessanti come Peter Saarsgard, Ben Chaplin, John Magaro (il marito di Past Lives) e Leonie Benesch (protagonista de La Sala Professori e de L’Ultimo Turno, che avete già incontrato in questa classifica). La conferma che, ancora una volta, quello del giornalista è il lavoro più bello da vedere in un film.11- Io Sono Ancora Qui (Ainda Estou Aqui, Walter Salles)
L’ultimo lavoro del grande Walter Salles entra di diritto nella rosa dei più importanti film brasiliani della storia. Splendido nel modo in cui divide perfettamente la leggerezza del primo atto con la brutale sofferenza del secondo, Salles racconta una storia che meritava di tornare sotto l’attenzione del grande pubblico, per farci ricordare ancora una volta, se mai ce ne fosse bisogno, una cosa che dovremmo tenere sempre bene a mente: i fascisti sono una merda. Gran film.10- Presence (Steven Soderbergh)
Steven Soderbergh piazza lo spettatore a osservare una “normale” famiglia statunitense dal punto di vista grandangolare di un fantasma che vive nella loro casa, raccontando la crisi di una generazione, le aspettative, la competitività, il bisogno di vivere di apparenza pur di restare a galla, inzuppando tutta questa vita ordinaria con alcune tracce di sovrannaturale (oggetti che levitano, una medium che avverte la presenza, ecc). Il regista ci apparecchia la tavola per la prima ora, senza mai stancare, fino a spiazzarci nell’ultimo quarto d’ora, in un paio di scene che regalano brividi. Chi lo va a vedere aspettandosi un horror resterà molto deluso, è un filmone che parla di tutt’altro. Stupendo.9- Springsteen – Liberami dal Nulla (Deliver Me From Nowhere, Scott Cooper)
Chi si aspetta di vedere su grande schermo il mito di Bruce Springsteen, troverà invece un’opera che gli toglie la maschera, soffoca la leggenda per alimentare però la sua umanità, il suo cuore, il suo bisogno di essere ancora una persona normale in un mondo di luci accecanti. In questo bellissimo film di Scott Cooper scoprirete finalmente il lato oscuro del mito, l’animo intimo di un artista che non è mai sceso a compromessi con il suo successo, che ha cercato di restare se stesso sempre, mentre il mondo intorno a lui continuava a girare vorticosamente. Anche perché, come ci suggerisce il film, il passato non esiste più e il futuro non si può rincorrere: possiamo vivere soltanto dentro noi stessi, ora.8- No Other Land (Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal)
Un collettivo di registi israeliani e palestinesi racconta la violenza e la distruzione da parte dei coloni israeliani di una piccola comunità rurale della Cisgiordania, Masafer Yatta. Il rapporto tra un giornalista di Isreaele e un giovane attivista palestinese è uno dei tantissimi spunti di un film che, inevitabilmente, atterrisce lo spettatore con le tante crudeltà che mostra e che, al tempo stesso, commuove per l’enorme forza e la necessità di sopravvivere che mette in scena minuto dopo minuto. È complicato racchiudere in poche righe tutta l’impotenza che si prova durante la visione, ma anche la voglia di abbracciare i bambini che vengono fatti sfollare dalla scuola, prima che venga distrutta da una ruspa. Premio Oscar per il miglior documentario, una storia che fa male, ma che riesce anche a illuminare con la sua umanità.7- A Complete Unknown (James Mangold)
Mangold riesce a costruire un film che contiene al suo interno mille storie diverse, che gravitano tutte intorno al grande protagonista Bob Dylan: dalla leggenda Woody Guthrie allo sfortunato Dave Van Ronk, dal sogno di Pete Seeger di cambiare il mondo attraverso la musica, all’attivista Joan Baez, regina del folk, che pochi anni dopo sarebbe diventata “l’usignolo di Woodstock”. Oppure Sylvie, personaggio fittizio chiaramente ispirato a Suze Rotolo, musa e compagna del cantautore, prima di quella metamorfosi artistica che avrebbe cambiato la sua vita e (soprattutto?) la storia della musica. Per chi la vuole cercare, c’è davvero tanta carne al fuoco: un film completo, totalmente credibile, coinvolgente, straordinario nelle interpretazioni, che racconta l’uomo dietro il genio, l’essere umano dietro il rivoluzionario, il futuro premio Nobel per la letteratura dietro i capelli spettinati di un “completo sconosciuto”. Ma soprattutto c’è tanta, tantissima, musica stupenda. I tempi cambiano, per noi comuni mortali, così come per i geni: basta viverli, una canzone per volta.6- Bird (Andrea Arnold)
Tra echi di urgenza sociale che richiamano il miglior Ken Loach e una deriva favolistica alla Alice Rohrwacher, Andrea Arnold procede in equilibrio tra realismo magico e fiaba malinconica: la protagonista Nykiya Adams (che brava!) si arrangia come può in un contesto ostile, mostrando la capacità degli adolescenti di trovare luce ovunque, anche nelle condizioni peggiori. Ed è proprio lì, tra la vita aspra che mostra e l’incanto che ti regala, che questo film ti tiene stretto, facendoti pensare che è una delle cose più belle che hai visto quest’anno. Inoltre, la colonna sonora è pazzesca e va da Too Real e A Hero’s Death dei Fontaines DC a Lucky Man dei Verve, da The Universal dei Blur a Yellow dei Coldplay. Come dicono proprio i Blur, “When the days they seem to fall through you, well, just let them go”.5- The Brutalist (Brady Corbet)
La cosa più difficile da fare con quest’opera immensa di Brady Corbet è scegliere di cominciare a vederla. Poi tutto va in discesa perché l’attenzione che gli dedichi, il film te la restituisce sottoforma di splendido cinema: è davvero tanta roba. Potete facilmente immaginare che, in oltre 3 ore di film, di cose ne succedono parecchie e ci sarebbe tantissimo da dire: è una di quelle storie che ti porti appresso fuori dalla sala, che ti si arrampica dentro durante la notte, a cui inevitabilmente ripensi al mattino. Adrien Brody è magnifico e quello di Guy Pearce è un piacevolissimo ritorno sulle scene di un film importante. Girato con un budget ridotto, è uno dei più ambiziosi ed enormi film indipendenti mai realizzati. Clamoroso.4- La Voce di Hind Rajab (Ṣawt al-Hind Rajab, Kaouther Ben Hania)
Sono andato al cinema senza sapere neanche di cosa parlasse. Sapevo solo che dovevo vederlo. Il film di Kaouther Ben Hania mescola realtà e finzione, ricostruendo il tentativo da parte della Mezzaluna Rossa (il corrispettivo mediorientale della nostra Croce Rossa) di ottenere i permessi necessari per salvare una bambina palestinese chiusa dentro un’automobile, appena assaltata dai soldati israeliani che hanno sterminato la famiglia della piccola Hind Rajab. Solo questo basterebbe a renderlo un film potentissimo, ma il punto di forza (nonché elemento straziante) è che la voce al telefono che sentiamo per tutto il film è la voce reale della bambina, ovvero la registrazione delle conversazioni telefoniche avvenute tra lei e i soccorritori (che invece sono interpretati da attori e attrici). Un’opera di rara potenza ed emozione, commovente, agghiacciante, spaventosa. Se il Cinema con la C maiuscola ha il dovere di raccontare il tempo che vive, questo film è destinato a essere ricordato in eterno.3- Emilia Perez (Jacques Audiard)
Vincitore del premio della Giuria a Cannes, è una sorta di musical incentrato su un boss del cartello messicano che decide di cambiare sesso (!). Da un’idea assurda, quasi grottesca a pensarci, nasce un’opera meravigliosa su genere, identità, violenza, redenzione, senza mai perdere un grammo di credibilità. Un film che ha dentro di sé mille film diversi: musical, gangster, dramma sociale, sentimento. Girato con un gusto estetico superiore (parliamo sempre di Jacques Audiard, uno dei più grandi registi europei della sua generazione), una fotografia meravigliosa e un trio di attrici fuori dall’ordinario: Zoe Saldana, in particolare, è incredibile e il film è stu-pen-do.2- Una Battaglia Dopo l’Altra (One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson)
Quasi un decennio dopo il fortunato Vizio di Forma, il regista di Los Angeles torna a pescare idee dalla narrativa di Thomas Pynchon, il cui romanzo Vineland ha fornito il materiale di base sul quale modellare poi la storia, molto diversa, di questo nuovo film. Ci sono momenti che sembrano uscire fuori dal cinema dei fratelli Coen, ma soprattutto c’è l’enorme talento di PTA nel raccontare storie, nel prendere per mano lo spettatore e coinvolgerlo in un caleidoscopio di ironia, azione, calore umano e battute fulminanti, fino a una bellissima scena di inseguimento nel deserto, tra dossi, salite e discese, in una sorta di “labirinto rettilineo” che tiene con il fiato sospeso. Il mondo forse si può davvero cambiare, una battaglia dopo l’altra. Nel frattempo, godiamoci film stupendi come questo: “ocean waves“, amici e amiche, “ocean waves“.1- Un Semplice Incidente (Yak Taṣādof-e Sāde, Jafar Panahi)
Anche stavolta il regista iraniano gira il film in totale segreto, senza permessi, e anche stavolta realizza qualcosa di stupendo, una riflessione profonda sul ruolo di vittima e carnefice, sull’umanità, sulle conseguenze che ha ogni azione. Il film si apre sull’interno di un’automobile di notte: al volante c’è il padre di una famiglia composta da moglie incinta e una bambina vispa e solare. Improvvisamente l’uomo investe un cane e questo piccolo incidente procurerà un piccolo danno all’auto, che dovrà fermarsi per una riparazione improvvisa. Da qui comincia una serie di eventi che porterà l’uomo ad essere rapito e a circondarsi di aguzzini pronti ad eliminarlo: ma perché? Chi è quest’uomo? Cosa è successo anni prima? Il suono di quella protesi alla gamba e, soprattutto, quel finale incredibile, me li porterò appresso ancora per molto tempo. Un capolavoro.[Se l’articolo ti è piaciuto, offrimi un caffè o magari una colazione,
una piccola mancia per aiutarmi a sostenere il sito!]#2025 #bestOf2025 #Cinema #classifica #daVedere #film #filmDel2025 #filmDellAnno #filmPiùBelli #fineAnno #lista #listaFilm #miglioriFilm #top10 #top20
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Turning Saffron into Slop – Treylya Safran yn Skomblans
Kernewek is under attack. The attacker? Machine-made rubbish. Fresh from companies dictionary-bashing to make terrible ‘translations’ for their black-and-gold-washing brandification of Kernow, the shoddiness has spiralled.
Error-riddled AI ‘Kernewek textbooks’ have appeared on Amazon, by ‘authors’ who are at best well-meaning but harmful and at worst out to exploit us. Worse, a prominent crackpot is ‘translating’ conspiracy theories into ‘Cornish’ en masse. It’s not just nonsensical; it ties our language to fascism faster than we, making content by hand, can work to untie it.
There are those who believe that the best defence is to put down our shield and join the opposing forces: to ‘buy in’ to AI in the hope of coming out the other side with a useful tool for the language and a stronger community. Such hopes must be abandoned. What follows is a look why this approach is wrong-headed, as evidenced by universities, activists and indigenous groups.
Kernewek yw yn-dann omsettyans. An omsettyer? Atal gwrys dre jynn. Nowydh devedhys a gompanis ow pylla gerlyvrow rag gul ‘treylyansow’ euthyk rag aga merkegyans yethwolghi a Gernow, an pilyekter re wrug pesya.
‘Dysklyvrow’ ‘Kernewek’ gwallblagys re apperyas war Amazon, gans ‘awtours’ neb yw teg aga thowl dhe’n gwella ha drogusus aga hwans dhe’n gwettha. Lakka, yma koyntwas a vri ow ‘treylya’ tybiethow kesplottyans dhe ‘Gernewek’ yn routh. Nyns yw gocki hepken; y kelm agan yeth orth faskorieth uskissa es dell yllyn, dre wul dalgh dre leuv, oberi dh’y digelmi.
Yma nebes a grys bos agan gwella difres gorra an skoos dhyworthyn ha junya an ostys er agan pynn: dhe ‘unverhe’ gans SK gans govenek dos yn-mes gans toul dhe les rag an yeth ha kemeneth kreffa. Res yw hepkor govenegow a’n par na. An pyth hag a sew a vir orth prag yth yw an devedhyans ma penn-gam, dell yw dustunys gans pennskolyow, gweythresoryon ha bagasow teythyek.
Note: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come to be synonymous with Generative AI (GenAI) and with Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, in common parlance. Unless explicitly stated, I use the terms interchangeably.
Kernewek is under attack. The attacker? Machine-made rubbish. Fresh from companies dictionary-bashing to make terrible ‘translations’ for their black-and-gold-washing brandification of Kernow*, the shoddiness has spiralled.
Error-riddled AI ‘Kernewek textbooks’ have appeared on Amazon, by ‘authors’ who are at best well-meaning but harmful and at worst out to exploit us. Worse, a prominent crackpot is ‘translating’ conspiracy theories into ‘Cornish’ en masse. It’s not just nonsensical; it ties our language to fascism faster than we, making content by hand, can work to untie it.
There are those who believe that the best defence is to put down our shield and join the opposing forces: to ‘buy in’ to AI in the hope of coming out the other side with a useful tool for the language and a stronger community. Such hopes must be abandoned. What follows is a look why this approach is wrong-headed, as evidenced by universities, activists and indigenous groups.
LOW-RESOURCES AND LINGUISTIC TYPOLOGY
Simply adding a language to an AI model leads to a spike in poor-quality articles, drowning out quality writing by humans. AI has “industrialized the acts of destruction—which affect vulnerable languages most, since AI translations are typically far less reliable for them.”1 Wikipedia editors from varied languages evidence that machine translation tools have made it easier than ever before to create shoddy articles in minoritised languages, causing massive damage in minutes. AI leads to non-speakers producing much longer, truthier rubbish, Sámi computational linguistics expert Trond Trosterud notes: “the problem [is] that they are armed with Google Translate. Earlier they were armed only with dictionaries.”1
Kernewek, like all but 60 of the world’s roughly 7,000 languages, is designated “low-resource”, meaning it lacks sufficient data to train a machine.2 It is tempting, therefore, to assume that the solution is to provide more data. However, training an LLM requires petabytes of text, audio and video—manually categorised and in a machine-readable format—a vast trove that Kernewek simply does not have.3 Professor Will Lamb, Chair of Gaelic Ethnology and Linguistics at Edinburgh University, speaks of “millions of work hours devoted to just one aspect” of a working AI.4
Even if ChatGPT is trained on another language than English, the time and labour required may make it largely unviable. Current assessments of the performance of ChatGPT for different languages have shown that it performs worse in all tasks.5
Prof. Lina Dencik, Data Justice Lab
Furthermore, the amount of data and work is not the only barrier; at issue is the nature of the language itself. Microsoft has found that languages such as Breton—and thus Kernewek—cause a high rate of errors distinct from the size of their dataset, due to grammatical features, such as mutation, not present in well-sourced languages. As such, they remain poor without significant additional work.6 Essentially, simply adding more Kernewek may not help. Thus, engaging with AI is, for Kernewek, to tie ourselves to slop.
Noten: Skians Kreftus (SK) re dheuth ha bos kesstyr gans SK Dinythus (SKDin) ha gans Patronyow Yeth Bras (PYB), kepar ha ChatGPT, yn lavar kemmyn. Marnas bos menegys yn kler, my a us an termys yn keschanjyadow.
Kernewek yw yn-dann omsettyans. An omsettyer? Atal gwrys dre jynn. Nowydh devedhys a gompanis ow pylla gerlyvrow rag gul ‘treylyansow’ euthyk rag aga merkegyans yethwolghi a Gernow*, an pilyekter re wrug pesya.
‘Dysklyvrow’ ‘Kernewek’ gwallblagys re apperyas war Amazon, gans ‘awtours’ neb yw teg aga thowl dhe’n gwella ha drogusus aga hwans dhe’n gwettha. Lakka, yma koyntwas a vri ow ‘treylya’ tybiethow kesplottyans dhe ‘Gernewek’ yn routh. Nyns yw gocki hepken; y kelm agan yeth orth faskorieth uskissa es dell yllyn, dre wul dalgh dre leuv, oberi dh’y digelmi.
Yma nebes a grys bos agan gwella difres gorra an skoos dhyworthyn ha junya an ostys er agan pynn: dhe ‘unverhe’ gans SK gans govenek dos yn-mes gans toul dhe les rag an yeth ha kemeneth kreffa. Res yw hepkor govenegow a’n par na. An pyth hag a sew a vir orth prag yth yw an devedhyans ma penn-gam, dell yw dustunys gans pennskolyow, gweythresoryon ha bagasow teythyek.
ASNODHOW ISL HA TIPOLOGIETH YETHEL
Keworra yeth yn sempel orth patron SK a led orth spik yn erthyglow drog aga kwalita, ow peudhi skrif a gwalita gans tus. SK re wrug “diwysyansegi an aktys diswrians—hag a nas yethow goliadow an moyha, drefen bos treylyansow SK lieskweyth le lel yn tipek ragdha.”1 Golegydhyon Wikipedia a yethow divers a re dustuni re wrug medhelweyth-treylya y wul bos esya dell veu bythkweth kyns gwruthyl erthyglow pilyek yn yethow lyharivhes, ow kawsya damach kowrek yn mynysennow. SK a led orth digowsoryon owth askorra atal lieskweyth hirra ha gwirekka, konnyk yethonieth reknansek Sámi Trond Trosterud a not: “an kudyn [yw] aga bos ervys gans Google Translate. A-varra nyns ens ervys marnas gans gerlyvrow.”1
Kernewek, kepar hag oll marnas 60 a ogas lowr 7,000 yeth a’n bys, yw klassys avel “isel y asnodhow”, ow styrya nag eus dhodho kedhlow lowr dhe drenya jynn.2 Rakhenna, dynyek yw desevos bos an assoylyans profya moy a gedhlow. Byttegyns, res yw petavaytys a dekst, son ha gwydhyow—klassys dre leuv hag yn furvas redyadow gans jynn— dhe drenya PYB, tresorva efan nag eus dhe Gernewek yn sempel.3 Y kews Professor Will Lamb, Kaderyer Ethnologieth ha Yethonieth Wodhalek orth Pennskol Karedin, a “vilvilyow a ourys ober sakrys orth unn wedh hepken” a SK owth oberi.4
Hogen mars yw ChatGPT trenys war yeth a-der Sowsnek, an termyn hag ober yw res a styr y vos martesen anhewul dre vras. Arvreusyansow a-lemmyn a berformyans a ChatGPT rag yethow dyffrans re dhiskwedhas y perform gweth yn oberennow oll.5
Prof. Lina Dencik, Data Justice Lab
Pella, nyns yw an myns a gedhlow hag ober an unsel lett; a vern yw natur an yeth y honan. Microsoft re drovyas y kaws yethow kepar ha Bretonek—hag ytho Kernewek—kevradh ughel a wallow diblans a vraster aga sett kedhlow, drefen nasyow gramasek, kepar ha treylyansow, nag usi kevys yn yethow ughel aga asnodhow. Yndella, i a bes orth bos drog heb meur a ober keworransel.6 Yn essensek, possybyl yw ny wra keworra moy a Gernewek yn sempel gweres. Yndelma, oberi gans SK yw, rag Kernewek, omgelmi orth skomblans.
CORNISH UNDER CAPITALISM
But surely we can improve things over time? It will take a lot of help from AI companies, but it will be worth it. Sadly, Gabriel Nicholas, a research fellow at the Center for Democracy and Technology, has found that once a tech company has established basic capabilities for a language, they pat themselves on the back and move on.7
Big tech companies are just that: companies. They exist to make a profit. Unfortunately, a market dominated by big languages gives them no incentive to invest in improvements for small ones.
All of the speech technology, smart homes and voice interaction systems used today are the products of commercial research. To put it bluntly, they exist to either make money from your data, to sell you more goods and services, or to influence your thinking. None of this AI exists for the public good. […] Unless there is a strong enough economic argument, don’t expect big companies to rush into producing Welsh, Gaelic or Cornish speech systems.8
Prof. Ian McLoughlin, University of Kent
Should they decide that a Kernewek AI is a viable profit-making enterprise, our situation may even be worse than abandonment. As Dr. Fintan Mallory remarks, the dominant means of profit for privately-funded AI enterprises is to convert their tools into surveillance devices.9 As Kernewek is currently one of the UK’s only languages which is not currently easily surveillable, this poses a huge risk to Kernewek activism and the fight for self-determination in a state that seeks to criminalise dissent.
While we’re on the subject of Kernewek and its position under capitalism, let’s consider the human cost. I lost my 13-year career in language to AI as soon as English output became viable enough to excuse not paying a human. In the unlikely instance that we achieve an AI that can produce quality Kernewek, why would anyone bother paying speakers? The idea of AI sucking all the life out of my heritage language when we are struggling to survive as-is is appalling.
Simply put, profit is antithetical to people. While AI is the new favourite toy of profit, it will be antithetical to people. And a language is its people.
KENEDHEL HEB YETH, KENEDHEL HEB KOLON
Combinations of characters on a screen mean nothing without agency and intention.10
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
While language is not unique to humans, it is one of the chief parts of being human. It cannot be reduced to mere data, but is a highly social process.11 We all know how synthetic customer support via robot sounds or how AI fails to pick up nuance. As Dr. Mallory comments, “Language [is] something more like the soul of a community. You can’t store this in a machine. You can’t solve a human problem like linguicide with a view of language that removes the human component.”12
AI cannot comprehend Kernewek or any other language. It is a stochastic parrot: predicting what word is likely to follow the previous one.13 It cannot understand us. It cannot intend anything. If it tells you it feels delighted to help you, it is lying. I want our community to grow, but one hundred ‘Cornish-speaking’ computers do not add to it. One human does—bringing ideas and hopes and fears and foibles—and I do not think the Kernewek ‘speaking’ computers will add even one human to our community.
Worse, if it does, there is evidence from Microsoft to suggest that the use of GenAI on language tasks, even once a week, impairs cognitive ability to learn, leading to decreased engagement with the topic, overreliance on the technology and hobbled skills in independent problem-solving.14 By using AI tools to ‘teach’ a learner Kernewek, we may in fact be impairing their ability to learn the language at all without this crutch. We will make regurgitators in place of speakers.
Perlin also emphasises the human element, saying that when we hold community central to our languages, as we do, the stochastic parrot can feel like a violation.15 At the moment, I can tell when someone is using AI ‘Kernewek’ to me. The idea that one day I will not know when an outsider—someone I would welcome if they took up a book or a class—is puppeting my ancestors’ jaws and speaking through them is ghoulish. It has the instant sting of colonialism, of appropriation when one could appreciate, of parroting when one could join our chorus.
Hawai’ian scholar Ha‘alilio Solomon agrees: “It is painful, because it reminds us of all the times that our culture and language has been appropriated. We have been fighting tooth and nail in an uphill climb for language revitalization.[…] People are going to think that this is an accurate representation of the Hawaiian language.”16
TRUST AND COMMUNITY FEELING
The anti-machine backlash has long been simmering but is now seemingly breaking to the surface.17
NBC NEWS
The explosion of insults for AI itself (clanker, tinskin, toaster), its output (slop, dross, brainrot) and its users (slopper, groksucker, botlicker, second-hand thinker)—as well as others more clearly based on real-world slurs than I am comfortable to include—tells a tale of the general attitude of distrust and disgust towards the technology and its use on anglophone and other majority language internet.18 While the attitude among tech bros and corporates remains bombastic, for the general public AI is “becoming interchangeable with things that sort of suck.”19
Further, it’s not just majority languages with this negative view of AI as taint. A quick sampling of social media comments and likes regarding AI and Scottish Gaelic by Professor Lamb showed a split of 54% negative, 33% positive and 13% neutral. (Lamb, 2024) The sentiment of the top-rated negative comment was that AI is harmful and the second-highest that AI should be kept away from heritage languages.
What are we telling our descendants? That our language and culture isn’t worth the personal effort? That’s how I might read it, if I were them.20
Kernewek survey respondent
Kernewek paints an even starker picture, especially among younger and more technologically-savvy learners and speakers. A survey on Cornish Discord and Whatsapp found that 65% felt AI would be bad (11.5%) or very bad (53%) for the language. When asked what the community response should be to AI, 46% said we should prevent it and 27% avoid it, with only over-60s thinking that we should work with it.20
31% of respondents said using AI in Kernewek would cause them to feel estranged from the language, while 54% said that they would feel strongly estranged and 23% a little estranged from any organisation, resource or teacher using AI.
The response from those who gave their knowledge of AI as either “expert” or “good” was particularly damning. Everyone in this group responded that AI would be harmful for the language, that the use of AI would estrange them from a source strongly and that we should prevent the use of AI for Kernewek.
IDENTITY, AUTHENTICITY AND DIVERSITY
Aristotelis Ioannis Paschalidis, writing for UNESCO, was not speaking specifically about minoritised languages when he asked this, but the question resonates even more strongly for us: “How much loss of identity is one willing to sacrifice for efficiency?”21
Identity is of paramount importance to Kernewek speakers. Ute Wimmer’s study Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish identified the language’s “function as a symbol of national identity” as the second highest motive (66%**) among speakers and learners, beaten only by Cornish culture (80%).22 This would seem cause for celebration, but when AI is added to the mix, it becomes a risk. Vincent Koc of Hyperlink states that AI can “inadvertently contribute to the dilution of language and cultural identity.”23
He also identifies that automating language learning or generation “may diminish the richness and authenticity that comes from human speakers who carry cultural histories in their speech.” Indeed, four studies by the University of Southern California have shown that using LLMs to assist writing “is linked to notable declines in linguistic diversity and may interfere with the societal and psychological insights language provides.”24
This is in English, one of the richest and largest languages in the world. Imagine the possible impact on a smaller language like Kernewek—with less documentation, less data, a tiny speakerbase and basically no money—and on its many language varieties and orthographies. Particular to the Kernewek context, Late speakers are already struggling to be seen as valid under the dominance of Middle. Do we think AI knows the difference? Thoughtlessly, it will either mix everything together, confusing everyone, or it will use Middle to overwhelm Late.
Generative AI-driven content creation, by favoring standardized languages, risks the disappearance of regional dialects.25
Barcelona supercomputing Center ….
Not only are varieties at risk; AI threatens to drown Kernewek as a whole. Perlin agrees that the linguistic flattening that occurred over centuries in English could manifest overnight in a minoritised language with AI at the helm—as it would be, being able to effortlessly outstrip human Kernewek. He raises concerns of LLMs freezing a language in place and even defining what it means to know the language, especially with low numbers of native speakers.26
Garbage translations multiply online like fake news. Native speakers of the languages in question are bypassed as being “too hard to find,” compared with automated methods of vetting that are completely disconnected from real-life communication. While larger and more powerful language communities may be able to hold the bots to account and even make strategic use of them, it is all too easy to imagine [a minority language] being overwhelmed.26
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Uncontrolled and in the hands of tech giants, synthetic Kernewek will outnumber and outmanoeuvre human Kernewek.
DATA SOVEREIGNTY AND COLONIALISM
Indigenous data sovereignty is the right of [an indigenous nation] to govern the collection, ownership, and application of its own data.27
Native Nations Institute
There are, however, indigenous cultures that are working on a more equitable relationship with AI. Tech without the giant requires resources, but it allows communities to retain data sovereignty over the cultural asset that is their language. Te Mana Raraunga, the Māori Data Sovereignty Network, has created a list of principles for the creation, use and sharing of Māori data, prioritising the need to enhance control for current and future Māori.
They raise a key point that should be considered carefully by stewards of linguistic and cultural knowledge: “Data from us, and about us and our resources, are valuable assets. Once control of it is lost, it is difficult to regain.”28 Decisions must not be taken lightly or hastily; we can always say “yes” if we have previously said “no” to a particular dataset’s use, but can never say “no” if we have already said “yes”.
The AI field, like any other space, is occupied by people who are set in their ways and unintentionally have a very colonial perspective.29
Michael Running Wolf, First Languages AI Reality
This is vital in the context of the potential control of Kernewek data by powerful external corporations. Capitalist extractivism has long been a bane on societies in the imperial periphery and our Cornish society is no different, having faced centuries of its wealth and natural resources being stripped and sold by and large for the profit of those outside Cornwall.
The book Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy notes that current data relations can be seen as “a continuation of the processes and underlying belief systems of extraction, exploitation, accumulation and dispossession that have been visited on Indigenous populations through historical colonialism.”30 This extractive understanding of information is, they note, not disrupted but rather replicated by paying people for their data.
Ultimately, our language must not lie in outside hands governed by proprietary principles that do not allow us sufficient sovereignty over one of our most valuable natural resources: our language. We must have open data principles, not bow to corporate control. We must steer and steward the use of our data, rather than expose it to use against our interests and for the pockets of big tech.
Rather than approaching language preservation as a technical problem, I think indigenous communities need to be politically empowered, whether that be funding from governments or legal protections to use their languages.31
Dr. Fintan Mallory, Durham University
We must prioritise language-as-community and seek open, equitable and ethical use of our language, heritage and other cultural assets. We must avoid thinking of AI as the magic that it promises and invest in basic research, driven by our own community. Corporations will not save us and, indeed, may do us great harm.
NO CORNISH ON A DEAD PLANET
Global capitalism and governments […] are addicted to ‘free’ market ideology over the wellbeing of communities, people and the planet.32
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Maniffesto 2022
Honestly, most takedowns of AI would have hit this point already. It’s one of the main arguments against Generative AI, but in case you’re not familiar with it, we will briefly look over the main points.
Water used in cooling AI data centers must be drinkable water. AI guzzles this water. The University of California has reported that “global water demand from AI could reach 4.2-6.6 billion cubic meters by 2027. That exceeds 50 percent of the UK’s annual water use in 2023.”33 All this while the Global Commission on the Economics of Water has declared “a rapidly accelerating water crisis” to which Kernewek should not be contributing.34
We have become utterly dependent on private technologies manufactured and controlled by a handful of opaque companies [who] appear mostly indifferent to the social consequences of their activities and only invest minimally if obliged by government regulations to enhance their public image.35
Iker Erdocia, Dublin City University
AI requires vast quantities of hardware at the cost of mining rare earth minerals. These are difficult to extract and purify and come with heavy environmental and social costs. They are often extracted from mines in countries with poorer environmental and labour protections. Reset states that “communities living near these mines, often indigenous or minority groups, regularly face land degradation, water contamination and human rights abuses. Much of this can be directly linked to the AI hardware.”36 When the hardware inevitably cooks and is useless, it is then thrown out as e-waste into poor communities. The potential advancement of Kernewek must not come at the expense of our sister indigenous and minority communities.
Training an also AI requires huge amounts of energy, soon perhaps as much as a small country37 and has an enormous carbon footprint.38 What is clear is that—through water usage, extractive industry, energy consumption and carbon footprint—AI is bad news for the struggling environment of the planet we live on and there is no Cornish on a dead planet.
MAKING AI AN EX-PARROT
Rather than making minority languages more accessible, AI is now creating an ever expanding minefield for students and speakers of those languages to navigate.39
mit technology review
We have heard of the vast improbability of getting AI to be able to mimic Kernewek in light of the costs in data, work, time and technology. We have considered the likely choice of cold negligence or surveillance product and the importance of data sovereignty. We have read about the effects on the livelihoods of Cornish speakers, as well as the the catastrophic costs to the environment and indigenous peoples.
We have learned that linguistic flattening by AI impoverishes its subjects and how AI may decide for us how our language must operate. We have seen the inescapability of language as human and the risks of creating ‘learners’ who cannot learn and ‘speakers’ who cannot speak. We have seen the dangers to reputation and trust for any organisation who would shovel what is seen as ‘slop’.
We have heard why giving in to the juggernaut of AI would be a mistake for Kernewek and how our community does not support our laying down of the shield. Instead, we must fight. We must make Kernewek a space as free of slop as possible, we must educate botlickers into ethical and effective language learning and use, we must avoid second-hand thinking.
We must make our language a no AI zone, a network of reliable humans and their human creations, built on authenticity, community, effort and trust: a Kernewek for the people, of the people and by the people.
KERNEWEK YN-DANN GEVALAV
Mes yn sur y hyllyn ni gwellhe taklow dres termyn? Y fydh res meur a weres a gompanis SK, mes y talvia dhyn. Yn trist, Gabriel Nicholas, kesvroder hwithrans orth an Center for Democracy and Technology, re drovyas pan wrug kompani tek fondya gallosow selyek rag unn yeth, i a omgeslowenha yn ughel hag ena movya yn-rag.7
Kompanis tek bras yw yndella poran: kompanis. Ymons i ena rag gwaynya budh. Y’n gwettha prys, ny wra marghas rewlys gans yethow bras ri kentryn dhe gevarghewi yn gwellhe rag an re byghan.
Oll a’n deknegieth kows, chiow konnyk ha systemow ynterweythres lev usys hedhyw yw an askorrasow a hwithrans kenwerthel. Dhe vos sogh, yth yns i po rag dendyl arghans a’th kedhlow, po gwertha gwara ha gonisyow, po delenwel dha dybyansow. Nyns yw tra vyth a’n SK ma rag an les kemmyn. […] Mar nag eus argyans erbysek krev lowr, na wra gwaytya kompanis bras dhe fyski dhe askorra systemow kows Kembrek, Godhalek po Kernewek.8
Prof. Ian McLoughlin, pennskol kint
Ha mars ervirons bos SK Kernewek aventur a yll gwaynya budh, possybyl yw bos agan studh gweth ages dell via gans forsakyans. Dell lever Dr. Fintan Mallor, an fordh vrassa a waynya budh rag kompanis SK arghesys yn privedh yw kedreylya aga thoulys yn devisyow aspians.9 Drefen bos Kernewek onan a’n yethow boghes y’n RU nag yw aspiadow yn es y’n eur ma, hemm yw peryl kowrek rag gweythresieth Kernewek ha’gan strif a-barth omdhetermyans yn stat a vynn galweythegi dissent.
Ha ni ow tochya Kernewek ha’y savla yn-dann gevalav, gwren ni mires orth an kost denel. My a gellis ow soodh 13 bloodh yn yethow dhe SK kettooth ha dell veu eskorrans Sowsnek hewul lowr dhe askusya sevel orth tyli den. Y’n kas diwirhaval may kevyn SK hag a yll askorra Kernewek da, prag y hwrussa nebonan omankombra ow pe kowser? An tybyans a SK ow tenna oll an bewnans a’m taves ertach ha ni ow kwynnel dhe dreusvewa dell on yw skruthus.
Yn sempel, budh yw gorthenebel orth tus. Hedre vo SK an degen nowydh flamm a vudh, y fydh gorthenebel orth tus. Ha yeth yw hy thus.
KENEDHEL HEB YETH, KENEDHEL HEB KOLON
Nyns eus styr dhe gesunyansow a lytherennow war skrin heb dewis ha heb mynnas.10
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Kyn nag yw yeth dibarow dhe dhensys, onan a’n rannow chif a vos denel yw. Ny yll bos lehes dhe gedhlow hepken, mes yth yw argerdh sosyel dres eghen.11 Ni oll a wor py mar synthesek y sen skoodhyans prener der SK po fatel yll SK fyllel orth konvedhes arliwyow. Dell gampol Dr. Mallory, “Yeth [yw] neppyth moy kepar hag enev a gemeneth. Ny yllir gwitha hemma yn jynn. Ny yllir assoylya kudyn denel kepar ha yethladhans gans gwel a yeth hag a remov an gerann denel.”12
Ny yll SK konvedhes Kernewek po taves vyth aral. Papynjay chonsus yw: y targan py ger yw gwirhaval wosa an huni kyns.13 Ny yll agan konvedhes. Ny yll mynnes tra vyth. Mar kwra derivas orthis y vos pes da dha weres, gow yw. My a vynn agan kemeneth dhe devi, mes ny wra kans jynn-amontya a yll ‘kewsel Kernewek’ keworra orti. Y hwra unn den—ow tri tybyansow ha govenegow hag ownow ha gwanderyow—ha ny dybav y hwra an jynnys-amontya kernwegorek keworra unn den hogen orth agan kemeneth.
Gwettha, mar kwra, yma dustuni a-dhyworth Microsoft hag a brof y hwra an devnydh a SKDin war oberennow yeth, unweyth an seythen hogen, aperya gallos godhvosel a dhyski, ow ledya orth omworrans lehes gans an desten, gorfydhyans y’n deknegieth ha sleyneth sprallys a assoylya kudynnow yn anserghek.14 Der usya toulys SK dhe ‘dhyski’ Kernewek, possybyl yw ni dhe shyndya gallos dyski an yeth vytholl heb an kroch ma. Ni a wra gul mimyoryon yn le Kernewegoryon.
Ynwedh Perlin a boslev an elven dhenel, ow leverel pan wren ni synsi kemeneth avel kres agan yethow, dell wren, an papynjay chonsus a yll bos klewys kepar ha defolyans.15 Y’n eur ma, my a aswon pan eus nebonan owth usya ‘Kernewek’ SK dhymm. An tybyans ny wrav vy unn jydh godhvos pan eus estren—nebonan a wrussen vy dynerghi mar pe lyver po klass ganses—ow popettya diwawen ow hengerens ha kewsel dresta yw bedhrosus. Yma dhe’n dra an wan dhistowgh a drevesigeth, a berghenegyans pan yllir gwerthveurhe, a bapynjaya pan yllir junya agan kesgan.
Unver yw skolheyk Hawai’i henwys Noah Ha‘alilio Solomon: “Ankensi yw, drefen ni dhe vos kofhes a’n prysyow oll re beu agan gonisogeth ha yeth perghenegys. Ni re beu owth omladh dre dhens hag ewines yn batel gales a-barth dasvewheans yeth.[…] Y hwra pobel krysi bos hemma representyans ewn a’n yeth a Hawai’i.”16
TREST HAG OMGLEWANS AN GEMENETH
Hir re beu an kil-lash gorthjynn ow kovryjyon mes lemmyn yma va ow terri an arenep dell hevel.17
NBC NEWS
Tardh an arvedhennow rag SK y honan (clanker, tinskin, toaster), y askorras (slop, dross, brainrot) ha’y usyoryon (slopper, groksucker, botlicker, second-hand thinker)—keffrys hag erel selys moy yn kler war geryow kas gwir dell ov attes gans aga heworra—a re hwedhel a stons ollgemmyn a wogrys ha divlases war-tu hag an deknegieth ha’y devnydh war an kesrosweyth Sowsnek ha yethow bras erel.18 Kynth yw an stons yn-mysk gwesyon dek ha korforeth hwath gwresek, rag an boblek gemmyn y hwra SK “dos ha bos keschanjyadow gans taklow tamm kawgh.”19
Pella, nyns yw marnas yethow moyhariv gans an gwel negedhek ma a SK avel podrek. Sampel uskis a gampollow media sosyel ha meusi ow tochya SK ha Godhalek Alban gans Professor Lamb a dhiskwedhas fals a 54% negedhek, 33% posedhek ha 13% heptu. (Lamb, 2024) Sentiment an kampol negedhek an moyha talvesys o bos SK dregynnus hag an nessa y talvia dhyn lettya SK rag kestav gans tavosow ertach.
Pyth eson ni ow leverel orth agan diyskynysi? Ny dal agan yeth ha gonisogeth an strivyans personel? Hemm yw martesen fatel wrussen vy y redya, a pen vy i.20
Gorthebydh sondyans Kernewek
Kernewek a baynt aven moy serth, yn arbennik gans dyskoryon ha kowsoryon yowynka ha moy skentel gans tek. Sondyans war Discord ha Whatsapp Kernewek a drovyas bos 65% a grysis y fia SK drog (11.5%) po pur dhrog (53%) rag an yeth. Pan veu govynnys pyth a dal bos gorthyp an gemeneth orth SK, 46% a leveris y kodh y hedhi ha 27% y woheles, gans an dus moy ha 60 bloodh hepken ow tybi y kodh oberi ganso.20
31% a worthebydhyon an sondyans a leveris y hwrussa an devnydh a SK yn Kernewek aga fellhe a’n yeth, hag ynwedh 54% a leveris y fiens i pellhes yn krev ha 23% pellhes tamm a by kowethas, asnodh po dyskador pynag ow tevnydhya SK.
An gorthyp a’n re a leveris bos aga godhvos a SK po “konnyk” po “da” o dampnus yn arbennik. Pubonan y’n bagas ma a worthebis y fia SK dregynnus rag Kernewek, y hwrussa an devnydh a SK gans pennfenten aga fellhe a’n bennfenten na yn krev hag y kodh dhyn hedhi an devnydh a SK rag Kernewek.
HONANIETH, LELDER HA DIVERSETH
Nyns esa Aristotelis Ioannis Paschalidis, ow skrifa a-barth UNESCO, ow kewsel yn komparek a-dro dhe yethow lyharivhes pan wrug ev y wovyn, mes an govyn a dhassen yn kreffa ragon: “Pygemmys koll a honanieth a vynnir sakrifia rag effeythuster?”21
Honanieth yw a’n moyha bri rag Kernewegoryon. Studhyans Ute Wimmer Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish a henow “gweythres [an yeth] avel arwodh a honanieth kenedhlek” avel an nessa ughella skila (66%**) yn-mysk kowsoryon ha dyskoryon, fethys gans gonisogeth Kernow (80%) hepken.22 Yth havalsa hemma bos acheson solempnyans, mes pan vo SK keworrys, y teu ha bos peryl. Vincent Koc a Hyperlink a lever y hyll SK “kevri dre wall orth an gwannheans a yeth ha honanieth wonisogethel”.23
Ev a aswon ynwedh y hallsa awtomategi dyski po dinythi yeth “lehe an rychedh ha lelder hag a dheu a gowsoryon dhenel neb a dheg istoriow gonisogethel y’ga hows”. Yn hwir, peswar studhyans gwrys gans Pennskol Kaliforni Soth re dhiskwedhas bos devnydhya PYB dhe weres gans skrifa “kelmys orth dyfygyansow nosedhek yn diverseth yethel hag y hyll mellya gans an konvedhes brysoniethel ha kowethasel yw proviys gans yeth.”24
Ha hemm yw yn Sowsnek, onan a’n yethow an ryccha ha brassa y’n bys. Dismyk an effeyth war yeth byghanna kepar ha Kernewek—gans le a dhogvennans, le a gedhlow, sel kowsoryon munys hag ogas hag arghans mann—ha war y lies orgraf hag eghen yeth. Yn arbennik yn gettesten Kernewek, seulabrys yma kowsoryon Diwedhes ow strivya dhe vos gwelys avel vas gans gwartheyvans Kres. A dybyn y hwor SK an dyffrans? Heb preder, y hwra po kemyska puptra warbarth, ow sowdheni pubonan, po devnydhya Kres dhe fetha Diwedhes.
An gwruthyl a dhalgh herdhys gans SK Dinythus, dre favera yethow savonegys, a argyl an vansyans a rannyethow ranndiryel.25
Kresen woramontyorieth Barcelona
Nyns yw eghennow hepken yn peryl; SK a wodros beudhi Kernewek yn tien. Akordys yw Perlin y hallsa an platheans yethel a hwarva dres kansbledhynnyow yn Sowsnek hwarvos dres nos yn yeth lyharivhes gans SK orth an fronnow—dell via, ow pos gallosek a bassya Kernewek denel heb assay. Ev a venek prederow yn kever PYB ow rewi yeth yn hy le ha hogen ow settya pyth yw an styr a wodhvos an yeth, yn arbennik gans niverow munys a gowsoryon deythyek.26
Treylyansow leun a atal a liesha warlinen kepar ha nowodhow fug. Kowsoryon deythyek a’n yethow ma yw passyes avel bos “re gales dhe drovya”, komparys orth fordhow awtomategys a surheans kwalita hag yw disjunys yn tien a geskomunyans y’n bys gwir. Kynth yw possybyl rag kemenethow yeth brassa ha moy gallosek synsi an bottys ma dhe akont ha’ga devnydhya yn stratejek hogen, re es yw dismygi [yeth lyhariv] ow pos reverthys.26
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Heb kontrol hag yn diwla an gewri deknegieth, Kernewek synthesek a wra gornivera ha gorthrabellhe Kernewek denel.
SOVRANEDH KEDHLOW HA KOLONEGIETH
Sovranedh kedhlow teythyek yw an gwir gans [kenedhel teythyek] a woverna an kuntel, perghenogeth ha gweytha a’y hedhlow hy honan.27
Native Nations Institute
Byttegyns, yma gonisogethow teythyek hag usi owth oberi war geskowethyans moy ewnhynsek gans SK. Tek heb an kowr a res asnodhow, mes y as kemenethow gwitha sovranedh kedhlow war an gerthen wonisogethel hag yw aga yeth. Te Mana Raraunga, Rosweyth Sovranedh Kedhlow Māori, re wrug rol a bennrewlys rag an gwruthyl, devnydhya ha kevrenna a gedhlow Māori, ow ragwirhe an edhom a grefhe maystri rag Māori a-lemmyn hag a dheu.
I a venek poynt posek hag a dalvia bos konsidrys gans rach gans stywards a skians yethel ha gonisogethel: “Kedhlow ahanan, a-dro dhyn ha’gan asnodhow, yw kerthennow a bris. Pan vo maystri kellys, kales yw y dhaskemeres.”28 Ny dal gul erviransow yn skav po yn uskis; y hyllyn pupprys leverel “ea” mar kwrussyn leverel “na” kyns orth us sett kedhlow, mes ny yllyn nevra leverel “na” mar kwrussyn leverel “ea” seulabrys.
An desten SK, kepar ha pub le aral, yw leun a dus hag yw settys y’ga maneryow ha gans gwel pur drevesigel yn tidowl.29
Michael Running Wolf, First Languages AI Reality
Hemm yw pur bosek y’n gettesten a’n kontrol possybyl a gedhlow Kernewek gans korforethow gallosek a-ves. Estenegieth jatelydhek re beu molleth war gowethasow y’n amal emperourethek ha nyns yw kowethas Kernewek dyffrans, wosa enebi kansvledhynnyow a’y rychys hag asnodhow naturek ow pos destryppys ha gwerthys dre vras gans budh tus yn-mes a Gernow.
An lyver henwys Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy a verk lemmyn y hyllir gweles perthynyansow kedhlow avel “pesyans a’n argerdhow ha systemow-krysi isworwedhek a estennans, drogusyans, kuntellyans ha diberghenogeth re beu gwrys war boblansow Teythyek dres trevesigeth istorek.”30 An konvedhes estennek ma a gedhlow yw, dell verkons, hevelebys a-der goderrys gans tyli pobel rag aga hedhlow.
Wostiwedh, res yw ma na vo agan yeth gorrys yn diwla a-ves routys gans pennrewlys perghenogel na as dhyn sovranedh lowr a onan a’gan asnodhow naturel an moyha posek: agan yeth. Res yw dhyn kavos pennrewlys kedhlow ygor, a-der plegya orth kontrol korforethel. Res yw dhyn lewya ha gidya an devnydh a’gan kedhlow, a-der y usya erbynn agan lesow ha rag pocketys tek bras.
A-der drehedhes an arwithans a davosow avel kudyn teknegiethel, my a dyb bos res dhe gemenethow teythyek bos reythhes yn politek, po der arghasans a wovernansow po dre dhifresyansow laghel dhe dhevnydhya aga yethow.31
Dr. Fintan Mallory, Pennskol Durham
Res yw dhyn ragwirhe yeth-avel-kemeneth ha hwilas devnydh ygor, ewnhynsek hag ethegel a’gan kerthennow yeth, ertach ha gonisogethel. Res yw dhyn goheles tybi a SK avel an hus mayth ambos ha kevarghewi yn hwithrans selyek, lewys gans agan kemeneth. Ny wra korforethow agan selwel ha, hogen, i a yll agan shyndya.
NYNS EUS KERNEWEK WAR BLANET MAROW
Governansow ha kevalav ollvysel […] yw omres dhe ideologieth marghas ‘rydh’ moy es dell yns omres dhe sewena kemenethow, pobel ha’n planet.32
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Maniffesto 2022
An brassa rann a vreusyansow a SK a wrussa meneges hemma seulabrys. Onan a’n argyansow brassa yw erbynn SK Dinythus, mes rag own bos ankoth dhis, ni a wra mires orth an chif boyntys.
Res yw bos evadow an dowr goyeynhe pub kresen kedhlow SK. Y kollenk an dowr ma. Pennskol Kaliforni re dherivas “y hallsa demond dowr ollvysel SK hedhes 4.2-6.6 bilvil metrow kubek erbynn 2027. Henn yw moy es 50 kansran a us dowr bledhynnyek an RU yn 2023.”33 Y kettermyn, an Desedhek Ollvysel Erbysieth Dowr a dheklaryas “barras dowr ow tardha yn uskis” ma na dal Kernewek kevri dhodho.34
Ni re dheuth ha bos yn hwir omres dhe deknegiethow privedh gwrys ha kontrolys gans dornas a gompanis diskler [hag] a hevel bos mygyl dre vras orth an sewyansow sosyel a’ga gwriansow ha kevri yn ispoyntel marnas mars yns i konstrinys gans rewlys an wovernans dhe wellhe aga imach poblek.35
Iker Erdocia, Pennskol Sita Dulyn
Yma edhom dhe SK a vynsow kowrek a galesweyth orth kost palas monyow tanow. Kales yw estenna ha purhe an re ma hag yma kostow kerghynedhel ha sosyel poos. Estennys yns i yn fenowgh a hwelyow yn powyow gans difresyansow lakka rag lavur ha’n kerghynnedh. Reset a lever “yn fenowgh y hwra kemenethow yw trigys yn ogas dhe’n hwelyow, yn fenowgh bagasow lyhariv po teythyek, enebi gwethheans an tir, defolyans an dowr hag abusyans gwiryow denel. Meur a hemma a yll bos kelmys yn tidro orth an galesweyth SK.”36 Pan yw an galesweyth kegys yn sertan hag euver, ena tewlys yw avel e-wast yn kemenethow boghosek. Res yw nyns yw an avonsyans possybyl a Gernewek orth kost agan kemenethow hwor lyhariv ha teythyek.
Ynwedh res yw myns hujes a nerth rag trenya SK, yn skon martesen an keth myns ha pow byghan37 hag yma ol troos karbon kowrek.38 Kler yw—der usadow dowr, diwysyans estennek, konsumyans nerth hag ol troos karbon—bos SK yeyn nowodhow rag kerghynnedh ow strivya a’n planet mayth on ni trigys warnodho ha nyns eus Kernewek war blanet marow.
GUL DHE SK BOS EKS-PAPYNJAY
A-der gul dhe yethow lyhariv bos moy hedhadow, lemmyn yma SK ow kwruthyl tardhek pupprys owth omlesa rag studhyoryon ha kowsoryon a’n yethow ma dhe wolya.39
mit technology review
Ni re glewas a’n anwirhevelepter efan a wul dhe SK gallos mimya Kernewek yn golow an kostys yn kedhlow, ober, termyn ha teknegieth. Ni re gonsidras lycklod an dewisynter dispresyans yeyn po askorras-aspia ha’n posekter a sovranedh kedhlow. Ni re redyas a-dro dhe’n effeythyow war vewnansow Kernewegoryon, keffrys ha’n kostys katastrofek rag an kerghynnedh ha poblow teythyek.
Ni re dhyskas y hwra platheans yethel gans SK boghosekhe y destennow ha fatel yll SK martesen ervira a’gan parth fatel godh dh’agan yeth oberi. Ni re welas an anwoheladewder a yeth avel denel ha’n peryllyow a wul ‘dyskoryon’ na yll dyski ha ‘kowsoryon’ na yll kewsel. Ni re welas an peryllyow orth bri ha fydhyans rag kowethasow a wrussa palas an pyth hag yw gwelys avel ‘skomblans’.
Ni re glewas prag y fia omblegya orth an jagganat a SK error rag Kernewek ha dell na vynn agan kemeneth skoodhya gorra an skoos a-dhyworthyn. Yn y le, res yw dhyn batalyas. Res yw dhyn gul dhe Gernewek bos spas mar rydh a skomblans dell yll bos, res yw adhyski orth botlapyoryon yn dyski ha devnydh yeth yn ethegel hag yn effeythus, res yw goheles tybi wortaswerth.
Res yw dhyn gul dh’agan yeth bos parth heb SK, rosweyth a dus fydhyadow ha’ga gwriansow denel, drehevys war lelder, kemeneth, assay ha trest: Kernewek hag yw a-barth an bobel, a’n bobel ha gans an bobel.
Niwlen Ster
Notennow
* A prime example is the laughably-unaffordable restaurant RenMor, which The Headland Hotel thinks is a version of “Re’n Mor”, which they believe means “by the sea” as in “next to the sea” but actually means “by the sea!” like saying “by Zeus!”. This is both hilarious and enraging.
** A figure perhaps lower than it should be if you consider that many of the “emotional motives” which were not counted in this category, such as “I’m Cornish, what better reason do you need?”, do also refer to identity.
FENTENNOW
1. Judah, J. (2025) How AI and Wikipedia have sent vulnerable languages into a doom spiral, MIT Technology Review.
2. Ackermann, A. (2023) When AI doesn’t speak your language, Coda.
3. Crichton, D. (2024) AI and the Death of Human Languages, Lux.
4. Lamb, W. (2024). Could Artificial Intelligence save Scottish Gaelic?, The University of Edinburgh.
5. Dencik, L. (/2025) AI Inequalities: Minority Languages, TUC Cymru.
6. Joshi, P., Santy, S., Budhiraja, A., Bali, K., & Microsoft Research, India. (2020). The State and Fate of Linguistic Diversity and Inclusion in the NLP World. Proceedings of the 58th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics.
7. Ackermann, A. (op cit)
8. McLoughlin, I. (2018) How to teach AI to speak Welsh (and other minority languages), The Conversation.
9. Mallory, F. (2025) RISE UP Panel Discussion & Q&A: What AI Can and Cannot Do for Minoritised Languages, YouTube.
10. Perlin, R. (2024) AI Won’t Protect Endangered Languages, The Dial.
11. RISE UP (2025) #4 RISE UP Event Summary: What AI Can and Cannot Do For Minoritised Languages, RISE UP.
12. Mallory, F. (2024) European Day of Languages: Will lesser spoken languages soon only be kept alive by AI technology? Durham University.
13. Bender, E., Gebru, T., McMillan-Major, A., & Mitchell, M. (2021) On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big? Proceedings of the 2021 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency
14. Lee, H.-P., Sarkar, A., Tankelevitch, L., Drosos, I., Rintel, S., Banks, R., & Wilson, N. (2025) The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers. Microsoft.
15. Perlin, R. (op cit)
16. Judah, J. (op cit)
17. Abbruzzese, J., & Wile, R. (2025) Is an AI backlash brewing? What ‘clanker’ says about growing frustrations with emerging tech, NBC News.
18. Webster, K. (2025) Why Using ChatGPT at Work Could Hurt Your Reputation, Inc. Magazine.
19. Herrman, J. (2024) Is That AI? Or Does It Just Suck?, Intelligencer.
20. Wilson, L. (2025) Skians Kreftus ha Kernewek/Artificial Intelligence and Cornish
21. Paschalidis, A. I. (2025) AI and the great linguistic flattening, UNESCO.
22. Wimmer, U. (2010). Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish. Cornish Language Board, p. 113
23. Koc, V. (2025) Generative AI and Large Language Models in Language Preservation: Opportunities and Challenges, ResearchGate.
24. Sourati, Z., Karimi-Malekabadi, F., & Ozcan, M. (2025) The Shrinking Landscape of Linguistic Diversity in the Age of Large Language Models, ResearchGate.
25. Melero, M. (2024) The Future of Language (and Cultural) Diversity in the Age of AI, CLARIN.
26. Perlin, R. (op cit)
27. Russo Carroll, S., Rodriguez Lonebear, D., & Martinez, A. (2017). Data Governance for Native Nation Rebuilding, Native Nations Institute.
28. Te Mana Raraunga. (2018). Frequently Asked Questions, Te Mana Raraunga.
29. Ackermann, A. (op cit)
30. Walter, M., Kukutai, T., Carroll, S. R., & Rodriguez-Lonebear, D. (Eds.). (2020). Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy. Taylor & Francis, p. 24
31. Mallory, F. (op cit)
32. Cymdeithas yr Iaith (2022) Cymru Rydd, Cymru Werdd, Cymru Gymraeg., p. 27
33. O’Sullivan, L. (2025). How AI’s Failure on Linguistic Diversity is Deepening Global Inequality, RESET – Digital for Good.
34. Harvey, F. (2024). Global water crisis leaves half of world food production at risk in next 25 years, The Guardian.
35. Erdocia, I., Migge, B., & Schneider, B. (2024). Language is not a data set—Why overcoming ideologies of dataism is more important than ever in the age of AI. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 28(5), p. 23
36. O’Sullivan, L. (op cit)
37. Erdenesanaa, D. (2023) A.I. Could Soon Need as Much Electricity as an Entire Country, The New York Times
38. Heikkilä, M. (2022) We’re getting a better idea of AI’s true carbon footprint, MIT Technology Review.
39. Judah, J. (op cit)#4 #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Breus #Cornish #Cornwall #data #generativeAI #history #jynn #kedhlow #Kernewek #Kernow #Kernowek #LLM #machine #PYB #SK #SKDinythus #SkiansKreftus #Sordya
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Turning Saffron into Slop – Treylya Safran yn Skomblans
Kernewek is under attack. The attacker? Machine-made rubbish. Fresh from companies dictionary-bashing to make terrible ‘translations’ for their black-and-gold-washing brandification of Kernow, the shoddiness has spiralled.
Error-riddled AI ‘Kernewek textbooks’ have appeared on Amazon, by ‘authors’ who are at best well-meaning but harmful and at worst out to exploit us. Worse, a prominent crackpot is ‘translating’ conspiracy theories into ‘Cornish’ en masse. It’s not just nonsensical; it ties our language to fascism faster than we, making content by hand, can work to untie it.
There are those who believe that the best defence is to put down our shield and join the opposing forces: to ‘buy in’ to AI in the hope of coming out the other side with a useful tool for the language and a stronger community. Such hopes must be abandoned. What follows is a look why this approach is wrong-headed, as evidenced by universities, activists and indigenous groups.
Kernewek yw yn-dann omsettyans. An omsettyer? Atal gwrys dre jynn. Nowydh devedhys a gompanis ow pylla gerlyvrow rag gul ‘treylyansow’ euthyk rag aga merkegyans yethwolghi a Gernow, an pilyekter re wrug pesya.
‘Dysklyvrow’ ‘Kernewek’ gwallblagys re apperyas war Amazon, gans ‘awtours’ neb yw teg aga thowl dhe’n gwella ha drogusus aga hwans dhe’n gwettha. Lakka, yma koyntwas a vri ow ‘treylya’ tybiethow kesplottyans dhe ‘Gernewek’ yn routh. Nyns yw gocki hepken; y kelm agan yeth orth faskorieth uskissa es dell yllyn, dre wul dalgh dre leuv, oberi dh’y digelmi.
Yma nebes a grys bos agan gwella difres gorra an skoos dhyworthyn ha junya an ostys er agan pynn: dhe ‘unverhe’ gans SK gans govenek dos yn-mes gans toul dhe les rag an yeth ha kemeneth kreffa. Res yw hepkor govenegow a’n par na. An pyth hag a sew a vir orth prag yth yw an devedhyans ma penn-gam, dell yw dustunys gans pennskolyow, gweythresoryon ha bagasow teythyek.
Note: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come to be synonymous with Generative AI (GenAI) and with Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, in common parlance. Unless explicitly stated, I use the terms interchangeably.
Kernewek is under attack. The attacker? Machine-made rubbish. Fresh from companies dictionary-bashing to make terrible ‘translations’ for their black-and-gold-washing brandification of Kernow*, the shoddiness has spiralled.
Error-riddled AI ‘Kernewek textbooks’ have appeared on Amazon, by ‘authors’ who are at best well-meaning but harmful and at worst out to exploit us. Worse, a prominent crackpot is ‘translating’ conspiracy theories into ‘Cornish’ en masse. It’s not just nonsensical; it ties our language to fascism faster than we, making content by hand, can work to untie it.
There are those who believe that the best defence is to put down our shield and join the opposing forces: to ‘buy in’ to AI in the hope of coming out the other side with a useful tool for the language and a stronger community. Such hopes must be abandoned. What follows is a look why this approach is wrong-headed, as evidenced by universities, activists and indigenous groups.
LOW-RESOURCES AND LINGUISTIC TYPOLOGY
Simply adding a language to an AI model leads to a spike in poor-quality articles, drowning out quality writing by humans. AI has “industrialized the acts of destruction—which affect vulnerable languages most, since AI translations are typically far less reliable for them.”1 Wikipedia editors from varied languages evidence that machine translation tools have made it easier than ever before to create shoddy articles in minoritised languages, causing massive damage in minutes. AI leads to non-speakers producing much longer, truthier rubbish, Sámi computational linguistics expert Trond Trosterud notes: “the problem [is] that they are armed with Google Translate. Earlier they were armed only with dictionaries.”1
Kernewek, like all but 60 of the world’s roughly 7,000 languages, is designated “low-resource”, meaning it lacks sufficient data to train a machine.2 It is tempting, therefore, to assume that the solution is to provide more data. However, training an LLM requires petabytes of text, audio and video—manually categorised and in a machine-readable format—a vast trove that Kernewek simply does not have.3 Professor Will Lamb, Chair of Gaelic Ethnology and Linguistics at Edinburgh University, speaks of “millions of work hours devoted to just one aspect” of a working AI.4
Even if ChatGPT is trained on another language than English, the time and labour required may make it largely unviable. Current assessments of the performance of ChatGPT for different languages have shown that it performs worse in all tasks.5
Prof. Lina Dencik, Data Justice Lab
Furthermore, the amount of data and work is not the only barrier; at issue is the nature of the language itself. Microsoft has found that languages such as Breton—and thus Kernewek—cause a high rate of errors distinct from the size of their dataset, due to grammatical features, such as mutation, not present in well-sourced languages. As such, they remain poor without significant additional work.6 Essentially, simply adding more Kernewek may not help. Thus, engaging with AI is, for Kernewek, to tie ourselves to slop.
Noten: Skians Kreftus (SK) re dheuth ha bos kesstyr gans SK Dinythus (SKDin) ha gans Patronyow Yeth Bras (PYB), kepar ha ChatGPT, yn lavar kemmyn. Marnas bos menegys yn kler, my a us an termys yn keschanjyadow.
Kernewek yw yn-dann omsettyans. An omsettyer? Atal gwrys dre jynn. Nowydh devedhys a gompanis ow pylla gerlyvrow rag gul ‘treylyansow’ euthyk rag aga merkegyans yethwolghi a Gernow*, an pilyekter re wrug pesya.
‘Dysklyvrow’ ‘Kernewek’ gwallblagys re apperyas war Amazon, gans ‘awtours’ neb yw teg aga thowl dhe’n gwella ha drogusus aga hwans dhe’n gwettha. Lakka, yma koyntwas a vri ow ‘treylya’ tybiethow kesplottyans dhe ‘Gernewek’ yn routh. Nyns yw gocki hepken; y kelm agan yeth orth faskorieth uskissa es dell yllyn, dre wul dalgh dre leuv, oberi dh’y digelmi.
Yma nebes a grys bos agan gwella difres gorra an skoos dhyworthyn ha junya an ostys er agan pynn: dhe ‘unverhe’ gans SK gans govenek dos yn-mes gans toul dhe les rag an yeth ha kemeneth kreffa. Res yw hepkor govenegow a’n par na. An pyth hag a sew a vir orth prag yth yw an devedhyans ma penn-gam, dell yw dustunys gans pennskolyow, gweythresoryon ha bagasow teythyek.
ASNODHOW ISL HA TIPOLOGIETH YETHEL
Keworra yeth yn sempel orth patron SK a led orth spik yn erthyglow drog aga kwalita, ow peudhi skrif a gwalita gans tus. SK re wrug “diwysyansegi an aktys diswrians—hag a nas yethow goliadow an moyha, drefen bos treylyansow SK lieskweyth le lel yn tipek ragdha.”1 Golegydhyon Wikipedia a yethow divers a re dustuni re wrug medhelweyth-treylya y wul bos esya dell veu bythkweth kyns gwruthyl erthyglow pilyek yn yethow lyharivhes, ow kawsya damach kowrek yn mynysennow. SK a led orth digowsoryon owth askorra atal lieskweyth hirra ha gwirekka, konnyk yethonieth reknansek Sámi Trond Trosterud a not: “an kudyn [yw] aga bos ervys gans Google Translate. A-varra nyns ens ervys marnas gans gerlyvrow.”1
Kernewek, kepar hag oll marnas 60 a ogas lowr 7,000 yeth a’n bys, yw klassys avel “isel y asnodhow”, ow styrya nag eus dhodho kedhlow lowr dhe drenya jynn.2 Rakhenna, dynyek yw desevos bos an assoylyans profya moy a gedhlow. Byttegyns, res yw petavaytys a dekst, son ha gwydhyow—klassys dre leuv hag yn furvas redyadow gans jynn— dhe drenya PYB, tresorva efan nag eus dhe Gernewek yn sempel.3 Y kews Professor Will Lamb, Kaderyer Ethnologieth ha Yethonieth Wodhalek orth Pennskol Karedin, a “vilvilyow a ourys ober sakrys orth unn wedh hepken” a SK owth oberi.4
Hogen mars yw ChatGPT trenys war yeth a-der Sowsnek, an termyn hag ober yw res a styr y vos martesen anhewul dre vras. Arvreusyansow a-lemmyn a berformyans a ChatGPT rag yethow dyffrans re dhiskwedhas y perform gweth yn oberennow oll.5
Prof. Lina Dencik, Data Justice Lab
Pella, nyns yw an myns a gedhlow hag ober an unsel lett; a vern yw natur an yeth y honan. Microsoft re drovyas y kaws yethow kepar ha Bretonek—hag ytho Kernewek—kevradh ughel a wallow diblans a vraster aga sett kedhlow, drefen nasyow gramasek, kepar ha treylyansow, nag usi kevys yn yethow ughel aga asnodhow. Yndella, i a bes orth bos drog heb meur a ober keworransel.6 Yn essensek, possybyl yw ny wra keworra moy a Gernewek yn sempel gweres. Yndelma, oberi gans SK yw, rag Kernewek, omgelmi orth skomblans.
CORNISH UNDER CAPITALISM
But surely we can improve things over time? It will take a lot of help from AI companies, but it will be worth it. Sadly, Gabriel Nicholas, a research fellow at the Center for Democracy and Technology, has found that once a tech company has established basic capabilities for a language, they pat themselves on the back and move on.7
Big tech companies are just that: companies. They exist to make a profit. Unfortunately, a market dominated by big languages gives them no incentive to invest in improvements for small ones.
All of the speech technology, smart homes and voice interaction systems used today are the products of commercial research. To put it bluntly, they exist to either make money from your data, to sell you more goods and services, or to influence your thinking. None of this AI exists for the public good. […] Unless there is a strong enough economic argument, don’t expect big companies to rush into producing Welsh, Gaelic or Cornish speech systems.8
Prof. Ian McLoughlin, University of Kent
Should they decide that a Kernewek AI is a viable profit-making enterprise, our situation may even be worse than abandonment. As Dr. Fintan Mallory remarks, the dominant means of profit for privately-funded AI enterprises is to convert their tools into surveillance devices.9 As Kernewek is currently one of the UK’s only languages which is not currently easily surveillable, this poses a huge risk to Kernewek activism and the fight for self-determination in a state that seeks to criminalise dissent.
While we’re on the subject of Kernewek and its position under capitalism, let’s consider the human cost. I lost my 13-year career in language to AI as soon as English output became viable enough to excuse not paying a human. In the unlikely instance that we achieve an AI that can produce quality Kernewek, why would anyone bother paying speakers? The idea of AI sucking all the life out of my heritage language when we are struggling to survive as-is is appalling.
Simply put, profit is antithetical to people. While AI is the new favourite toy of profit, it will be antithetical to people. And a language is its people.
KENEDHEL HEB YETH, KENEDHEL HEB KOLON
Combinations of characters on a screen mean nothing without agency and intention.10
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
While language is not unique to humans, it is one of the chief parts of being human. It cannot be reduced to mere data, but is a highly social process.11 We all know how synthetic customer support via robot sounds or how AI fails to pick up nuance. As Dr. Mallory comments, “Language [is] something more like the soul of a community. You can’t store this in a machine. You can’t solve a human problem like linguicide with a view of language that removes the human component.”12
AI cannot comprehend Kernewek or any other language. It is a stochastic parrot: predicting what word is likely to follow the previous one.13 It cannot understand us. It cannot intend anything. If it tells you it feels delighted to help you, it is lying. I want our community to grow, but one hundred ‘Cornish-speaking’ computers do not add to it. One human does—bringing ideas and hopes and fears and foibles—and I do not think the Kernewek ‘speaking’ computers will add even one human to our community.
Worse, if it does, there is evidence from Microsoft to suggest that the use of GenAI on language tasks, even once a week, impairs cognitive ability to learn, leading to decreased engagement with the topic, overreliance on the technology and hobbled skills in independent problem-solving.14 By using AI tools to ‘teach’ a learner Kernewek, we may in fact be impairing their ability to learn the language at all without this crutch. We will make regurgitators in place of speakers.
Perlin also emphasises the human element, saying that when we hold community central to our languages, as we do, the stochastic parrot can feel like a violation.15 At the moment, I can tell when someone is using AI ‘Kernewek’ to me. The idea that one day I will not know when an outsider—someone I would welcome if they took up a book or a class—is puppeting my ancestors’ jaws and speaking through them is ghoulish. It has the instant sting of colonialism, of appropriation when one could appreciate, of parroting when one could join our chorus.
Hawai’ian scholar Ha‘alilio Solomon agrees: “It is painful, because it reminds us of all the times that our culture and language has been appropriated. We have been fighting tooth and nail in an uphill climb for language revitalization.[…] People are going to think that this is an accurate representation of the Hawaiian language.”16
TRUST AND COMMUNITY FEELING
The anti-machine backlash has long been simmering but is now seemingly breaking to the surface.17
NBC NEWS
The explosion of insults for AI itself (clanker, tinskin, toaster), its output (slop, dross, brainrot) and its users (slopper, groksucker, botlicker, second-hand thinker)—as well as others more clearly based on real-world slurs than I am comfortable to include—tells a tale of the general attitude of distrust and disgust towards the technology and its use on anglophone and other majority language internet.18 While the attitude among tech bros and corporates remains bombastic, for the general public AI is “becoming interchangeable with things that sort of suck.”19
Further, it’s not just majority languages with this negative view of AI as taint. A quick sampling of social media comments and likes regarding AI and Scottish Gaelic by Professor Lamb showed a split of 54% negative, 33% positive and 13% neutral. (Lamb, 2024) The sentiment of the top-rated negative comment was that AI is harmful and the second-highest that AI should be kept away from heritage languages.
What are we telling our descendants? That our language and culture isn’t worth the personal effort? That’s how I might read it, if I were them.20
Kernewek survey respondent
Kernewek paints an even starker picture, especially among younger and more technologically-savvy learners and speakers. A survey on Cornish Discord and Whatsapp found that 65% felt AI would be bad (11.5%) or very bad (53%) for the language. When asked what the community response should be to AI, 46% said we should prevent it and 27% avoid it, with only over-60s thinking that we should work with it.20
31% of respondents said using AI in Kernewek would cause them to feel estranged from the language, while 54% said that they would feel strongly estranged and 23% a little estranged from any organisation, resource or teacher using AI.
The response from those who gave their knowledge of AI as either “expert” or “good” was particularly damning. Everyone in this group responded that AI would be harmful for the language, that the use of AI would estrange them from a source strongly and that we should prevent the use of AI for Kernewek.
IDENTITY, AUTHENTICITY AND DIVERSITY
Aristotelis Ioannis Paschalidis, writing for UNESCO, was not speaking specifically about minoritised languages when he asked this, but the question resonates even more strongly for us: “How much loss of identity is one willing to sacrifice for efficiency?”21
Identity is of paramount importance to Kernewek speakers. Ute Wimmer’s study Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish identified the language’s “function as a symbol of national identity” as the second highest motive (66%**) among speakers and learners, beaten only by Cornish culture (80%).22 This would seem cause for celebration, but when AI is added to the mix, it becomes a risk. Vincent Koc of Hyperlink states that AI can “inadvertently contribute to the dilution of language and cultural identity.”23
He also identifies that automating language learning or generation “may diminish the richness and authenticity that comes from human speakers who carry cultural histories in their speech.” Indeed, four studies by the University of Southern California have shown that using LLMs to assist writing “is linked to notable declines in linguistic diversity and may interfere with the societal and psychological insights language provides.”24
This is in English, one of the richest and largest languages in the world. Imagine the possible impact on a smaller language like Kernewek—with less documentation, less data, a tiny speakerbase and basically no money—and on its many language varieties and orthographies. Particular to the Kernewek context, Late speakers are already struggling to be seen as valid under the dominance of Middle. Do we think AI knows the difference? Thoughtlessly, it will either mix everything together, confusing everyone, or it will use Middle to overwhelm Late.
Generative AI-driven content creation, by favoring standardized languages, risks the disappearance of regional dialects.25
Barcelona supercomputing Center ….
Not only are varieties at risk; AI threatens to drown Kernewek as a whole. Perlin agrees that the linguistic flattening that occurred over centuries in English could manifest overnight in a minoritised language with AI at the helm—as it would be, being able to effortlessly outstrip human Kernewek. He raises concerns of LLMs freezing a language in place and even defining what it means to know the language, especially with low numbers of native speakers.26
Garbage translations multiply online like fake news. Native speakers of the languages in question are bypassed as being “too hard to find,” compared with automated methods of vetting that are completely disconnected from real-life communication. While larger and more powerful language communities may be able to hold the bots to account and even make strategic use of them, it is all too easy to imagine [a minority language] being overwhelmed.26
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Uncontrolled and in the hands of tech giants, synthetic Kernewek will outnumber and outmanoeuvre human Kernewek.
DATA SOVEREIGNTY AND COLONIALISM
Indigenous data sovereignty is the right of [an indigenous nation] to govern the collection, ownership, and application of its own data.27
Native Nations Institute
There are, however, indigenous cultures that are working on a more equitable relationship with AI. Tech without the giant requires resources, but it allows communities to retain data sovereignty over the cultural asset that is their language. Te Mana Raraunga, the Māori Data Sovereignty Network, has created a list of principles for the creation, use and sharing of Māori data, prioritising the need to enhance control for current and future Māori.
They raise a key point that should be considered carefully by stewards of linguistic and cultural knowledge: “Data from us, and about us and our resources, are valuable assets. Once control of it is lost, it is difficult to regain.”28 Decisions must not be taken lightly or hastily; we can always say “yes” if we have previously said “no” to a particular dataset’s use, but can never say “no” if we have already said “yes”.
The AI field, like any other space, is occupied by people who are set in their ways and unintentionally have a very colonial perspective.29
Michael Running Wolf, First Languages AI Reality
This is vital in the context of the potential control of Kernewek data by powerful external corporations. Capitalist extractivism has long been a bane on societies in the imperial periphery and our Cornish society is no different, having faced centuries of its wealth and natural resources being stripped and sold by and large for the profit of those outside Cornwall.
The book Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy notes that current data relations can be seen as “a continuation of the processes and underlying belief systems of extraction, exploitation, accumulation and dispossession that have been visited on Indigenous populations through historical colonialism.”30 This extractive understanding of information is, they note, not disrupted but rather replicated by paying people for their data.
Ultimately, our language must not lie in outside hands governed by proprietary principles that do not allow us sufficient sovereignty over one of our most valuable natural resources: our language. We must have open data principles, not bow to corporate control. We must steer and steward the use of our data, rather than expose it to use against our interests and for the pockets of big tech.
Rather than approaching language preservation as a technical problem, I think indigenous communities need to be politically empowered, whether that be funding from governments or legal protections to use their languages.31
Dr. Fintan Mallory, Durham University
We must prioritise language-as-community and seek open, equitable and ethical use of our language, heritage and other cultural assets. We must avoid thinking of AI as the magic that it promises and invest in basic research, driven by our own community. Corporations will not save us and, indeed, may do us great harm.
NO CORNISH ON A DEAD PLANET
Global capitalism and governments […] are addicted to ‘free’ market ideology over the wellbeing of communities, people and the planet.32
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Maniffesto 2022
Honestly, most takedowns of AI would have hit this point already. It’s one of the main arguments against Generative AI, but in case you’re not familiar with it, we will briefly look over the main points.
Water used in cooling AI data centers must be drinkable water. AI guzzles this water. The University of California has reported that “global water demand from AI could reach 4.2-6.6 billion cubic meters by 2027. That exceeds 50 percent of the UK’s annual water use in 2023.”33 All this while the Global Commission on the Economics of Water has declared “a rapidly accelerating water crisis” to which Kernewek should not be contributing.34
We have become utterly dependent on private technologies manufactured and controlled by a handful of opaque companies [who] appear mostly indifferent to the social consequences of their activities and only invest minimally if obliged by government regulations to enhance their public image.35
Iker Erdocia, Dublin City University
AI requires vast quantities of hardware at the cost of mining rare earth minerals. These are difficult to extract and purify and come with heavy environmental and social costs. They are often extracted from mines in countries with poorer environmental and labour protections. Reset states that “communities living near these mines, often indigenous or minority groups, regularly face land degradation, water contamination and human rights abuses. Much of this can be directly linked to the AI hardware.”36 When the hardware inevitably cooks and is useless, it is then thrown out as e-waste into poor communities. The potential advancement of Kernewek must not come at the expense of our sister indigenous and minority communities.
Training an also AI requires huge amounts of energy, soon perhaps as much as a small country37 and has an enormous carbon footprint.38 What is clear is that—through water usage, extractive industry, energy consumption and carbon footprint—AI is bad news for the struggling environment of the planet we live on and there is no Cornish on a dead planet.
MAKING AI AN EX-PARROT
Rather than making minority languages more accessible, AI is now creating an ever expanding minefield for students and speakers of those languages to navigate.39
mit technology review
We have heard of the vast improbability of getting AI to be able to mimic Kernewek in light of the costs in data, work, time and technology. We have considered the likely choice of cold negligence or surveillance product and the importance of data sovereignty. We have read about the effects on the livelihoods of Cornish speakers, as well as the the catastrophic costs to the environment and indigenous peoples.
We have learned that linguistic flattening by AI impoverishes its subjects and how AI may decide for us how our language must operate. We have seen the inescapability of language as human and the risks of creating ‘learners’ who cannot learn and ‘speakers’ who cannot speak. We have seen the dangers to reputation and trust for any organisation who would shovel what is seen as ‘slop’.
We have heard why giving in to the juggernaut of AI would be a mistake for Kernewek and how our community does not support our laying down of the shield. Instead, we must fight. We must make Kernewek a space as free of slop as possible, we must educate botlickers into ethical and effective language learning and use, we must avoid second-hand thinking.
We must make our language a no AI zone, a network of reliable humans and their human creations, built on authenticity, community, effort and trust: a Kernewek for the people, of the people and by the people.
KERNEWEK YN-DANN GEVALAV
Mes yn sur y hyllyn ni gwellhe taklow dres termyn? Y fydh res meur a weres a gompanis SK, mes y talvia dhyn. Yn trist, Gabriel Nicholas, kesvroder hwithrans orth an Center for Democracy and Technology, re drovyas pan wrug kompani tek fondya gallosow selyek rag unn yeth, i a omgeslowenha yn ughel hag ena movya yn-rag.7
Kompanis tek bras yw yndella poran: kompanis. Ymons i ena rag gwaynya budh. Y’n gwettha prys, ny wra marghas rewlys gans yethow bras ri kentryn dhe gevarghewi yn gwellhe rag an re byghan.
Oll a’n deknegieth kows, chiow konnyk ha systemow ynterweythres lev usys hedhyw yw an askorrasow a hwithrans kenwerthel. Dhe vos sogh, yth yns i po rag dendyl arghans a’th kedhlow, po gwertha gwara ha gonisyow, po delenwel dha dybyansow. Nyns yw tra vyth a’n SK ma rag an les kemmyn. […] Mar nag eus argyans erbysek krev lowr, na wra gwaytya kompanis bras dhe fyski dhe askorra systemow kows Kembrek, Godhalek po Kernewek.8
Prof. Ian McLoughlin, pennskol kint
Ha mars ervirons bos SK Kernewek aventur a yll gwaynya budh, possybyl yw bos agan studh gweth ages dell via gans forsakyans. Dell lever Dr. Fintan Mallor, an fordh vrassa a waynya budh rag kompanis SK arghesys yn privedh yw kedreylya aga thoulys yn devisyow aspians.9 Drefen bos Kernewek onan a’n yethow boghes y’n RU nag yw aspiadow yn es y’n eur ma, hemm yw peryl kowrek rag gweythresieth Kernewek ha’gan strif a-barth omdhetermyans yn stat a vynn galweythegi dissent.
Ha ni ow tochya Kernewek ha’y savla yn-dann gevalav, gwren ni mires orth an kost denel. My a gellis ow soodh 13 bloodh yn yethow dhe SK kettooth ha dell veu eskorrans Sowsnek hewul lowr dhe askusya sevel orth tyli den. Y’n kas diwirhaval may kevyn SK hag a yll askorra Kernewek da, prag y hwrussa nebonan omankombra ow pe kowser? An tybyans a SK ow tenna oll an bewnans a’m taves ertach ha ni ow kwynnel dhe dreusvewa dell on yw skruthus.
Yn sempel, budh yw gorthenebel orth tus. Hedre vo SK an degen nowydh flamm a vudh, y fydh gorthenebel orth tus. Ha yeth yw hy thus.
KENEDHEL HEB YETH, KENEDHEL HEB KOLON
Nyns eus styr dhe gesunyansow a lytherennow war skrin heb dewis ha heb mynnas.10
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Kyn nag yw yeth dibarow dhe dhensys, onan a’n rannow chif a vos denel yw. Ny yll bos lehes dhe gedhlow hepken, mes yth yw argerdh sosyel dres eghen.11 Ni oll a wor py mar synthesek y sen skoodhyans prener der SK po fatel yll SK fyllel orth konvedhes arliwyow. Dell gampol Dr. Mallory, “Yeth [yw] neppyth moy kepar hag enev a gemeneth. Ny yllir gwitha hemma yn jynn. Ny yllir assoylya kudyn denel kepar ha yethladhans gans gwel a yeth hag a remov an gerann denel.”12
Ny yll SK konvedhes Kernewek po taves vyth aral. Papynjay chonsus yw: y targan py ger yw gwirhaval wosa an huni kyns.13 Ny yll agan konvedhes. Ny yll mynnes tra vyth. Mar kwra derivas orthis y vos pes da dha weres, gow yw. My a vynn agan kemeneth dhe devi, mes ny wra kans jynn-amontya a yll ‘kewsel Kernewek’ keworra orti. Y hwra unn den—ow tri tybyansow ha govenegow hag ownow ha gwanderyow—ha ny dybav y hwra an jynnys-amontya kernwegorek keworra unn den hogen orth agan kemeneth.
Gwettha, mar kwra, yma dustuni a-dhyworth Microsoft hag a brof y hwra an devnydh a SKDin war oberennow yeth, unweyth an seythen hogen, aperya gallos godhvosel a dhyski, ow ledya orth omworrans lehes gans an desten, gorfydhyans y’n deknegieth ha sleyneth sprallys a assoylya kudynnow yn anserghek.14 Der usya toulys SK dhe ‘dhyski’ Kernewek, possybyl yw ni dhe shyndya gallos dyski an yeth vytholl heb an kroch ma. Ni a wra gul mimyoryon yn le Kernewegoryon.
Ynwedh Perlin a boslev an elven dhenel, ow leverel pan wren ni synsi kemeneth avel kres agan yethow, dell wren, an papynjay chonsus a yll bos klewys kepar ha defolyans.15 Y’n eur ma, my a aswon pan eus nebonan owth usya ‘Kernewek’ SK dhymm. An tybyans ny wrav vy unn jydh godhvos pan eus estren—nebonan a wrussen vy dynerghi mar pe lyver po klass ganses—ow popettya diwawen ow hengerens ha kewsel dresta yw bedhrosus. Yma dhe’n dra an wan dhistowgh a drevesigeth, a berghenegyans pan yllir gwerthveurhe, a bapynjaya pan yllir junya agan kesgan.
Unver yw skolheyk Hawai’i henwys Noah Ha‘alilio Solomon: “Ankensi yw, drefen ni dhe vos kofhes a’n prysyow oll re beu agan gonisogeth ha yeth perghenegys. Ni re beu owth omladh dre dhens hag ewines yn batel gales a-barth dasvewheans yeth.[…] Y hwra pobel krysi bos hemma representyans ewn a’n yeth a Hawai’i.”16
TREST HAG OMGLEWANS AN GEMENETH
Hir re beu an kil-lash gorthjynn ow kovryjyon mes lemmyn yma va ow terri an arenep dell hevel.17
NBC NEWS
Tardh an arvedhennow rag SK y honan (clanker, tinskin, toaster), y askorras (slop, dross, brainrot) ha’y usyoryon (slopper, groksucker, botlicker, second-hand thinker)—keffrys hag erel selys moy yn kler war geryow kas gwir dell ov attes gans aga heworra—a re hwedhel a stons ollgemmyn a wogrys ha divlases war-tu hag an deknegieth ha’y devnydh war an kesrosweyth Sowsnek ha yethow bras erel.18 Kynth yw an stons yn-mysk gwesyon dek ha korforeth hwath gwresek, rag an boblek gemmyn y hwra SK “dos ha bos keschanjyadow gans taklow tamm kawgh.”19
Pella, nyns yw marnas yethow moyhariv gans an gwel negedhek ma a SK avel podrek. Sampel uskis a gampollow media sosyel ha meusi ow tochya SK ha Godhalek Alban gans Professor Lamb a dhiskwedhas fals a 54% negedhek, 33% posedhek ha 13% heptu. (Lamb, 2024) Sentiment an kampol negedhek an moyha talvesys o bos SK dregynnus hag an nessa y talvia dhyn lettya SK rag kestav gans tavosow ertach.
Pyth eson ni ow leverel orth agan diyskynysi? Ny dal agan yeth ha gonisogeth an strivyans personel? Hemm yw martesen fatel wrussen vy y redya, a pen vy i.20
Gorthebydh sondyans Kernewek
Kernewek a baynt aven moy serth, yn arbennik gans dyskoryon ha kowsoryon yowynka ha moy skentel gans tek. Sondyans war Discord ha Whatsapp Kernewek a drovyas bos 65% a grysis y fia SK drog (11.5%) po pur dhrog (53%) rag an yeth. Pan veu govynnys pyth a dal bos gorthyp an gemeneth orth SK, 46% a leveris y kodh y hedhi ha 27% y woheles, gans an dus moy ha 60 bloodh hepken ow tybi y kodh oberi ganso.20
31% a worthebydhyon an sondyans a leveris y hwrussa an devnydh a SK yn Kernewek aga fellhe a’n yeth, hag ynwedh 54% a leveris y fiens i pellhes yn krev ha 23% pellhes tamm a by kowethas, asnodh po dyskador pynag ow tevnydhya SK.
An gorthyp a’n re a leveris bos aga godhvos a SK po “konnyk” po “da” o dampnus yn arbennik. Pubonan y’n bagas ma a worthebis y fia SK dregynnus rag Kernewek, y hwrussa an devnydh a SK gans pennfenten aga fellhe a’n bennfenten na yn krev hag y kodh dhyn hedhi an devnydh a SK rag Kernewek.
HONANIETH, LELDER HA DIVERSETH
Nyns esa Aristotelis Ioannis Paschalidis, ow skrifa a-barth UNESCO, ow kewsel yn komparek a-dro dhe yethow lyharivhes pan wrug ev y wovyn, mes an govyn a dhassen yn kreffa ragon: “Pygemmys koll a honanieth a vynnir sakrifia rag effeythuster?”21
Honanieth yw a’n moyha bri rag Kernewegoryon. Studhyans Ute Wimmer Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish a henow “gweythres [an yeth] avel arwodh a honanieth kenedhlek” avel an nessa ughella skila (66%**) yn-mysk kowsoryon ha dyskoryon, fethys gans gonisogeth Kernow (80%) hepken.22 Yth havalsa hemma bos acheson solempnyans, mes pan vo SK keworrys, y teu ha bos peryl. Vincent Koc a Hyperlink a lever y hyll SK “kevri dre wall orth an gwannheans a yeth ha honanieth wonisogethel”.23
Ev a aswon ynwedh y hallsa awtomategi dyski po dinythi yeth “lehe an rychedh ha lelder hag a dheu a gowsoryon dhenel neb a dheg istoriow gonisogethel y’ga hows”. Yn hwir, peswar studhyans gwrys gans Pennskol Kaliforni Soth re dhiskwedhas bos devnydhya PYB dhe weres gans skrifa “kelmys orth dyfygyansow nosedhek yn diverseth yethel hag y hyll mellya gans an konvedhes brysoniethel ha kowethasel yw proviys gans yeth.”24
Ha hemm yw yn Sowsnek, onan a’n yethow an ryccha ha brassa y’n bys. Dismyk an effeyth war yeth byghanna kepar ha Kernewek—gans le a dhogvennans, le a gedhlow, sel kowsoryon munys hag ogas hag arghans mann—ha war y lies orgraf hag eghen yeth. Yn arbennik yn gettesten Kernewek, seulabrys yma kowsoryon Diwedhes ow strivya dhe vos gwelys avel vas gans gwartheyvans Kres. A dybyn y hwor SK an dyffrans? Heb preder, y hwra po kemyska puptra warbarth, ow sowdheni pubonan, po devnydhya Kres dhe fetha Diwedhes.
An gwruthyl a dhalgh herdhys gans SK Dinythus, dre favera yethow savonegys, a argyl an vansyans a rannyethow ranndiryel.25
Kresen woramontyorieth Barcelona
Nyns yw eghennow hepken yn peryl; SK a wodros beudhi Kernewek yn tien. Akordys yw Perlin y hallsa an platheans yethel a hwarva dres kansbledhynnyow yn Sowsnek hwarvos dres nos yn yeth lyharivhes gans SK orth an fronnow—dell via, ow pos gallosek a bassya Kernewek denel heb assay. Ev a venek prederow yn kever PYB ow rewi yeth yn hy le ha hogen ow settya pyth yw an styr a wodhvos an yeth, yn arbennik gans niverow munys a gowsoryon deythyek.26
Treylyansow leun a atal a liesha warlinen kepar ha nowodhow fug. Kowsoryon deythyek a’n yethow ma yw passyes avel bos “re gales dhe drovya”, komparys orth fordhow awtomategys a surheans kwalita hag yw disjunys yn tien a geskomunyans y’n bys gwir. Kynth yw possybyl rag kemenethow yeth brassa ha moy gallosek synsi an bottys ma dhe akont ha’ga devnydhya yn stratejek hogen, re es yw dismygi [yeth lyhariv] ow pos reverthys.26
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Heb kontrol hag yn diwla an gewri deknegieth, Kernewek synthesek a wra gornivera ha gorthrabellhe Kernewek denel.
SOVRANEDH KEDHLOW HA KOLONEGIETH
Sovranedh kedhlow teythyek yw an gwir gans [kenedhel teythyek] a woverna an kuntel, perghenogeth ha gweytha a’y hedhlow hy honan.27
Native Nations Institute
Byttegyns, yma gonisogethow teythyek hag usi owth oberi war geskowethyans moy ewnhynsek gans SK. Tek heb an kowr a res asnodhow, mes y as kemenethow gwitha sovranedh kedhlow war an gerthen wonisogethel hag yw aga yeth. Te Mana Raraunga, Rosweyth Sovranedh Kedhlow Māori, re wrug rol a bennrewlys rag an gwruthyl, devnydhya ha kevrenna a gedhlow Māori, ow ragwirhe an edhom a grefhe maystri rag Māori a-lemmyn hag a dheu.
I a venek poynt posek hag a dalvia bos konsidrys gans rach gans stywards a skians yethel ha gonisogethel: “Kedhlow ahanan, a-dro dhyn ha’gan asnodhow, yw kerthennow a bris. Pan vo maystri kellys, kales yw y dhaskemeres.”28 Ny dal gul erviransow yn skav po yn uskis; y hyllyn pupprys leverel “ea” mar kwrussyn leverel “na” kyns orth us sett kedhlow, mes ny yllyn nevra leverel “na” mar kwrussyn leverel “ea” seulabrys.
An desten SK, kepar ha pub le aral, yw leun a dus hag yw settys y’ga maneryow ha gans gwel pur drevesigel yn tidowl.29
Michael Running Wolf, First Languages AI Reality
Hemm yw pur bosek y’n gettesten a’n kontrol possybyl a gedhlow Kernewek gans korforethow gallosek a-ves. Estenegieth jatelydhek re beu molleth war gowethasow y’n amal emperourethek ha nyns yw kowethas Kernewek dyffrans, wosa enebi kansvledhynnyow a’y rychys hag asnodhow naturek ow pos destryppys ha gwerthys dre vras gans budh tus yn-mes a Gernow.
An lyver henwys Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy a verk lemmyn y hyllir gweles perthynyansow kedhlow avel “pesyans a’n argerdhow ha systemow-krysi isworwedhek a estennans, drogusyans, kuntellyans ha diberghenogeth re beu gwrys war boblansow Teythyek dres trevesigeth istorek.”30 An konvedhes estennek ma a gedhlow yw, dell verkons, hevelebys a-der goderrys gans tyli pobel rag aga hedhlow.
Wostiwedh, res yw ma na vo agan yeth gorrys yn diwla a-ves routys gans pennrewlys perghenogel na as dhyn sovranedh lowr a onan a’gan asnodhow naturel an moyha posek: agan yeth. Res yw dhyn kavos pennrewlys kedhlow ygor, a-der plegya orth kontrol korforethel. Res yw dhyn lewya ha gidya an devnydh a’gan kedhlow, a-der y usya erbynn agan lesow ha rag pocketys tek bras.
A-der drehedhes an arwithans a davosow avel kudyn teknegiethel, my a dyb bos res dhe gemenethow teythyek bos reythhes yn politek, po der arghasans a wovernansow po dre dhifresyansow laghel dhe dhevnydhya aga yethow.31
Dr. Fintan Mallory, Pennskol Durham
Res yw dhyn ragwirhe yeth-avel-kemeneth ha hwilas devnydh ygor, ewnhynsek hag ethegel a’gan kerthennow yeth, ertach ha gonisogethel. Res yw dhyn goheles tybi a SK avel an hus mayth ambos ha kevarghewi yn hwithrans selyek, lewys gans agan kemeneth. Ny wra korforethow agan selwel ha, hogen, i a yll agan shyndya.
NYNS EUS KERNEWEK WAR BLANET MAROW
Governansow ha kevalav ollvysel […] yw omres dhe ideologieth marghas ‘rydh’ moy es dell yns omres dhe sewena kemenethow, pobel ha’n planet.32
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Maniffesto 2022
An brassa rann a vreusyansow a SK a wrussa meneges hemma seulabrys. Onan a’n argyansow brassa yw erbynn SK Dinythus, mes rag own bos ankoth dhis, ni a wra mires orth an chif boyntys.
Res yw bos evadow an dowr goyeynhe pub kresen kedhlow SK. Y kollenk an dowr ma. Pennskol Kaliforni re dherivas “y hallsa demond dowr ollvysel SK hedhes 4.2-6.6 bilvil metrow kubek erbynn 2027. Henn yw moy es 50 kansran a us dowr bledhynnyek an RU yn 2023.”33 Y kettermyn, an Desedhek Ollvysel Erbysieth Dowr a dheklaryas “barras dowr ow tardha yn uskis” ma na dal Kernewek kevri dhodho.34
Ni re dheuth ha bos yn hwir omres dhe deknegiethow privedh gwrys ha kontrolys gans dornas a gompanis diskler [hag] a hevel bos mygyl dre vras orth an sewyansow sosyel a’ga gwriansow ha kevri yn ispoyntel marnas mars yns i konstrinys gans rewlys an wovernans dhe wellhe aga imach poblek.35
Iker Erdocia, Pennskol Sita Dulyn
Yma edhom dhe SK a vynsow kowrek a galesweyth orth kost palas monyow tanow. Kales yw estenna ha purhe an re ma hag yma kostow kerghynedhel ha sosyel poos. Estennys yns i yn fenowgh a hwelyow yn powyow gans difresyansow lakka rag lavur ha’n kerghynnedh. Reset a lever “yn fenowgh y hwra kemenethow yw trigys yn ogas dhe’n hwelyow, yn fenowgh bagasow lyhariv po teythyek, enebi gwethheans an tir, defolyans an dowr hag abusyans gwiryow denel. Meur a hemma a yll bos kelmys yn tidro orth an galesweyth SK.”36 Pan yw an galesweyth kegys yn sertan hag euver, ena tewlys yw avel e-wast yn kemenethow boghosek. Res yw nyns yw an avonsyans possybyl a Gernewek orth kost agan kemenethow hwor lyhariv ha teythyek.
Ynwedh res yw myns hujes a nerth rag trenya SK, yn skon martesen an keth myns ha pow byghan37 hag yma ol troos karbon kowrek.38 Kler yw—der usadow dowr, diwysyans estennek, konsumyans nerth hag ol troos karbon—bos SK yeyn nowodhow rag kerghynnedh ow strivya a’n planet mayth on ni trigys warnodho ha nyns eus Kernewek war blanet marow.
GUL DHE SK BOS EKS-PAPYNJAY
A-der gul dhe yethow lyhariv bos moy hedhadow, lemmyn yma SK ow kwruthyl tardhek pupprys owth omlesa rag studhyoryon ha kowsoryon a’n yethow ma dhe wolya.39
mit technology review
Ni re glewas a’n anwirhevelepter efan a wul dhe SK gallos mimya Kernewek yn golow an kostys yn kedhlow, ober, termyn ha teknegieth. Ni re gonsidras lycklod an dewisynter dispresyans yeyn po askorras-aspia ha’n posekter a sovranedh kedhlow. Ni re redyas a-dro dhe’n effeythyow war vewnansow Kernewegoryon, keffrys ha’n kostys katastrofek rag an kerghynnedh ha poblow teythyek.
Ni re dhyskas y hwra platheans yethel gans SK boghosekhe y destennow ha fatel yll SK martesen ervira a’gan parth fatel godh dh’agan yeth oberi. Ni re welas an anwoheladewder a yeth avel denel ha’n peryllyow a wul ‘dyskoryon’ na yll dyski ha ‘kowsoryon’ na yll kewsel. Ni re welas an peryllyow orth bri ha fydhyans rag kowethasow a wrussa palas an pyth hag yw gwelys avel ‘skomblans’.
Ni re glewas prag y fia omblegya orth an jagganat a SK error rag Kernewek ha dell na vynn agan kemeneth skoodhya gorra an skoos a-dhyworthyn. Yn y le, res yw dhyn batalyas. Res yw dhyn gul dhe Gernewek bos spas mar rydh a skomblans dell yll bos, res yw adhyski orth botlapyoryon yn dyski ha devnydh yeth yn ethegel hag yn effeythus, res yw goheles tybi wortaswerth.
Res yw dhyn gul dh’agan yeth bos parth heb SK, rosweyth a dus fydhyadow ha’ga gwriansow denel, drehevys war lelder, kemeneth, assay ha trest: Kernewek hag yw a-barth an bobel, a’n bobel ha gans an bobel.
Niwlen Ster
Notennow
* A prime example is the laughably-unaffordable restaurant RenMor, which The Headland Hotel thinks is a version of “Re’n Mor”, which they believe means “by the sea” as in “next to the sea” but actually means “by the sea!” like saying “by Zeus!”. This is both hilarious and enraging.
** A figure perhaps lower than it should be if you consider that many of the “emotional motives” which were not counted in this category, such as “I’m Cornish, what better reason do you need?”, do also refer to identity.
FENTENNOW
1. Judah, J. (2025) How AI and Wikipedia have sent vulnerable languages into a doom spiral, MIT Technology Review.
2. Ackermann, A. (2023) When AI doesn’t speak your language, Coda.
3. Crichton, D. (2024) AI and the Death of Human Languages, Lux.
4. Lamb, W. (2024). Could Artificial Intelligence save Scottish Gaelic?, The University of Edinburgh.
5. Dencik, L. (/2025) AI Inequalities: Minority Languages, TUC Cymru.
6. Joshi, P., Santy, S., Budhiraja, A., Bali, K., & Microsoft Research, India. (2020). The State and Fate of Linguistic Diversity and Inclusion in the NLP World. Proceedings of the 58th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics.
7. Ackermann, A. (op cit)
8. McLoughlin, I. (2018) How to teach AI to speak Welsh (and other minority languages), The Conversation.
9. Mallory, F. (2025) RISE UP Panel Discussion & Q&A: What AI Can and Cannot Do for Minoritised Languages, YouTube.
10. Perlin, R. (2024) AI Won’t Protect Endangered Languages, The Dial.
11. RISE UP (2025) #4 RISE UP Event Summary: What AI Can and Cannot Do For Minoritised Languages, RISE UP.
12. Mallory, F. (2024) European Day of Languages: Will lesser spoken languages soon only be kept alive by AI technology? Durham University.
13. Bender, E., Gebru, T., McMillan-Major, A., & Mitchell, M. (2021) On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big? Proceedings of the 2021 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency
14. Lee, H.-P., Sarkar, A., Tankelevitch, L., Drosos, I., Rintel, S., Banks, R., & Wilson, N. (2025) The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers. Microsoft.
15. Perlin, R. (op cit)
16. Judah, J. (op cit)
17. Abbruzzese, J., & Wile, R. (2025) Is an AI backlash brewing? What ‘clanker’ says about growing frustrations with emerging tech, NBC News.
18. Webster, K. (2025) Why Using ChatGPT at Work Could Hurt Your Reputation, Inc. Magazine.
19. Herrman, J. (2024) Is That AI? Or Does It Just Suck?, Intelligencer.
20. Wilson, L. (2025) Skians Kreftus ha Kernewek/Artificial Intelligence and Cornish
21. Paschalidis, A. I. (2025) AI and the great linguistic flattening, UNESCO.
22. Wimmer, U. (2010). Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish. Cornish Language Board, p. 113
23. Koc, V. (2025) Generative AI and Large Language Models in Language Preservation: Opportunities and Challenges, ResearchGate.
24. Sourati, Z., Karimi-Malekabadi, F., & Ozcan, M. (2025) The Shrinking Landscape of Linguistic Diversity in the Age of Large Language Models, ResearchGate.
25. Melero, M. (2024) The Future of Language (and Cultural) Diversity in the Age of AI, CLARIN.
26. Perlin, R. (op cit)
27. Russo Carroll, S., Rodriguez Lonebear, D., & Martinez, A. (2017). Data Governance for Native Nation Rebuilding, Native Nations Institute.
28. Te Mana Raraunga. (2018). Frequently Asked Questions, Te Mana Raraunga.
29. Ackermann, A. (op cit)
30. Walter, M., Kukutai, T., Carroll, S. R., & Rodriguez-Lonebear, D. (Eds.). (2020). Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy. Taylor & Francis, p. 24
31. Mallory, F. (op cit)
32. Cymdeithas yr Iaith (2022) Cymru Rydd, Cymru Werdd, Cymru Gymraeg., p. 27
33. O’Sullivan, L. (2025). How AI’s Failure on Linguistic Diversity is Deepening Global Inequality, RESET – Digital for Good.
34. Harvey, F. (2024). Global water crisis leaves half of world food production at risk in next 25 years, The Guardian.
35. Erdocia, I., Migge, B., & Schneider, B. (2024). Language is not a data set—Why overcoming ideologies of dataism is more important than ever in the age of AI. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 28(5), p. 23
36. O’Sullivan, L. (op cit)
37. Erdenesanaa, D. (2023) A.I. Could Soon Need as Much Electricity as an Entire Country, The New York Times
38. Heikkilä, M. (2022) We’re getting a better idea of AI’s true carbon footprint, MIT Technology Review.
39. Judah, J. (op cit)#4 #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Breus #Cornish #Cornwall #data #generativeAI #history #jynn #kedhlow #Kernewek #Kernow #Kernowek #LLM #machine #PYB #SK #SKDinythus #SkiansKreftus #Sordya
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Turning Saffron into Slop – Treylya Safran yn Skomblans
Kernewek is under attack. The attacker? Machine-made rubbish. Fresh from companies dictionary-bashing to make terrible ‘translations’ for their black-and-gold-washing brandification of Kernow, the shoddiness has spiralled.
Error-riddled AI ‘Kernewek textbooks’ have appeared on Amazon, by ‘authors’ who are at best well-meaning but harmful and at worst out to exploit us. Worse, a prominent crackpot is ‘translating’ conspiracy theories into ‘Cornish’ en masse. It’s not just nonsensical; it ties our language to fascism faster than we, making content by hand, can work to untie it.
There are those who believe that the best defence is to put down our shield and join the opposing forces: to ‘buy in’ to AI in the hope of coming out the other side with a useful tool for the language and a stronger community. Such hopes must be abandoned. What follows is a look why this approach is wrong-headed, as evidenced by universities, activists and indigenous groups.
Kernewek yw yn-dann omsettyans. An omsettyer? Atal gwrys dre jynn. Nowydh devedhys a gompanis ow pylla gerlyvrow rag gul ‘treylyansow’ euthyk rag aga merkegyans yethwolghi a Gernow, an pilyekter re wrug pesya.
‘Dysklyvrow’ ‘Kernewek’ gwallblagys re apperyas war Amazon, gans ‘awtours’ neb yw teg aga thowl dhe’n gwella ha drogusus aga hwans dhe’n gwettha. Lakka, yma koyntwas a vri ow ‘treylya’ tybiethow kesplottyans dhe ‘Gernewek’ yn routh. Nyns yw gocki hepken; y kelm agan yeth orth faskorieth uskissa es dell yllyn, dre wul dalgh dre leuv, oberi dh’y digelmi.
Yma nebes a grys bos agan gwella difres gorra an skoos dhyworthyn ha junya an ostys er agan pynn: dhe ‘unverhe’ gans SK gans govenek dos yn-mes gans toul dhe les rag an yeth ha kemeneth kreffa. Res yw hepkor govenegow a’n par na. An pyth hag a sew a vir orth prag yth yw an devedhyans ma penn-gam, dell yw dustunys gans pennskolyow, gweythresoryon ha bagasow teythyek.
Note: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come to be synonymous with Generative AI (GenAI) and with Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, in common parlance. Unless explicitly stated, I use the terms interchangeably.
Kernewek is under attack. The attacker? Machine-made rubbish. Fresh from companies dictionary-bashing to make terrible ‘translations’ for their black-and-gold-washing brandification of Kernow*, the shoddiness has spiralled.
Error-riddled AI ‘Kernewek textbooks’ have appeared on Amazon, by ‘authors’ who are at best well-meaning but harmful and at worst out to exploit us. Worse, a prominent crackpot is ‘translating’ conspiracy theories into ‘Cornish’ en masse. It’s not just nonsensical; it ties our language to fascism faster than we, making content by hand, can work to untie it.
There are those who believe that the best defence is to put down our shield and join the opposing forces: to ‘buy in’ to AI in the hope of coming out the other side with a useful tool for the language and a stronger community. Such hopes must be abandoned. What follows is a look why this approach is wrong-headed, as evidenced by universities, activists and indigenous groups.
LOW-RESOURCES AND LINGUISTIC TYPOLOGY
Simply adding a language to an AI model leads to a spike in poor-quality articles, drowning out quality writing by humans. AI has “industrialized the acts of destruction—which affect vulnerable languages most, since AI translations are typically far less reliable for them.”1 Wikipedia editors from varied languages evidence that machine translation tools have made it easier than ever before to create shoddy articles in minoritised languages, causing massive damage in minutes. AI leads to non-speakers producing much longer, truthier rubbish, Sámi computational linguistics expert Trond Trosterud notes: “the problem [is] that they are armed with Google Translate. Earlier they were armed only with dictionaries.”1
Kernewek, like all but 60 of the world’s roughly 7,000 languages, is designated “low-resource”, meaning it lacks sufficient data to train a machine.2 It is tempting, therefore, to assume that the solution is to provide more data. However, training an LLM requires petabytes of text, audio and video—manually categorised and in a machine-readable format—a vast trove that Kernewek simply does not have.3 Professor Will Lamb, Chair of Gaelic Ethnology and Linguistics at Edinburgh University, speaks of “millions of work hours devoted to just one aspect” of a working AI.4
Even if ChatGPT is trained on another language than English, the time and labour required may make it largely unviable. Current assessments of the performance of ChatGPT for different languages have shown that it performs worse in all tasks.5
Prof. Lina Dencik, Data Justice Lab
Furthermore, the amount of data and work is not the only barrier; at issue is the nature of the language itself. Microsoft has found that languages such as Breton—and thus Kernewek—cause a high rate of errors distinct from the size of their dataset, due to grammatical features, such as mutation, not present in well-sourced languages. As such, they remain poor without significant additional work.6 Essentially, simply adding more Kernewek may not help. Thus, engaging with AI is, for Kernewek, to tie ourselves to slop.
Noten: Skians Kreftus (SK) re dheuth ha bos kesstyr gans SK Dinythus (SKDin) ha gans Patronyow Yeth Bras (PYB), kepar ha ChatGPT, yn lavar kemmyn. Marnas bos menegys yn kler, my a us an termys yn keschanjyadow.
Kernewek yw yn-dann omsettyans. An omsettyer? Atal gwrys dre jynn. Nowydh devedhys a gompanis ow pylla gerlyvrow rag gul ‘treylyansow’ euthyk rag aga merkegyans yethwolghi a Gernow*, an pilyekter re wrug pesya.
‘Dysklyvrow’ ‘Kernewek’ gwallblagys re apperyas war Amazon, gans ‘awtours’ neb yw teg aga thowl dhe’n gwella ha drogusus aga hwans dhe’n gwettha. Lakka, yma koyntwas a vri ow ‘treylya’ tybiethow kesplottyans dhe ‘Gernewek’ yn routh. Nyns yw gocki hepken; y kelm agan yeth orth faskorieth uskissa es dell yllyn, dre wul dalgh dre leuv, oberi dh’y digelmi.
Yma nebes a grys bos agan gwella difres gorra an skoos dhyworthyn ha junya an ostys er agan pynn: dhe ‘unverhe’ gans SK gans govenek dos yn-mes gans toul dhe les rag an yeth ha kemeneth kreffa. Res yw hepkor govenegow a’n par na. An pyth hag a sew a vir orth prag yth yw an devedhyans ma penn-gam, dell yw dustunys gans pennskolyow, gweythresoryon ha bagasow teythyek.
ASNODHOW ISL HA TIPOLOGIETH YETHEL
Keworra yeth yn sempel orth patron SK a led orth spik yn erthyglow drog aga kwalita, ow peudhi skrif a gwalita gans tus. SK re wrug “diwysyansegi an aktys diswrians—hag a nas yethow goliadow an moyha, drefen bos treylyansow SK lieskweyth le lel yn tipek ragdha.”1 Golegydhyon Wikipedia a yethow divers a re dustuni re wrug medhelweyth-treylya y wul bos esya dell veu bythkweth kyns gwruthyl erthyglow pilyek yn yethow lyharivhes, ow kawsya damach kowrek yn mynysennow. SK a led orth digowsoryon owth askorra atal lieskweyth hirra ha gwirekka, konnyk yethonieth reknansek Sámi Trond Trosterud a not: “an kudyn [yw] aga bos ervys gans Google Translate. A-varra nyns ens ervys marnas gans gerlyvrow.”1
Kernewek, kepar hag oll marnas 60 a ogas lowr 7,000 yeth a’n bys, yw klassys avel “isel y asnodhow”, ow styrya nag eus dhodho kedhlow lowr dhe drenya jynn.2 Rakhenna, dynyek yw desevos bos an assoylyans profya moy a gedhlow. Byttegyns, res yw petavaytys a dekst, son ha gwydhyow—klassys dre leuv hag yn furvas redyadow gans jynn— dhe drenya PYB, tresorva efan nag eus dhe Gernewek yn sempel.3 Y kews Professor Will Lamb, Kaderyer Ethnologieth ha Yethonieth Wodhalek orth Pennskol Karedin, a “vilvilyow a ourys ober sakrys orth unn wedh hepken” a SK owth oberi.4
Hogen mars yw ChatGPT trenys war yeth a-der Sowsnek, an termyn hag ober yw res a styr y vos martesen anhewul dre vras. Arvreusyansow a-lemmyn a berformyans a ChatGPT rag yethow dyffrans re dhiskwedhas y perform gweth yn oberennow oll.5
Prof. Lina Dencik, Data Justice Lab
Pella, nyns yw an myns a gedhlow hag ober an unsel lett; a vern yw natur an yeth y honan. Microsoft re drovyas y kaws yethow kepar ha Bretonek—hag ytho Kernewek—kevradh ughel a wallow diblans a vraster aga sett kedhlow, drefen nasyow gramasek, kepar ha treylyansow, nag usi kevys yn yethow ughel aga asnodhow. Yndella, i a bes orth bos drog heb meur a ober keworransel.6 Yn essensek, possybyl yw ny wra keworra moy a Gernewek yn sempel gweres. Yndelma, oberi gans SK yw, rag Kernewek, omgelmi orth skomblans.
CORNISH UNDER CAPITALISM
But surely we can improve things over time? It will take a lot of help from AI companies, but it will be worth it. Sadly, Gabriel Nicholas, a research fellow at the Center for Democracy and Technology, has found that once a tech company has established basic capabilities for a language, they pat themselves on the back and move on.7
Big tech companies are just that: companies. They exist to make a profit. Unfortunately, a market dominated by big languages gives them no incentive to invest in improvements for small ones.
All of the speech technology, smart homes and voice interaction systems used today are the products of commercial research. To put it bluntly, they exist to either make money from your data, to sell you more goods and services, or to influence your thinking. None of this AI exists for the public good. […] Unless there is a strong enough economic argument, don’t expect big companies to rush into producing Welsh, Gaelic or Cornish speech systems.8
Prof. Ian McLoughlin, University of Kent
Should they decide that a Kernewek AI is a viable profit-making enterprise, our situation may even be worse than abandonment. As Dr. Fintan Mallory remarks, the dominant means of profit for privately-funded AI enterprises is to convert their tools into surveillance devices.9 As Kernewek is currently one of the UK’s only languages which is not currently easily surveillable, this poses a huge risk to Kernewek activism and the fight for self-determination in a state that seeks to criminalise dissent.
While we’re on the subject of Kernewek and its position under capitalism, let’s consider the human cost. I lost my 13-year career in language to AI as soon as English output became viable enough to excuse not paying a human. In the unlikely instance that we achieve an AI that can produce quality Kernewek, why would anyone bother paying speakers? The idea of AI sucking all the life out of my heritage language when we are struggling to survive as-is is appalling.
Simply put, profit is antithetical to people. While AI is the new favourite toy of profit, it will be antithetical to people. And a language is its people.
KENEDHEL HEB YETH, KENEDHEL HEB KOLON
Combinations of characters on a screen mean nothing without agency and intention.10
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
While language is not unique to humans, it is one of the chief parts of being human. It cannot be reduced to mere data, but is a highly social process.11 We all know how synthetic customer support via robot sounds or how AI fails to pick up nuance. As Dr. Mallory comments, “Language [is] something more like the soul of a community. You can’t store this in a machine. You can’t solve a human problem like linguicide with a view of language that removes the human component.”12
AI cannot comprehend Kernewek or any other language. It is a stochastic parrot: predicting what word is likely to follow the previous one.13 It cannot understand us. It cannot intend anything. If it tells you it feels delighted to help you, it is lying. I want our community to grow, but one hundred ‘Cornish-speaking’ computers do not add to it. One human does—bringing ideas and hopes and fears and foibles—and I do not think the Kernewek ‘speaking’ computers will add even one human to our community.
Worse, if it does, there is evidence from Microsoft to suggest that the use of GenAI on language tasks, even once a week, impairs cognitive ability to learn, leading to decreased engagement with the topic, overreliance on the technology and hobbled skills in independent problem-solving.14 By using AI tools to ‘teach’ a learner Kernewek, we may in fact be impairing their ability to learn the language at all without this crutch. We will make regurgitators in place of speakers.
Perlin also emphasises the human element, saying that when we hold community central to our languages, as we do, the stochastic parrot can feel like a violation.15 At the moment, I can tell when someone is using AI ‘Kernewek’ to me. The idea that one day I will not know when an outsider—someone I would welcome if they took up a book or a class—is puppeting my ancestors’ jaws and speaking through them is ghoulish. It has the instant sting of colonialism, of appropriation when one could appreciate, of parroting when one could join our chorus.
Hawai’ian scholar Ha‘alilio Solomon agrees: “It is painful, because it reminds us of all the times that our culture and language has been appropriated. We have been fighting tooth and nail in an uphill climb for language revitalization.[…] People are going to think that this is an accurate representation of the Hawaiian language.”16
TRUST AND COMMUNITY FEELING
The anti-machine backlash has long been simmering but is now seemingly breaking to the surface.17
NBC NEWS
The explosion of insults for AI itself (clanker, tinskin, toaster), its output (slop, dross, brainrot) and its users (slopper, groksucker, botlicker, second-hand thinker)—as well as others more clearly based on real-world slurs than I am comfortable to include—tells a tale of the general attitude of distrust and disgust towards the technology and its use on anglophone and other majority language internet.18 While the attitude among tech bros and corporates remains bombastic, for the general public AI is “becoming interchangeable with things that sort of suck.”19
Further, it’s not just majority languages with this negative view of AI as taint. A quick sampling of social media comments and likes regarding AI and Scottish Gaelic by Professor Lamb showed a split of 54% negative, 33% positive and 13% neutral. (Lamb, 2024) The sentiment of the top-rated negative comment was that AI is harmful and the second-highest that AI should be kept away from heritage languages.
What are we telling our descendants? That our language and culture isn’t worth the personal effort? That’s how I might read it, if I were them.20
Kernewek survey respondent
Kernewek paints an even starker picture, especially among younger and more technologically-savvy learners and speakers. A survey on Cornish Discord and Whatsapp found that 65% felt AI would be bad (11.5%) or very bad (53%) for the language. When asked what the community response should be to AI, 46% said we should prevent it and 27% avoid it, with only over-60s thinking that we should work with it.20
31% of respondents said using AI in Kernewek would cause them to feel estranged from the language, while 54% said that they would feel strongly estranged and 23% a little estranged from any organisation, resource or teacher using AI.
The response from those who gave their knowledge of AI as either “expert” or “good” was particularly damning. Everyone in this group responded that AI would be harmful for the language, that the use of AI would estrange them from a source strongly and that we should prevent the use of AI for Kernewek.
IDENTITY, AUTHENTICITY AND DIVERSITY
Aristotelis Ioannis Paschalidis, writing for UNESCO, was not speaking specifically about minoritised languages when he asked this, but the question resonates even more strongly for us: “How much loss of identity is one willing to sacrifice for efficiency?”21
Identity is of paramount importance to Kernewek speakers. Ute Wimmer’s study Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish identified the language’s “function as a symbol of national identity” as the second highest motive (66%**) among speakers and learners, beaten only by Cornish culture (80%).22 This would seem cause for celebration, but when AI is added to the mix, it becomes a risk. Vincent Koc of Hyperlink states that AI can “inadvertently contribute to the dilution of language and cultural identity.”23
He also identifies that automating language learning or generation “may diminish the richness and authenticity that comes from human speakers who carry cultural histories in their speech.” Indeed, four studies by the University of Southern California have shown that using LLMs to assist writing “is linked to notable declines in linguistic diversity and may interfere with the societal and psychological insights language provides.”24
This is in English, one of the richest and largest languages in the world. Imagine the possible impact on a smaller language like Kernewek—with less documentation, less data, a tiny speakerbase and basically no money—and on its many language varieties and orthographies. Particular to the Kernewek context, Late speakers are already struggling to be seen as valid under the dominance of Middle. Do we think AI knows the difference? Thoughtlessly, it will either mix everything together, confusing everyone, or it will use Middle to overwhelm Late.
Generative AI-driven content creation, by favoring standardized languages, risks the disappearance of regional dialects.25
Barcelona supercomputing Center ….
Not only are varieties at risk; AI threatens to drown Kernewek as a whole. Perlin agrees that the linguistic flattening that occurred over centuries in English could manifest overnight in a minoritised language with AI at the helm—as it would be, being able to effortlessly outstrip human Kernewek. He raises concerns of LLMs freezing a language in place and even defining what it means to know the language, especially with low numbers of native speakers.26
Garbage translations multiply online like fake news. Native speakers of the languages in question are bypassed as being “too hard to find,” compared with automated methods of vetting that are completely disconnected from real-life communication. While larger and more powerful language communities may be able to hold the bots to account and even make strategic use of them, it is all too easy to imagine [a minority language] being overwhelmed.26
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Uncontrolled and in the hands of tech giants, synthetic Kernewek will outnumber and outmanoeuvre human Kernewek.
DATA SOVEREIGNTY AND COLONIALISM
Indigenous data sovereignty is the right of [an indigenous nation] to govern the collection, ownership, and application of its own data.27
Native Nations Institute
There are, however, indigenous cultures that are working on a more equitable relationship with AI. Tech without the giant requires resources, but it allows communities to retain data sovereignty over the cultural asset that is their language. Te Mana Raraunga, the Māori Data Sovereignty Network, has created a list of principles for the creation, use and sharing of Māori data, prioritising the need to enhance control for current and future Māori.
They raise a key point that should be considered carefully by stewards of linguistic and cultural knowledge: “Data from us, and about us and our resources, are valuable assets. Once control of it is lost, it is difficult to regain.”28 Decisions must not be taken lightly or hastily; we can always say “yes” if we have previously said “no” to a particular dataset’s use, but can never say “no” if we have already said “yes”.
The AI field, like any other space, is occupied by people who are set in their ways and unintentionally have a very colonial perspective.29
Michael Running Wolf, First Languages AI Reality
This is vital in the context of the potential control of Kernewek data by powerful external corporations. Capitalist extractivism has long been a bane on societies in the imperial periphery and our Cornish society is no different, having faced centuries of its wealth and natural resources being stripped and sold by and large for the profit of those outside Cornwall.
The book Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy notes that current data relations can be seen as “a continuation of the processes and underlying belief systems of extraction, exploitation, accumulation and dispossession that have been visited on Indigenous populations through historical colonialism.”30 This extractive understanding of information is, they note, not disrupted but rather replicated by paying people for their data.
Ultimately, our language must not lie in outside hands governed by proprietary principles that do not allow us sufficient sovereignty over one of our most valuable natural resources: our language. We must have open data principles, not bow to corporate control. We must steer and steward the use of our data, rather than expose it to use against our interests and for the pockets of big tech.
Rather than approaching language preservation as a technical problem, I think indigenous communities need to be politically empowered, whether that be funding from governments or legal protections to use their languages.31
Dr. Fintan Mallory, Durham University
We must prioritise language-as-community and seek open, equitable and ethical use of our language, heritage and other cultural assets. We must avoid thinking of AI as the magic that it promises and invest in basic research, driven by our own community. Corporations will not save us and, indeed, may do us great harm.
NO CORNISH ON A DEAD PLANET
Global capitalism and governments […] are addicted to ‘free’ market ideology over the wellbeing of communities, people and the planet.32
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Maniffesto 2022
Honestly, most takedowns of AI would have hit this point already. It’s one of the main arguments against Generative AI, but in case you’re not familiar with it, we will briefly look over the main points.
Water used in cooling AI data centers must be drinkable water. AI guzzles this water. The University of California has reported that “global water demand from AI could reach 4.2-6.6 billion cubic meters by 2027. That exceeds 50 percent of the UK’s annual water use in 2023.”33 All this while the Global Commission on the Economics of Water has declared “a rapidly accelerating water crisis” to which Kernewek should not be contributing.34
We have become utterly dependent on private technologies manufactured and controlled by a handful of opaque companies [who] appear mostly indifferent to the social consequences of their activities and only invest minimally if obliged by government regulations to enhance their public image.35
Iker Erdocia, Dublin City University
AI requires vast quantities of hardware at the cost of mining rare earth minerals. These are difficult to extract and purify and come with heavy environmental and social costs. They are often extracted from mines in countries with poorer environmental and labour protections. Reset states that “communities living near these mines, often indigenous or minority groups, regularly face land degradation, water contamination and human rights abuses. Much of this can be directly linked to the AI hardware.”36 When the hardware inevitably cooks and is useless, it is then thrown out as e-waste into poor communities. The potential advancement of Kernewek must not come at the expense of our sister indigenous and minority communities.
Training an also AI requires huge amounts of energy, soon perhaps as much as a small country37 and has an enormous carbon footprint.38 What is clear is that—through water usage, extractive industry, energy consumption and carbon footprint—AI is bad news for the struggling environment of the planet we live on and there is no Cornish on a dead planet.
MAKING AI AN EX-PARROT
Rather than making minority languages more accessible, AI is now creating an ever expanding minefield for students and speakers of those languages to navigate.39
mit technology review
We have heard of the vast improbability of getting AI to be able to mimic Kernewek in light of the costs in data, work, time and technology. We have considered the likely choice of cold negligence or surveillance product and the importance of data sovereignty. We have read about the effects on the livelihoods of Cornish speakers, as well as the the catastrophic costs to the environment and indigenous peoples.
We have learned that linguistic flattening by AI impoverishes its subjects and how AI may decide for us how our language must operate. We have seen the inescapability of language as human and the risks of creating ‘learners’ who cannot learn and ‘speakers’ who cannot speak. We have seen the dangers to reputation and trust for any organisation who would shovel what is seen as ‘slop’.
We have heard why giving in to the juggernaut of AI would be a mistake for Kernewek and how our community does not support our laying down of the shield. Instead, we must fight. We must make Kernewek a space as free of slop as possible, we must educate botlickers into ethical and effective language learning and use, we must avoid second-hand thinking.
We must make our language a no AI zone, a network of reliable humans and their human creations, built on authenticity, community, effort and trust: a Kernewek for the people, of the people and by the people.
KERNEWEK YN-DANN GEVALAV
Mes yn sur y hyllyn ni gwellhe taklow dres termyn? Y fydh res meur a weres a gompanis SK, mes y talvia dhyn. Yn trist, Gabriel Nicholas, kesvroder hwithrans orth an Center for Democracy and Technology, re drovyas pan wrug kompani tek fondya gallosow selyek rag unn yeth, i a omgeslowenha yn ughel hag ena movya yn-rag.7
Kompanis tek bras yw yndella poran: kompanis. Ymons i ena rag gwaynya budh. Y’n gwettha prys, ny wra marghas rewlys gans yethow bras ri kentryn dhe gevarghewi yn gwellhe rag an re byghan.
Oll a’n deknegieth kows, chiow konnyk ha systemow ynterweythres lev usys hedhyw yw an askorrasow a hwithrans kenwerthel. Dhe vos sogh, yth yns i po rag dendyl arghans a’th kedhlow, po gwertha gwara ha gonisyow, po delenwel dha dybyansow. Nyns yw tra vyth a’n SK ma rag an les kemmyn. […] Mar nag eus argyans erbysek krev lowr, na wra gwaytya kompanis bras dhe fyski dhe askorra systemow kows Kembrek, Godhalek po Kernewek.8
Prof. Ian McLoughlin, pennskol kint
Ha mars ervirons bos SK Kernewek aventur a yll gwaynya budh, possybyl yw bos agan studh gweth ages dell via gans forsakyans. Dell lever Dr. Fintan Mallor, an fordh vrassa a waynya budh rag kompanis SK arghesys yn privedh yw kedreylya aga thoulys yn devisyow aspians.9 Drefen bos Kernewek onan a’n yethow boghes y’n RU nag yw aspiadow yn es y’n eur ma, hemm yw peryl kowrek rag gweythresieth Kernewek ha’gan strif a-barth omdhetermyans yn stat a vynn galweythegi dissent.
Ha ni ow tochya Kernewek ha’y savla yn-dann gevalav, gwren ni mires orth an kost denel. My a gellis ow soodh 13 bloodh yn yethow dhe SK kettooth ha dell veu eskorrans Sowsnek hewul lowr dhe askusya sevel orth tyli den. Y’n kas diwirhaval may kevyn SK hag a yll askorra Kernewek da, prag y hwrussa nebonan omankombra ow pe kowser? An tybyans a SK ow tenna oll an bewnans a’m taves ertach ha ni ow kwynnel dhe dreusvewa dell on yw skruthus.
Yn sempel, budh yw gorthenebel orth tus. Hedre vo SK an degen nowydh flamm a vudh, y fydh gorthenebel orth tus. Ha yeth yw hy thus.
KENEDHEL HEB YETH, KENEDHEL HEB KOLON
Nyns eus styr dhe gesunyansow a lytherennow war skrin heb dewis ha heb mynnas.10
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Kyn nag yw yeth dibarow dhe dhensys, onan a’n rannow chif a vos denel yw. Ny yll bos lehes dhe gedhlow hepken, mes yth yw argerdh sosyel dres eghen.11 Ni oll a wor py mar synthesek y sen skoodhyans prener der SK po fatel yll SK fyllel orth konvedhes arliwyow. Dell gampol Dr. Mallory, “Yeth [yw] neppyth moy kepar hag enev a gemeneth. Ny yllir gwitha hemma yn jynn. Ny yllir assoylya kudyn denel kepar ha yethladhans gans gwel a yeth hag a remov an gerann denel.”12
Ny yll SK konvedhes Kernewek po taves vyth aral. Papynjay chonsus yw: y targan py ger yw gwirhaval wosa an huni kyns.13 Ny yll agan konvedhes. Ny yll mynnes tra vyth. Mar kwra derivas orthis y vos pes da dha weres, gow yw. My a vynn agan kemeneth dhe devi, mes ny wra kans jynn-amontya a yll ‘kewsel Kernewek’ keworra orti. Y hwra unn den—ow tri tybyansow ha govenegow hag ownow ha gwanderyow—ha ny dybav y hwra an jynnys-amontya kernwegorek keworra unn den hogen orth agan kemeneth.
Gwettha, mar kwra, yma dustuni a-dhyworth Microsoft hag a brof y hwra an devnydh a SKDin war oberennow yeth, unweyth an seythen hogen, aperya gallos godhvosel a dhyski, ow ledya orth omworrans lehes gans an desten, gorfydhyans y’n deknegieth ha sleyneth sprallys a assoylya kudynnow yn anserghek.14 Der usya toulys SK dhe ‘dhyski’ Kernewek, possybyl yw ni dhe shyndya gallos dyski an yeth vytholl heb an kroch ma. Ni a wra gul mimyoryon yn le Kernewegoryon.
Ynwedh Perlin a boslev an elven dhenel, ow leverel pan wren ni synsi kemeneth avel kres agan yethow, dell wren, an papynjay chonsus a yll bos klewys kepar ha defolyans.15 Y’n eur ma, my a aswon pan eus nebonan owth usya ‘Kernewek’ SK dhymm. An tybyans ny wrav vy unn jydh godhvos pan eus estren—nebonan a wrussen vy dynerghi mar pe lyver po klass ganses—ow popettya diwawen ow hengerens ha kewsel dresta yw bedhrosus. Yma dhe’n dra an wan dhistowgh a drevesigeth, a berghenegyans pan yllir gwerthveurhe, a bapynjaya pan yllir junya agan kesgan.
Unver yw skolheyk Hawai’i henwys Noah Ha‘alilio Solomon: “Ankensi yw, drefen ni dhe vos kofhes a’n prysyow oll re beu agan gonisogeth ha yeth perghenegys. Ni re beu owth omladh dre dhens hag ewines yn batel gales a-barth dasvewheans yeth.[…] Y hwra pobel krysi bos hemma representyans ewn a’n yeth a Hawai’i.”16
TREST HAG OMGLEWANS AN GEMENETH
Hir re beu an kil-lash gorthjynn ow kovryjyon mes lemmyn yma va ow terri an arenep dell hevel.17
NBC NEWS
Tardh an arvedhennow rag SK y honan (clanker, tinskin, toaster), y askorras (slop, dross, brainrot) ha’y usyoryon (slopper, groksucker, botlicker, second-hand thinker)—keffrys hag erel selys moy yn kler war geryow kas gwir dell ov attes gans aga heworra—a re hwedhel a stons ollgemmyn a wogrys ha divlases war-tu hag an deknegieth ha’y devnydh war an kesrosweyth Sowsnek ha yethow bras erel.18 Kynth yw an stons yn-mysk gwesyon dek ha korforeth hwath gwresek, rag an boblek gemmyn y hwra SK “dos ha bos keschanjyadow gans taklow tamm kawgh.”19
Pella, nyns yw marnas yethow moyhariv gans an gwel negedhek ma a SK avel podrek. Sampel uskis a gampollow media sosyel ha meusi ow tochya SK ha Godhalek Alban gans Professor Lamb a dhiskwedhas fals a 54% negedhek, 33% posedhek ha 13% heptu. (Lamb, 2024) Sentiment an kampol negedhek an moyha talvesys o bos SK dregynnus hag an nessa y talvia dhyn lettya SK rag kestav gans tavosow ertach.
Pyth eson ni ow leverel orth agan diyskynysi? Ny dal agan yeth ha gonisogeth an strivyans personel? Hemm yw martesen fatel wrussen vy y redya, a pen vy i.20
Gorthebydh sondyans Kernewek
Kernewek a baynt aven moy serth, yn arbennik gans dyskoryon ha kowsoryon yowynka ha moy skentel gans tek. Sondyans war Discord ha Whatsapp Kernewek a drovyas bos 65% a grysis y fia SK drog (11.5%) po pur dhrog (53%) rag an yeth. Pan veu govynnys pyth a dal bos gorthyp an gemeneth orth SK, 46% a leveris y kodh y hedhi ha 27% y woheles, gans an dus moy ha 60 bloodh hepken ow tybi y kodh oberi ganso.20
31% a worthebydhyon an sondyans a leveris y hwrussa an devnydh a SK yn Kernewek aga fellhe a’n yeth, hag ynwedh 54% a leveris y fiens i pellhes yn krev ha 23% pellhes tamm a by kowethas, asnodh po dyskador pynag ow tevnydhya SK.
An gorthyp a’n re a leveris bos aga godhvos a SK po “konnyk” po “da” o dampnus yn arbennik. Pubonan y’n bagas ma a worthebis y fia SK dregynnus rag Kernewek, y hwrussa an devnydh a SK gans pennfenten aga fellhe a’n bennfenten na yn krev hag y kodh dhyn hedhi an devnydh a SK rag Kernewek.
HONANIETH, LELDER HA DIVERSETH
Nyns esa Aristotelis Ioannis Paschalidis, ow skrifa a-barth UNESCO, ow kewsel yn komparek a-dro dhe yethow lyharivhes pan wrug ev y wovyn, mes an govyn a dhassen yn kreffa ragon: “Pygemmys koll a honanieth a vynnir sakrifia rag effeythuster?”21
Honanieth yw a’n moyha bri rag Kernewegoryon. Studhyans Ute Wimmer Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish a henow “gweythres [an yeth] avel arwodh a honanieth kenedhlek” avel an nessa ughella skila (66%**) yn-mysk kowsoryon ha dyskoryon, fethys gans gonisogeth Kernow (80%) hepken.22 Yth havalsa hemma bos acheson solempnyans, mes pan vo SK keworrys, y teu ha bos peryl. Vincent Koc a Hyperlink a lever y hyll SK “kevri dre wall orth an gwannheans a yeth ha honanieth wonisogethel”.23
Ev a aswon ynwedh y hallsa awtomategi dyski po dinythi yeth “lehe an rychedh ha lelder hag a dheu a gowsoryon dhenel neb a dheg istoriow gonisogethel y’ga hows”. Yn hwir, peswar studhyans gwrys gans Pennskol Kaliforni Soth re dhiskwedhas bos devnydhya PYB dhe weres gans skrifa “kelmys orth dyfygyansow nosedhek yn diverseth yethel hag y hyll mellya gans an konvedhes brysoniethel ha kowethasel yw proviys gans yeth.”24
Ha hemm yw yn Sowsnek, onan a’n yethow an ryccha ha brassa y’n bys. Dismyk an effeyth war yeth byghanna kepar ha Kernewek—gans le a dhogvennans, le a gedhlow, sel kowsoryon munys hag ogas hag arghans mann—ha war y lies orgraf hag eghen yeth. Yn arbennik yn gettesten Kernewek, seulabrys yma kowsoryon Diwedhes ow strivya dhe vos gwelys avel vas gans gwartheyvans Kres. A dybyn y hwor SK an dyffrans? Heb preder, y hwra po kemyska puptra warbarth, ow sowdheni pubonan, po devnydhya Kres dhe fetha Diwedhes.
An gwruthyl a dhalgh herdhys gans SK Dinythus, dre favera yethow savonegys, a argyl an vansyans a rannyethow ranndiryel.25
Kresen woramontyorieth Barcelona
Nyns yw eghennow hepken yn peryl; SK a wodros beudhi Kernewek yn tien. Akordys yw Perlin y hallsa an platheans yethel a hwarva dres kansbledhynnyow yn Sowsnek hwarvos dres nos yn yeth lyharivhes gans SK orth an fronnow—dell via, ow pos gallosek a bassya Kernewek denel heb assay. Ev a venek prederow yn kever PYB ow rewi yeth yn hy le ha hogen ow settya pyth yw an styr a wodhvos an yeth, yn arbennik gans niverow munys a gowsoryon deythyek.26
Treylyansow leun a atal a liesha warlinen kepar ha nowodhow fug. Kowsoryon deythyek a’n yethow ma yw passyes avel bos “re gales dhe drovya”, komparys orth fordhow awtomategys a surheans kwalita hag yw disjunys yn tien a geskomunyans y’n bys gwir. Kynth yw possybyl rag kemenethow yeth brassa ha moy gallosek synsi an bottys ma dhe akont ha’ga devnydhya yn stratejek hogen, re es yw dismygi [yeth lyhariv] ow pos reverthys.26
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Heb kontrol hag yn diwla an gewri deknegieth, Kernewek synthesek a wra gornivera ha gorthrabellhe Kernewek denel.
SOVRANEDH KEDHLOW HA KOLONEGIETH
Sovranedh kedhlow teythyek yw an gwir gans [kenedhel teythyek] a woverna an kuntel, perghenogeth ha gweytha a’y hedhlow hy honan.27
Native Nations Institute
Byttegyns, yma gonisogethow teythyek hag usi owth oberi war geskowethyans moy ewnhynsek gans SK. Tek heb an kowr a res asnodhow, mes y as kemenethow gwitha sovranedh kedhlow war an gerthen wonisogethel hag yw aga yeth. Te Mana Raraunga, Rosweyth Sovranedh Kedhlow Māori, re wrug rol a bennrewlys rag an gwruthyl, devnydhya ha kevrenna a gedhlow Māori, ow ragwirhe an edhom a grefhe maystri rag Māori a-lemmyn hag a dheu.
I a venek poynt posek hag a dalvia bos konsidrys gans rach gans stywards a skians yethel ha gonisogethel: “Kedhlow ahanan, a-dro dhyn ha’gan asnodhow, yw kerthennow a bris. Pan vo maystri kellys, kales yw y dhaskemeres.”28 Ny dal gul erviransow yn skav po yn uskis; y hyllyn pupprys leverel “ea” mar kwrussyn leverel “na” kyns orth us sett kedhlow, mes ny yllyn nevra leverel “na” mar kwrussyn leverel “ea” seulabrys.
An desten SK, kepar ha pub le aral, yw leun a dus hag yw settys y’ga maneryow ha gans gwel pur drevesigel yn tidowl.29
Michael Running Wolf, First Languages AI Reality
Hemm yw pur bosek y’n gettesten a’n kontrol possybyl a gedhlow Kernewek gans korforethow gallosek a-ves. Estenegieth jatelydhek re beu molleth war gowethasow y’n amal emperourethek ha nyns yw kowethas Kernewek dyffrans, wosa enebi kansvledhynnyow a’y rychys hag asnodhow naturek ow pos destryppys ha gwerthys dre vras gans budh tus yn-mes a Gernow.
An lyver henwys Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy a verk lemmyn y hyllir gweles perthynyansow kedhlow avel “pesyans a’n argerdhow ha systemow-krysi isworwedhek a estennans, drogusyans, kuntellyans ha diberghenogeth re beu gwrys war boblansow Teythyek dres trevesigeth istorek.”30 An konvedhes estennek ma a gedhlow yw, dell verkons, hevelebys a-der goderrys gans tyli pobel rag aga hedhlow.
Wostiwedh, res yw ma na vo agan yeth gorrys yn diwla a-ves routys gans pennrewlys perghenogel na as dhyn sovranedh lowr a onan a’gan asnodhow naturel an moyha posek: agan yeth. Res yw dhyn kavos pennrewlys kedhlow ygor, a-der plegya orth kontrol korforethel. Res yw dhyn lewya ha gidya an devnydh a’gan kedhlow, a-der y usya erbynn agan lesow ha rag pocketys tek bras.
A-der drehedhes an arwithans a davosow avel kudyn teknegiethel, my a dyb bos res dhe gemenethow teythyek bos reythhes yn politek, po der arghasans a wovernansow po dre dhifresyansow laghel dhe dhevnydhya aga yethow.31
Dr. Fintan Mallory, Pennskol Durham
Res yw dhyn ragwirhe yeth-avel-kemeneth ha hwilas devnydh ygor, ewnhynsek hag ethegel a’gan kerthennow yeth, ertach ha gonisogethel. Res yw dhyn goheles tybi a SK avel an hus mayth ambos ha kevarghewi yn hwithrans selyek, lewys gans agan kemeneth. Ny wra korforethow agan selwel ha, hogen, i a yll agan shyndya.
NYNS EUS KERNEWEK WAR BLANET MAROW
Governansow ha kevalav ollvysel […] yw omres dhe ideologieth marghas ‘rydh’ moy es dell yns omres dhe sewena kemenethow, pobel ha’n planet.32
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Maniffesto 2022
An brassa rann a vreusyansow a SK a wrussa meneges hemma seulabrys. Onan a’n argyansow brassa yw erbynn SK Dinythus, mes rag own bos ankoth dhis, ni a wra mires orth an chif boyntys.
Res yw bos evadow an dowr goyeynhe pub kresen kedhlow SK. Y kollenk an dowr ma. Pennskol Kaliforni re dherivas “y hallsa demond dowr ollvysel SK hedhes 4.2-6.6 bilvil metrow kubek erbynn 2027. Henn yw moy es 50 kansran a us dowr bledhynnyek an RU yn 2023.”33 Y kettermyn, an Desedhek Ollvysel Erbysieth Dowr a dheklaryas “barras dowr ow tardha yn uskis” ma na dal Kernewek kevri dhodho.34
Ni re dheuth ha bos yn hwir omres dhe deknegiethow privedh gwrys ha kontrolys gans dornas a gompanis diskler [hag] a hevel bos mygyl dre vras orth an sewyansow sosyel a’ga gwriansow ha kevri yn ispoyntel marnas mars yns i konstrinys gans rewlys an wovernans dhe wellhe aga imach poblek.35
Iker Erdocia, Pennskol Sita Dulyn
Yma edhom dhe SK a vynsow kowrek a galesweyth orth kost palas monyow tanow. Kales yw estenna ha purhe an re ma hag yma kostow kerghynedhel ha sosyel poos. Estennys yns i yn fenowgh a hwelyow yn powyow gans difresyansow lakka rag lavur ha’n kerghynnedh. Reset a lever “yn fenowgh y hwra kemenethow yw trigys yn ogas dhe’n hwelyow, yn fenowgh bagasow lyhariv po teythyek, enebi gwethheans an tir, defolyans an dowr hag abusyans gwiryow denel. Meur a hemma a yll bos kelmys yn tidro orth an galesweyth SK.”36 Pan yw an galesweyth kegys yn sertan hag euver, ena tewlys yw avel e-wast yn kemenethow boghosek. Res yw nyns yw an avonsyans possybyl a Gernewek orth kost agan kemenethow hwor lyhariv ha teythyek.
Ynwedh res yw myns hujes a nerth rag trenya SK, yn skon martesen an keth myns ha pow byghan37 hag yma ol troos karbon kowrek.38 Kler yw—der usadow dowr, diwysyans estennek, konsumyans nerth hag ol troos karbon—bos SK yeyn nowodhow rag kerghynnedh ow strivya a’n planet mayth on ni trigys warnodho ha nyns eus Kernewek war blanet marow.
GUL DHE SK BOS EKS-PAPYNJAY
A-der gul dhe yethow lyhariv bos moy hedhadow, lemmyn yma SK ow kwruthyl tardhek pupprys owth omlesa rag studhyoryon ha kowsoryon a’n yethow ma dhe wolya.39
mit technology review
Ni re glewas a’n anwirhevelepter efan a wul dhe SK gallos mimya Kernewek yn golow an kostys yn kedhlow, ober, termyn ha teknegieth. Ni re gonsidras lycklod an dewisynter dispresyans yeyn po askorras-aspia ha’n posekter a sovranedh kedhlow. Ni re redyas a-dro dhe’n effeythyow war vewnansow Kernewegoryon, keffrys ha’n kostys katastrofek rag an kerghynnedh ha poblow teythyek.
Ni re dhyskas y hwra platheans yethel gans SK boghosekhe y destennow ha fatel yll SK martesen ervira a’gan parth fatel godh dh’agan yeth oberi. Ni re welas an anwoheladewder a yeth avel denel ha’n peryllyow a wul ‘dyskoryon’ na yll dyski ha ‘kowsoryon’ na yll kewsel. Ni re welas an peryllyow orth bri ha fydhyans rag kowethasow a wrussa palas an pyth hag yw gwelys avel ‘skomblans’.
Ni re glewas prag y fia omblegya orth an jagganat a SK error rag Kernewek ha dell na vynn agan kemeneth skoodhya gorra an skoos a-dhyworthyn. Yn y le, res yw dhyn batalyas. Res yw dhyn gul dhe Gernewek bos spas mar rydh a skomblans dell yll bos, res yw adhyski orth botlapyoryon yn dyski ha devnydh yeth yn ethegel hag yn effeythus, res yw goheles tybi wortaswerth.
Res yw dhyn gul dh’agan yeth bos parth heb SK, rosweyth a dus fydhyadow ha’ga gwriansow denel, drehevys war lelder, kemeneth, assay ha trest: Kernewek hag yw a-barth an bobel, a’n bobel ha gans an bobel.
Niwlen Ster
Notennow
* A prime example is the laughably-unaffordable restaurant RenMor, which The Headland Hotel thinks is a version of “Re’n Mor”, which they believe means “by the sea” as in “next to the sea” but actually means “by the sea!” like saying “by Zeus!”. This is both hilarious and enraging.
** A figure perhaps lower than it should be if you consider that many of the “emotional motives” which were not counted in this category, such as “I’m Cornish, what better reason do you need?”, do also refer to identity.
FENTENNOW
1. Judah, J. (2025) How AI and Wikipedia have sent vulnerable languages into a doom spiral, MIT Technology Review.
2. Ackermann, A. (2023) When AI doesn’t speak your language, Coda.
3. Crichton, D. (2024) AI and the Death of Human Languages, Lux.
4. Lamb, W. (2024). Could Artificial Intelligence save Scottish Gaelic?, The University of Edinburgh.
5. Dencik, L. (/2025) AI Inequalities: Minority Languages, TUC Cymru.
6. Joshi, P., Santy, S., Budhiraja, A., Bali, K., & Microsoft Research, India. (2020). The State and Fate of Linguistic Diversity and Inclusion in the NLP World. Proceedings of the 58th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics.
7. Ackermann, A. (op cit)
8. McLoughlin, I. (2018) How to teach AI to speak Welsh (and other minority languages), The Conversation.
9. Mallory, F. (2025) RISE UP Panel Discussion & Q&A: What AI Can and Cannot Do for Minoritised Languages, YouTube.
10. Perlin, R. (2024) AI Won’t Protect Endangered Languages, The Dial.
11. RISE UP (2025) #4 RISE UP Event Summary: What AI Can and Cannot Do For Minoritised Languages, RISE UP.
12. Mallory, F. (2024) European Day of Languages: Will lesser spoken languages soon only be kept alive by AI technology? Durham University.
13. Bender, E., Gebru, T., McMillan-Major, A., & Mitchell, M. (2021) On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big? Proceedings of the 2021 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency
14. Lee, H.-P., Sarkar, A., Tankelevitch, L., Drosos, I., Rintel, S., Banks, R., & Wilson, N. (2025) The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers. Microsoft.
15. Perlin, R. (op cit)
16. Judah, J. (op cit)
17. Abbruzzese, J., & Wile, R. (2025) Is an AI backlash brewing? What ‘clanker’ says about growing frustrations with emerging tech, NBC News.
18. Webster, K. (2025) Why Using ChatGPT at Work Could Hurt Your Reputation, Inc. Magazine.
19. Herrman, J. (2024) Is That AI? Or Does It Just Suck?, Intelligencer.
20. Wilson, L. (2025) Skians Kreftus ha Kernewek/Artificial Intelligence and Cornish
21. Paschalidis, A. I. (2025) AI and the great linguistic flattening, UNESCO.
22. Wimmer, U. (2010). Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish. Cornish Language Board, p. 113
23. Koc, V. (2025) Generative AI and Large Language Models in Language Preservation: Opportunities and Challenges, ResearchGate.
24. Sourati, Z., Karimi-Malekabadi, F., & Ozcan, M. (2025) The Shrinking Landscape of Linguistic Diversity in the Age of Large Language Models, ResearchGate.
25. Melero, M. (2024) The Future of Language (and Cultural) Diversity in the Age of AI, CLARIN.
26. Perlin, R. (op cit)
27. Russo Carroll, S., Rodriguez Lonebear, D., & Martinez, A. (2017). Data Governance for Native Nation Rebuilding, Native Nations Institute.
28. Te Mana Raraunga. (2018). Frequently Asked Questions, Te Mana Raraunga.
29. Ackermann, A. (op cit)
30. Walter, M., Kukutai, T., Carroll, S. R., & Rodriguez-Lonebear, D. (Eds.). (2020). Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy. Taylor & Francis, p. 24
31. Mallory, F. (op cit)
32. Cymdeithas yr Iaith (2022) Cymru Rydd, Cymru Werdd, Cymru Gymraeg., p. 27
33. O’Sullivan, L. (2025). How AI’s Failure on Linguistic Diversity is Deepening Global Inequality, RESET – Digital for Good.
34. Harvey, F. (2024). Global water crisis leaves half of world food production at risk in next 25 years, The Guardian.
35. Erdocia, I., Migge, B., & Schneider, B. (2024). Language is not a data set—Why overcoming ideologies of dataism is more important than ever in the age of AI. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 28(5), p. 23
36. O’Sullivan, L. (op cit)
37. Erdenesanaa, D. (2023) A.I. Could Soon Need as Much Electricity as an Entire Country, The New York Times
38. Heikkilä, M. (2022) We’re getting a better idea of AI’s true carbon footprint, MIT Technology Review.
39. Judah, J. (op cit)#4 #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Breus #Cornish #Cornwall #data #generativeAI #history #jynn #kedhlow #Kernewek #Kernow #Kernowek #LLM #machine #PYB #SK #SKDinythus #SkiansKreftus #Sordya
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Turning Saffron into Slop – Treylya Safran yn Skomblans
Kernewek is under attack. The attacker? Machine-made rubbish. Fresh from companies dictionary-bashing to make terrible ‘translations’ for their black-and-gold-washing brandification of Kernow, the shoddiness has spiralled.
Error-riddled AI ‘Kernewek textbooks’ have appeared on Amazon, by ‘authors’ who are at best well-meaning but harmful and at worst out to exploit us. Worse, a prominent crackpot is ‘translating’ conspiracy theories into ‘Cornish’ en masse. It’s not just nonsensical; it ties our language to fascism faster than we, making content by hand, can work to untie it.
There are those who believe that the best defence is to put down our shield and join the opposing forces: to ‘buy in’ to AI in the hope of coming out the other side with a useful tool for the language and a stronger community. Such hopes must be abandoned. What follows is a look why this approach is wrong-headed, as evidenced by universities, activists and indigenous groups.
Kernewek yw yn-dann omsettyans. An omsettyer? Atal gwrys dre jynn. Nowydh devedhys a gompanis ow pylla gerlyvrow rag gul ‘treylyansow’ euthyk rag aga merkegyans yethwolghi a Gernow, an pilyekter re wrug pesya.
‘Dysklyvrow’ ‘Kernewek’ gwallblagys re apperyas war Amazon, gans ‘awtours’ neb yw teg aga thowl dhe’n gwella ha drogusus aga hwans dhe’n gwettha. Lakka, yma koyntwas a vri ow ‘treylya’ tybiethow kesplottyans dhe ‘Gernewek’ yn routh. Nyns yw gocki hepken; y kelm agan yeth orth faskorieth uskissa es dell yllyn, dre wul dalgh dre leuv, oberi dh’y digelmi.
Yma nebes a grys bos agan gwella difres gorra an skoos dhyworthyn ha junya an ostys er agan pynn: dhe ‘unverhe’ gans SK gans govenek dos yn-mes gans toul dhe les rag an yeth ha kemeneth kreffa. Res yw hepkor govenegow a’n par na. An pyth hag a sew a vir orth prag yth yw an devedhyans ma penn-gam, dell yw dustunys gans pennskolyow, gweythresoryon ha bagasow teythyek.
Note: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has come to be synonymous with Generative AI (GenAI) and with Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, in common parlance. Unless explicitly stated, I use the terms interchangeably.
Kernewek is under attack. The attacker? Machine-made rubbish. Fresh from companies dictionary-bashing to make terrible ‘translations’ for their black-and-gold-washing brandification of Kernow*, the shoddiness has spiralled.
Error-riddled AI ‘Kernewek textbooks’ have appeared on Amazon, by ‘authors’ who are at best well-meaning but harmful and at worst out to exploit us. Worse, a prominent crackpot is ‘translating’ conspiracy theories into ‘Cornish’ en masse. It’s not just nonsensical; it ties our language to fascism faster than we, making content by hand, can work to untie it.
There are those who believe that the best defence is to put down our shield and join the opposing forces: to ‘buy in’ to AI in the hope of coming out the other side with a useful tool for the language and a stronger community. Such hopes must be abandoned. What follows is a look why this approach is wrong-headed, as evidenced by universities, activists and indigenous groups.
LOW-RESOURCES AND LINGUISTIC TYPOLOGY
Simply adding a language to an AI model leads to a spike in poor-quality articles, drowning out quality writing by humans. AI has “industrialized the acts of destruction—which affect vulnerable languages most, since AI translations are typically far less reliable for them.”1 Wikipedia editors from varied languages evidence that machine translation tools have made it easier than ever before to create shoddy articles in minoritised languages, causing massive damage in minutes. AI leads to non-speakers producing much longer, truthier rubbish, Sámi computational linguistics expert Trond Trosterud notes: “the problem [is] that they are armed with Google Translate. Earlier they were armed only with dictionaries.”1
Kernewek, like all but 60 of the world’s roughly 7,000 languages, is designated “low-resource”, meaning it lacks sufficient data to train a machine.2 It is tempting, therefore, to assume that the solution is to provide more data. However, training an LLM requires petabytes of text, audio and video—manually categorised and in a machine-readable format—a vast trove that Kernewek simply does not have.3 Professor Will Lamb, Chair of Gaelic Ethnology and Linguistics at Edinburgh University, speaks of “millions of work hours devoted to just one aspect” of a working AI.4
Even if ChatGPT is trained on another language than English, the time and labour required may make it largely unviable. Current assessments of the performance of ChatGPT for different languages have shown that it performs worse in all tasks.5
Prof. Lina Dencik, Data Justice Lab
Furthermore, the amount of data and work is not the only barrier; at issue is the nature of the language itself. Microsoft has found that languages such as Breton—and thus Kernewek—cause a high rate of errors distinct from the size of their dataset, due to grammatical features, such as mutation, not present in well-sourced languages. As such, they remain poor without significant additional work.6 Essentially, simply adding more Kernewek may not help. Thus, engaging with AI is, for Kernewek, to tie ourselves to slop.
Noten: Skians Kreftus (SK) re dheuth ha bos kesstyr gans SK Dinythus (SKDin) ha gans Patronyow Yeth Bras (PYB), kepar ha ChatGPT, yn lavar kemmyn. Marnas bos menegys yn kler, my a us an termys yn keschanjyadow.
Kernewek yw yn-dann omsettyans. An omsettyer? Atal gwrys dre jynn. Nowydh devedhys a gompanis ow pylla gerlyvrow rag gul ‘treylyansow’ euthyk rag aga merkegyans yethwolghi a Gernow*, an pilyekter re wrug pesya.
‘Dysklyvrow’ ‘Kernewek’ gwallblagys re apperyas war Amazon, gans ‘awtours’ neb yw teg aga thowl dhe’n gwella ha drogusus aga hwans dhe’n gwettha. Lakka, yma koyntwas a vri ow ‘treylya’ tybiethow kesplottyans dhe ‘Gernewek’ yn routh. Nyns yw gocki hepken; y kelm agan yeth orth faskorieth uskissa es dell yllyn, dre wul dalgh dre leuv, oberi dh’y digelmi.
Yma nebes a grys bos agan gwella difres gorra an skoos dhyworthyn ha junya an ostys er agan pynn: dhe ‘unverhe’ gans SK gans govenek dos yn-mes gans toul dhe les rag an yeth ha kemeneth kreffa. Res yw hepkor govenegow a’n par na. An pyth hag a sew a vir orth prag yth yw an devedhyans ma penn-gam, dell yw dustunys gans pennskolyow, gweythresoryon ha bagasow teythyek.
ASNODHOW ISL HA TIPOLOGIETH YETHEL
Keworra yeth yn sempel orth patron SK a led orth spik yn erthyglow drog aga kwalita, ow peudhi skrif a gwalita gans tus. SK re wrug “diwysyansegi an aktys diswrians—hag a nas yethow goliadow an moyha, drefen bos treylyansow SK lieskweyth le lel yn tipek ragdha.”1 Golegydhyon Wikipedia a yethow divers a re dustuni re wrug medhelweyth-treylya y wul bos esya dell veu bythkweth kyns gwruthyl erthyglow pilyek yn yethow lyharivhes, ow kawsya damach kowrek yn mynysennow. SK a led orth digowsoryon owth askorra atal lieskweyth hirra ha gwirekka, konnyk yethonieth reknansek Sámi Trond Trosterud a not: “an kudyn [yw] aga bos ervys gans Google Translate. A-varra nyns ens ervys marnas gans gerlyvrow.”1
Kernewek, kepar hag oll marnas 60 a ogas lowr 7,000 yeth a’n bys, yw klassys avel “isel y asnodhow”, ow styrya nag eus dhodho kedhlow lowr dhe drenya jynn.2 Rakhenna, dynyek yw desevos bos an assoylyans profya moy a gedhlow. Byttegyns, res yw petavaytys a dekst, son ha gwydhyow—klassys dre leuv hag yn furvas redyadow gans jynn— dhe drenya PYB, tresorva efan nag eus dhe Gernewek yn sempel.3 Y kews Professor Will Lamb, Kaderyer Ethnologieth ha Yethonieth Wodhalek orth Pennskol Karedin, a “vilvilyow a ourys ober sakrys orth unn wedh hepken” a SK owth oberi.4
Hogen mars yw ChatGPT trenys war yeth a-der Sowsnek, an termyn hag ober yw res a styr y vos martesen anhewul dre vras. Arvreusyansow a-lemmyn a berformyans a ChatGPT rag yethow dyffrans re dhiskwedhas y perform gweth yn oberennow oll.5
Prof. Lina Dencik, Data Justice Lab
Pella, nyns yw an myns a gedhlow hag ober an unsel lett; a vern yw natur an yeth y honan. Microsoft re drovyas y kaws yethow kepar ha Bretonek—hag ytho Kernewek—kevradh ughel a wallow diblans a vraster aga sett kedhlow, drefen nasyow gramasek, kepar ha treylyansow, nag usi kevys yn yethow ughel aga asnodhow. Yndella, i a bes orth bos drog heb meur a ober keworransel.6 Yn essensek, possybyl yw ny wra keworra moy a Gernewek yn sempel gweres. Yndelma, oberi gans SK yw, rag Kernewek, omgelmi orth skomblans.
CORNISH UNDER CAPITALISM
But surely we can improve things over time? It will take a lot of help from AI companies, but it will be worth it. Sadly, Gabriel Nicholas, a research fellow at the Center for Democracy and Technology, has found that once a tech company has established basic capabilities for a language, they pat themselves on the back and move on.7
Big tech companies are just that: companies. They exist to make a profit. Unfortunately, a market dominated by big languages gives them no incentive to invest in improvements for small ones.
All of the speech technology, smart homes and voice interaction systems used today are the products of commercial research. To put it bluntly, they exist to either make money from your data, to sell you more goods and services, or to influence your thinking. None of this AI exists for the public good. […] Unless there is a strong enough economic argument, don’t expect big companies to rush into producing Welsh, Gaelic or Cornish speech systems.8
Prof. Ian McLoughlin, University of Kent
Should they decide that a Kernewek AI is a viable profit-making enterprise, our situation may even be worse than abandonment. As Dr. Fintan Mallory remarks, the dominant means of profit for privately-funded AI enterprises is to convert their tools into surveillance devices.9 As Kernewek is currently one of the UK’s only languages which is not currently easily surveillable, this poses a huge risk to Kernewek activism and the fight for self-determination in a state that seeks to criminalise dissent.
While we’re on the subject of Kernewek and its position under capitalism, let’s consider the human cost. I lost my 13-year career in language to AI as soon as English output became viable enough to excuse not paying a human. In the unlikely instance that we achieve an AI that can produce quality Kernewek, why would anyone bother paying speakers? The idea of AI sucking all the life out of my heritage language when we are struggling to survive as-is is appalling.
Simply put, profit is antithetical to people. While AI is the new favourite toy of profit, it will be antithetical to people. And a language is its people.
KENEDHEL HEB YETH, KENEDHEL HEB KOLON
Combinations of characters on a screen mean nothing without agency and intention.10
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
While language is not unique to humans, it is one of the chief parts of being human. It cannot be reduced to mere data, but is a highly social process.11 We all know how synthetic customer support via robot sounds or how AI fails to pick up nuance. As Dr. Mallory comments, “Language [is] something more like the soul of a community. You can’t store this in a machine. You can’t solve a human problem like linguicide with a view of language that removes the human component.”12
AI cannot comprehend Kernewek or any other language. It is a stochastic parrot: predicting what word is likely to follow the previous one.13 It cannot understand us. It cannot intend anything. If it tells you it feels delighted to help you, it is lying. I want our community to grow, but one hundred ‘Cornish-speaking’ computers do not add to it. One human does—bringing ideas and hopes and fears and foibles—and I do not think the Kernewek ‘speaking’ computers will add even one human to our community.
Worse, if it does, there is evidence from Microsoft to suggest that the use of GenAI on language tasks, even once a week, impairs cognitive ability to learn, leading to decreased engagement with the topic, overreliance on the technology and hobbled skills in independent problem-solving.14 By using AI tools to ‘teach’ a learner Kernewek, we may in fact be impairing their ability to learn the language at all without this crutch. We will make regurgitators in place of speakers.
Perlin also emphasises the human element, saying that when we hold community central to our languages, as we do, the stochastic parrot can feel like a violation.15 At the moment, I can tell when someone is using AI ‘Kernewek’ to me. The idea that one day I will not know when an outsider—someone I would welcome if they took up a book or a class—is puppeting my ancestors’ jaws and speaking through them is ghoulish. It has the instant sting of colonialism, of appropriation when one could appreciate, of parroting when one could join our chorus.
Hawai’ian scholar Ha‘alilio Solomon agrees: “It is painful, because it reminds us of all the times that our culture and language has been appropriated. We have been fighting tooth and nail in an uphill climb for language revitalization.[…] People are going to think that this is an accurate representation of the Hawaiian language.”16
TRUST AND COMMUNITY FEELING
The anti-machine backlash has long been simmering but is now seemingly breaking to the surface.17
NBC NEWS
The explosion of insults for AI itself (clanker, tinskin, toaster), its output (slop, dross, brainrot) and its users (slopper, groksucker, botlicker, second-hand thinker)—as well as others more clearly based on real-world slurs than I am comfortable to include—tells a tale of the general attitude of distrust and disgust towards the technology and its use on anglophone and other majority language internet.18 While the attitude among tech bros and corporates remains bombastic, for the general public AI is “becoming interchangeable with things that sort of suck.”19
Further, it’s not just majority languages with this negative view of AI as taint. A quick sampling of social media comments and likes regarding AI and Scottish Gaelic by Professor Lamb showed a split of 54% negative, 33% positive and 13% neutral. (Lamb, 2024) The sentiment of the top-rated negative comment was that AI is harmful and the second-highest that AI should be kept away from heritage languages.
What are we telling our descendants? That our language and culture isn’t worth the personal effort? That’s how I might read it, if I were them.20
Kernewek survey respondent
Kernewek paints an even starker picture, especially among younger and more technologically-savvy learners and speakers. A survey on Cornish Discord and Whatsapp found that 65% felt AI would be bad (11.5%) or very bad (53%) for the language. When asked what the community response should be to AI, 46% said we should prevent it and 27% avoid it, with only over-60s thinking that we should work with it.20
31% of respondents said using AI in Kernewek would cause them to feel estranged from the language, while 54% said that they would feel strongly estranged and 23% a little estranged from any organisation, resource or teacher using AI.
The response from those who gave their knowledge of AI as either “expert” or “good” was particularly damning. Everyone in this group responded that AI would be harmful for the language, that the use of AI would estrange them from a source strongly and that we should prevent the use of AI for Kernewek.
IDENTITY, AUTHENTICITY AND DIVERSITY
Aristotelis Ioannis Paschalidis, writing for UNESCO, was not speaking specifically about minoritised languages when he asked this, but the question resonates even more strongly for us: “How much loss of identity is one willing to sacrifice for efficiency?”21
Identity is of paramount importance to Kernewek speakers. Ute Wimmer’s study Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish identified the language’s “function as a symbol of national identity” as the second highest motive (66%**) among speakers and learners, beaten only by Cornish culture (80%).22 This would seem cause for celebration, but when AI is added to the mix, it becomes a risk. Vincent Koc of Hyperlink states that AI can “inadvertently contribute to the dilution of language and cultural identity.”23
He also identifies that automating language learning or generation “may diminish the richness and authenticity that comes from human speakers who carry cultural histories in their speech.” Indeed, four studies by the University of Southern California have shown that using LLMs to assist writing “is linked to notable declines in linguistic diversity and may interfere with the societal and psychological insights language provides.”24
This is in English, one of the richest and largest languages in the world. Imagine the possible impact on a smaller language like Kernewek—with less documentation, less data, a tiny speakerbase and basically no money—and on its many language varieties and orthographies. Particular to the Kernewek context, Late speakers are already struggling to be seen as valid under the dominance of Middle. Do we think AI knows the difference? Thoughtlessly, it will either mix everything together, confusing everyone, or it will use Middle to overwhelm Late.
Generative AI-driven content creation, by favoring standardized languages, risks the disappearance of regional dialects.25
Barcelona supercomputing Center ….
Not only are varieties at risk; AI threatens to drown Kernewek as a whole. Perlin agrees that the linguistic flattening that occurred over centuries in English could manifest overnight in a minoritised language with AI at the helm—as it would be, being able to effortlessly outstrip human Kernewek. He raises concerns of LLMs freezing a language in place and even defining what it means to know the language, especially with low numbers of native speakers.26
Garbage translations multiply online like fake news. Native speakers of the languages in question are bypassed as being “too hard to find,” compared with automated methods of vetting that are completely disconnected from real-life communication. While larger and more powerful language communities may be able to hold the bots to account and even make strategic use of them, it is all too easy to imagine [a minority language] being overwhelmed.26
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Uncontrolled and in the hands of tech giants, synthetic Kernewek will outnumber and outmanoeuvre human Kernewek.
DATA SOVEREIGNTY AND COLONIALISM
Indigenous data sovereignty is the right of [an indigenous nation] to govern the collection, ownership, and application of its own data.27
Native Nations Institute
There are, however, indigenous cultures that are working on a more equitable relationship with AI. Tech without the giant requires resources, but it allows communities to retain data sovereignty over the cultural asset that is their language. Te Mana Raraunga, the Māori Data Sovereignty Network, has created a list of principles for the creation, use and sharing of Māori data, prioritising the need to enhance control for current and future Māori.
They raise a key point that should be considered carefully by stewards of linguistic and cultural knowledge: “Data from us, and about us and our resources, are valuable assets. Once control of it is lost, it is difficult to regain.”28 Decisions must not be taken lightly or hastily; we can always say “yes” if we have previously said “no” to a particular dataset’s use, but can never say “no” if we have already said “yes”.
The AI field, like any other space, is occupied by people who are set in their ways and unintentionally have a very colonial perspective.29
Michael Running Wolf, First Languages AI Reality
This is vital in the context of the potential control of Kernewek data by powerful external corporations. Capitalist extractivism has long been a bane on societies in the imperial periphery and our Cornish society is no different, having faced centuries of its wealth and natural resources being stripped and sold by and large for the profit of those outside Cornwall.
The book Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy notes that current data relations can be seen as “a continuation of the processes and underlying belief systems of extraction, exploitation, accumulation and dispossession that have been visited on Indigenous populations through historical colonialism.”30 This extractive understanding of information is, they note, not disrupted but rather replicated by paying people for their data.
Ultimately, our language must not lie in outside hands governed by proprietary principles that do not allow us sufficient sovereignty over one of our most valuable natural resources: our language. We must have open data principles, not bow to corporate control. We must steer and steward the use of our data, rather than expose it to use against our interests and for the pockets of big tech.
Rather than approaching language preservation as a technical problem, I think indigenous communities need to be politically empowered, whether that be funding from governments or legal protections to use their languages.31
Dr. Fintan Mallory, Durham University
We must prioritise language-as-community and seek open, equitable and ethical use of our language, heritage and other cultural assets. We must avoid thinking of AI as the magic that it promises and invest in basic research, driven by our own community. Corporations will not save us and, indeed, may do us great harm.
NO CORNISH ON A DEAD PLANET
Global capitalism and governments […] are addicted to ‘free’ market ideology over the wellbeing of communities, people and the planet.32
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Maniffesto 2022
Honestly, most takedowns of AI would have hit this point already. It’s one of the main arguments against Generative AI, but in case you’re not familiar with it, we will briefly look over the main points.
Water used in cooling AI data centers must be drinkable water. AI guzzles this water. The University of California has reported that “global water demand from AI could reach 4.2-6.6 billion cubic meters by 2027. That exceeds 50 percent of the UK’s annual water use in 2023.”33 All this while the Global Commission on the Economics of Water has declared “a rapidly accelerating water crisis” to which Kernewek should not be contributing.34
We have become utterly dependent on private technologies manufactured and controlled by a handful of opaque companies [who] appear mostly indifferent to the social consequences of their activities and only invest minimally if obliged by government regulations to enhance their public image.35
Iker Erdocia, Dublin City University
AI requires vast quantities of hardware at the cost of mining rare earth minerals. These are difficult to extract and purify and come with heavy environmental and social costs. They are often extracted from mines in countries with poorer environmental and labour protections. Reset states that “communities living near these mines, often indigenous or minority groups, regularly face land degradation, water contamination and human rights abuses. Much of this can be directly linked to the AI hardware.”36 When the hardware inevitably cooks and is useless, it is then thrown out as e-waste into poor communities. The potential advancement of Kernewek must not come at the expense of our sister indigenous and minority communities.
Training an also AI requires huge amounts of energy, soon perhaps as much as a small country37 and has an enormous carbon footprint.38 What is clear is that—through water usage, extractive industry, energy consumption and carbon footprint—AI is bad news for the struggling environment of the planet we live on and there is no Cornish on a dead planet.
MAKING AI AN EX-PARROT
Rather than making minority languages more accessible, AI is now creating an ever expanding minefield for students and speakers of those languages to navigate.39
mit technology review
We have heard of the vast improbability of getting AI to be able to mimic Kernewek in light of the costs in data, work, time and technology. We have considered the likely choice of cold negligence or surveillance product and the importance of data sovereignty. We have read about the effects on the livelihoods of Cornish speakers, as well as the the catastrophic costs to the environment and indigenous peoples.
We have learned that linguistic flattening by AI impoverishes its subjects and how AI may decide for us how our language must operate. We have seen the inescapability of language as human and the risks of creating ‘learners’ who cannot learn and ‘speakers’ who cannot speak. We have seen the dangers to reputation and trust for any organisation who would shovel what is seen as ‘slop’.
We have heard why giving in to the juggernaut of AI would be a mistake for Kernewek and how our community does not support our laying down of the shield. Instead, we must fight. We must make Kernewek a space as free of slop as possible, we must educate botlickers into ethical and effective language learning and use, we must avoid second-hand thinking.
We must make our language a no AI zone, a network of reliable humans and their human creations, built on authenticity, community, effort and trust: a Kernewek for the people, of the people and by the people.
KERNEWEK YN-DANN GEVALAV
Mes yn sur y hyllyn ni gwellhe taklow dres termyn? Y fydh res meur a weres a gompanis SK, mes y talvia dhyn. Yn trist, Gabriel Nicholas, kesvroder hwithrans orth an Center for Democracy and Technology, re drovyas pan wrug kompani tek fondya gallosow selyek rag unn yeth, i a omgeslowenha yn ughel hag ena movya yn-rag.7
Kompanis tek bras yw yndella poran: kompanis. Ymons i ena rag gwaynya budh. Y’n gwettha prys, ny wra marghas rewlys gans yethow bras ri kentryn dhe gevarghewi yn gwellhe rag an re byghan.
Oll a’n deknegieth kows, chiow konnyk ha systemow ynterweythres lev usys hedhyw yw an askorrasow a hwithrans kenwerthel. Dhe vos sogh, yth yns i po rag dendyl arghans a’th kedhlow, po gwertha gwara ha gonisyow, po delenwel dha dybyansow. Nyns yw tra vyth a’n SK ma rag an les kemmyn. […] Mar nag eus argyans erbysek krev lowr, na wra gwaytya kompanis bras dhe fyski dhe askorra systemow kows Kembrek, Godhalek po Kernewek.8
Prof. Ian McLoughlin, pennskol kint
Ha mars ervirons bos SK Kernewek aventur a yll gwaynya budh, possybyl yw bos agan studh gweth ages dell via gans forsakyans. Dell lever Dr. Fintan Mallor, an fordh vrassa a waynya budh rag kompanis SK arghesys yn privedh yw kedreylya aga thoulys yn devisyow aspians.9 Drefen bos Kernewek onan a’n yethow boghes y’n RU nag yw aspiadow yn es y’n eur ma, hemm yw peryl kowrek rag gweythresieth Kernewek ha’gan strif a-barth omdhetermyans yn stat a vynn galweythegi dissent.
Ha ni ow tochya Kernewek ha’y savla yn-dann gevalav, gwren ni mires orth an kost denel. My a gellis ow soodh 13 bloodh yn yethow dhe SK kettooth ha dell veu eskorrans Sowsnek hewul lowr dhe askusya sevel orth tyli den. Y’n kas diwirhaval may kevyn SK hag a yll askorra Kernewek da, prag y hwrussa nebonan omankombra ow pe kowser? An tybyans a SK ow tenna oll an bewnans a’m taves ertach ha ni ow kwynnel dhe dreusvewa dell on yw skruthus.
Yn sempel, budh yw gorthenebel orth tus. Hedre vo SK an degen nowydh flamm a vudh, y fydh gorthenebel orth tus. Ha yeth yw hy thus.
KENEDHEL HEB YETH, KENEDHEL HEB KOLON
Nyns eus styr dhe gesunyansow a lytherennow war skrin heb dewis ha heb mynnas.10
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Kyn nag yw yeth dibarow dhe dhensys, onan a’n rannow chif a vos denel yw. Ny yll bos lehes dhe gedhlow hepken, mes yth yw argerdh sosyel dres eghen.11 Ni oll a wor py mar synthesek y sen skoodhyans prener der SK po fatel yll SK fyllel orth konvedhes arliwyow. Dell gampol Dr. Mallory, “Yeth [yw] neppyth moy kepar hag enev a gemeneth. Ny yllir gwitha hemma yn jynn. Ny yllir assoylya kudyn denel kepar ha yethladhans gans gwel a yeth hag a remov an gerann denel.”12
Ny yll SK konvedhes Kernewek po taves vyth aral. Papynjay chonsus yw: y targan py ger yw gwirhaval wosa an huni kyns.13 Ny yll agan konvedhes. Ny yll mynnes tra vyth. Mar kwra derivas orthis y vos pes da dha weres, gow yw. My a vynn agan kemeneth dhe devi, mes ny wra kans jynn-amontya a yll ‘kewsel Kernewek’ keworra orti. Y hwra unn den—ow tri tybyansow ha govenegow hag ownow ha gwanderyow—ha ny dybav y hwra an jynnys-amontya kernwegorek keworra unn den hogen orth agan kemeneth.
Gwettha, mar kwra, yma dustuni a-dhyworth Microsoft hag a brof y hwra an devnydh a SKDin war oberennow yeth, unweyth an seythen hogen, aperya gallos godhvosel a dhyski, ow ledya orth omworrans lehes gans an desten, gorfydhyans y’n deknegieth ha sleyneth sprallys a assoylya kudynnow yn anserghek.14 Der usya toulys SK dhe ‘dhyski’ Kernewek, possybyl yw ni dhe shyndya gallos dyski an yeth vytholl heb an kroch ma. Ni a wra gul mimyoryon yn le Kernewegoryon.
Ynwedh Perlin a boslev an elven dhenel, ow leverel pan wren ni synsi kemeneth avel kres agan yethow, dell wren, an papynjay chonsus a yll bos klewys kepar ha defolyans.15 Y’n eur ma, my a aswon pan eus nebonan owth usya ‘Kernewek’ SK dhymm. An tybyans ny wrav vy unn jydh godhvos pan eus estren—nebonan a wrussen vy dynerghi mar pe lyver po klass ganses—ow popettya diwawen ow hengerens ha kewsel dresta yw bedhrosus. Yma dhe’n dra an wan dhistowgh a drevesigeth, a berghenegyans pan yllir gwerthveurhe, a bapynjaya pan yllir junya agan kesgan.
Unver yw skolheyk Hawai’i henwys Noah Ha‘alilio Solomon: “Ankensi yw, drefen ni dhe vos kofhes a’n prysyow oll re beu agan gonisogeth ha yeth perghenegys. Ni re beu owth omladh dre dhens hag ewines yn batel gales a-barth dasvewheans yeth.[…] Y hwra pobel krysi bos hemma representyans ewn a’n yeth a Hawai’i.”16
TREST HAG OMGLEWANS AN GEMENETH
Hir re beu an kil-lash gorthjynn ow kovryjyon mes lemmyn yma va ow terri an arenep dell hevel.17
NBC NEWS
Tardh an arvedhennow rag SK y honan (clanker, tinskin, toaster), y askorras (slop, dross, brainrot) ha’y usyoryon (slopper, groksucker, botlicker, second-hand thinker)—keffrys hag erel selys moy yn kler war geryow kas gwir dell ov attes gans aga heworra—a re hwedhel a stons ollgemmyn a wogrys ha divlases war-tu hag an deknegieth ha’y devnydh war an kesrosweyth Sowsnek ha yethow bras erel.18 Kynth yw an stons yn-mysk gwesyon dek ha korforeth hwath gwresek, rag an boblek gemmyn y hwra SK “dos ha bos keschanjyadow gans taklow tamm kawgh.”19
Pella, nyns yw marnas yethow moyhariv gans an gwel negedhek ma a SK avel podrek. Sampel uskis a gampollow media sosyel ha meusi ow tochya SK ha Godhalek Alban gans Professor Lamb a dhiskwedhas fals a 54% negedhek, 33% posedhek ha 13% heptu. (Lamb, 2024) Sentiment an kampol negedhek an moyha talvesys o bos SK dregynnus hag an nessa y talvia dhyn lettya SK rag kestav gans tavosow ertach.
Pyth eson ni ow leverel orth agan diyskynysi? Ny dal agan yeth ha gonisogeth an strivyans personel? Hemm yw martesen fatel wrussen vy y redya, a pen vy i.20
Gorthebydh sondyans Kernewek
Kernewek a baynt aven moy serth, yn arbennik gans dyskoryon ha kowsoryon yowynka ha moy skentel gans tek. Sondyans war Discord ha Whatsapp Kernewek a drovyas bos 65% a grysis y fia SK drog (11.5%) po pur dhrog (53%) rag an yeth. Pan veu govynnys pyth a dal bos gorthyp an gemeneth orth SK, 46% a leveris y kodh y hedhi ha 27% y woheles, gans an dus moy ha 60 bloodh hepken ow tybi y kodh oberi ganso.20
31% a worthebydhyon an sondyans a leveris y hwrussa an devnydh a SK yn Kernewek aga fellhe a’n yeth, hag ynwedh 54% a leveris y fiens i pellhes yn krev ha 23% pellhes tamm a by kowethas, asnodh po dyskador pynag ow tevnydhya SK.
An gorthyp a’n re a leveris bos aga godhvos a SK po “konnyk” po “da” o dampnus yn arbennik. Pubonan y’n bagas ma a worthebis y fia SK dregynnus rag Kernewek, y hwrussa an devnydh a SK gans pennfenten aga fellhe a’n bennfenten na yn krev hag y kodh dhyn hedhi an devnydh a SK rag Kernewek.
HONANIETH, LELDER HA DIVERSETH
Nyns esa Aristotelis Ioannis Paschalidis, ow skrifa a-barth UNESCO, ow kewsel yn komparek a-dro dhe yethow lyharivhes pan wrug ev y wovyn, mes an govyn a dhassen yn kreffa ragon: “Pygemmys koll a honanieth a vynnir sakrifia rag effeythuster?”21
Honanieth yw a’n moyha bri rag Kernewegoryon. Studhyans Ute Wimmer Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish a henow “gweythres [an yeth] avel arwodh a honanieth kenedhlek” avel an nessa ughella skila (66%**) yn-mysk kowsoryon ha dyskoryon, fethys gans gonisogeth Kernow (80%) hepken.22 Yth havalsa hemma bos acheson solempnyans, mes pan vo SK keworrys, y teu ha bos peryl. Vincent Koc a Hyperlink a lever y hyll SK “kevri dre wall orth an gwannheans a yeth ha honanieth wonisogethel”.23
Ev a aswon ynwedh y hallsa awtomategi dyski po dinythi yeth “lehe an rychedh ha lelder hag a dheu a gowsoryon dhenel neb a dheg istoriow gonisogethel y’ga hows”. Yn hwir, peswar studhyans gwrys gans Pennskol Kaliforni Soth re dhiskwedhas bos devnydhya PYB dhe weres gans skrifa “kelmys orth dyfygyansow nosedhek yn diverseth yethel hag y hyll mellya gans an konvedhes brysoniethel ha kowethasel yw proviys gans yeth.”24
Ha hemm yw yn Sowsnek, onan a’n yethow an ryccha ha brassa y’n bys. Dismyk an effeyth war yeth byghanna kepar ha Kernewek—gans le a dhogvennans, le a gedhlow, sel kowsoryon munys hag ogas hag arghans mann—ha war y lies orgraf hag eghen yeth. Yn arbennik yn gettesten Kernewek, seulabrys yma kowsoryon Diwedhes ow strivya dhe vos gwelys avel vas gans gwartheyvans Kres. A dybyn y hwor SK an dyffrans? Heb preder, y hwra po kemyska puptra warbarth, ow sowdheni pubonan, po devnydhya Kres dhe fetha Diwedhes.
An gwruthyl a dhalgh herdhys gans SK Dinythus, dre favera yethow savonegys, a argyl an vansyans a rannyethow ranndiryel.25
Kresen woramontyorieth Barcelona
Nyns yw eghennow hepken yn peryl; SK a wodros beudhi Kernewek yn tien. Akordys yw Perlin y hallsa an platheans yethel a hwarva dres kansbledhynnyow yn Sowsnek hwarvos dres nos yn yeth lyharivhes gans SK orth an fronnow—dell via, ow pos gallosek a bassya Kernewek denel heb assay. Ev a venek prederow yn kever PYB ow rewi yeth yn hy le ha hogen ow settya pyth yw an styr a wodhvos an yeth, yn arbennik gans niverow munys a gowsoryon deythyek.26
Treylyansow leun a atal a liesha warlinen kepar ha nowodhow fug. Kowsoryon deythyek a’n yethow ma yw passyes avel bos “re gales dhe drovya”, komparys orth fordhow awtomategys a surheans kwalita hag yw disjunys yn tien a geskomunyans y’n bys gwir. Kynth yw possybyl rag kemenethow yeth brassa ha moy gallosek synsi an bottys ma dhe akont ha’ga devnydhya yn stratejek hogen, re es yw dismygi [yeth lyhariv] ow pos reverthys.26
Ross Perlin, Endangered Language Alliance
Heb kontrol hag yn diwla an gewri deknegieth, Kernewek synthesek a wra gornivera ha gorthrabellhe Kernewek denel.
SOVRANEDH KEDHLOW HA KOLONEGIETH
Sovranedh kedhlow teythyek yw an gwir gans [kenedhel teythyek] a woverna an kuntel, perghenogeth ha gweytha a’y hedhlow hy honan.27
Native Nations Institute
Byttegyns, yma gonisogethow teythyek hag usi owth oberi war geskowethyans moy ewnhynsek gans SK. Tek heb an kowr a res asnodhow, mes y as kemenethow gwitha sovranedh kedhlow war an gerthen wonisogethel hag yw aga yeth. Te Mana Raraunga, Rosweyth Sovranedh Kedhlow Māori, re wrug rol a bennrewlys rag an gwruthyl, devnydhya ha kevrenna a gedhlow Māori, ow ragwirhe an edhom a grefhe maystri rag Māori a-lemmyn hag a dheu.
I a venek poynt posek hag a dalvia bos konsidrys gans rach gans stywards a skians yethel ha gonisogethel: “Kedhlow ahanan, a-dro dhyn ha’gan asnodhow, yw kerthennow a bris. Pan vo maystri kellys, kales yw y dhaskemeres.”28 Ny dal gul erviransow yn skav po yn uskis; y hyllyn pupprys leverel “ea” mar kwrussyn leverel “na” kyns orth us sett kedhlow, mes ny yllyn nevra leverel “na” mar kwrussyn leverel “ea” seulabrys.
An desten SK, kepar ha pub le aral, yw leun a dus hag yw settys y’ga maneryow ha gans gwel pur drevesigel yn tidowl.29
Michael Running Wolf, First Languages AI Reality
Hemm yw pur bosek y’n gettesten a’n kontrol possybyl a gedhlow Kernewek gans korforethow gallosek a-ves. Estenegieth jatelydhek re beu molleth war gowethasow y’n amal emperourethek ha nyns yw kowethas Kernewek dyffrans, wosa enebi kansvledhynnyow a’y rychys hag asnodhow naturek ow pos destryppys ha gwerthys dre vras gans budh tus yn-mes a Gernow.
An lyver henwys Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy a verk lemmyn y hyllir gweles perthynyansow kedhlow avel “pesyans a’n argerdhow ha systemow-krysi isworwedhek a estennans, drogusyans, kuntellyans ha diberghenogeth re beu gwrys war boblansow Teythyek dres trevesigeth istorek.”30 An konvedhes estennek ma a gedhlow yw, dell verkons, hevelebys a-der goderrys gans tyli pobel rag aga hedhlow.
Wostiwedh, res yw ma na vo agan yeth gorrys yn diwla a-ves routys gans pennrewlys perghenogel na as dhyn sovranedh lowr a onan a’gan asnodhow naturel an moyha posek: agan yeth. Res yw dhyn kavos pennrewlys kedhlow ygor, a-der plegya orth kontrol korforethel. Res yw dhyn lewya ha gidya an devnydh a’gan kedhlow, a-der y usya erbynn agan lesow ha rag pocketys tek bras.
A-der drehedhes an arwithans a davosow avel kudyn teknegiethel, my a dyb bos res dhe gemenethow teythyek bos reythhes yn politek, po der arghasans a wovernansow po dre dhifresyansow laghel dhe dhevnydhya aga yethow.31
Dr. Fintan Mallory, Pennskol Durham
Res yw dhyn ragwirhe yeth-avel-kemeneth ha hwilas devnydh ygor, ewnhynsek hag ethegel a’gan kerthennow yeth, ertach ha gonisogethel. Res yw dhyn goheles tybi a SK avel an hus mayth ambos ha kevarghewi yn hwithrans selyek, lewys gans agan kemeneth. Ny wra korforethow agan selwel ha, hogen, i a yll agan shyndya.
NYNS EUS KERNEWEK WAR BLANET MAROW
Governansow ha kevalav ollvysel […] yw omres dhe ideologieth marghas ‘rydh’ moy es dell yns omres dhe sewena kemenethow, pobel ha’n planet.32
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Maniffesto 2022
An brassa rann a vreusyansow a SK a wrussa meneges hemma seulabrys. Onan a’n argyansow brassa yw erbynn SK Dinythus, mes rag own bos ankoth dhis, ni a wra mires orth an chif boyntys.
Res yw bos evadow an dowr goyeynhe pub kresen kedhlow SK. Y kollenk an dowr ma. Pennskol Kaliforni re dherivas “y hallsa demond dowr ollvysel SK hedhes 4.2-6.6 bilvil metrow kubek erbynn 2027. Henn yw moy es 50 kansran a us dowr bledhynnyek an RU yn 2023.”33 Y kettermyn, an Desedhek Ollvysel Erbysieth Dowr a dheklaryas “barras dowr ow tardha yn uskis” ma na dal Kernewek kevri dhodho.34
Ni re dheuth ha bos yn hwir omres dhe deknegiethow privedh gwrys ha kontrolys gans dornas a gompanis diskler [hag] a hevel bos mygyl dre vras orth an sewyansow sosyel a’ga gwriansow ha kevri yn ispoyntel marnas mars yns i konstrinys gans rewlys an wovernans dhe wellhe aga imach poblek.35
Iker Erdocia, Pennskol Sita Dulyn
Yma edhom dhe SK a vynsow kowrek a galesweyth orth kost palas monyow tanow. Kales yw estenna ha purhe an re ma hag yma kostow kerghynedhel ha sosyel poos. Estennys yns i yn fenowgh a hwelyow yn powyow gans difresyansow lakka rag lavur ha’n kerghynnedh. Reset a lever “yn fenowgh y hwra kemenethow yw trigys yn ogas dhe’n hwelyow, yn fenowgh bagasow lyhariv po teythyek, enebi gwethheans an tir, defolyans an dowr hag abusyans gwiryow denel. Meur a hemma a yll bos kelmys yn tidro orth an galesweyth SK.”36 Pan yw an galesweyth kegys yn sertan hag euver, ena tewlys yw avel e-wast yn kemenethow boghosek. Res yw nyns yw an avonsyans possybyl a Gernewek orth kost agan kemenethow hwor lyhariv ha teythyek.
Ynwedh res yw myns hujes a nerth rag trenya SK, yn skon martesen an keth myns ha pow byghan37 hag yma ol troos karbon kowrek.38 Kler yw—der usadow dowr, diwysyans estennek, konsumyans nerth hag ol troos karbon—bos SK yeyn nowodhow rag kerghynnedh ow strivya a’n planet mayth on ni trigys warnodho ha nyns eus Kernewek war blanet marow.
GUL DHE SK BOS EKS-PAPYNJAY
A-der gul dhe yethow lyhariv bos moy hedhadow, lemmyn yma SK ow kwruthyl tardhek pupprys owth omlesa rag studhyoryon ha kowsoryon a’n yethow ma dhe wolya.39
mit technology review
Ni re glewas a’n anwirhevelepter efan a wul dhe SK gallos mimya Kernewek yn golow an kostys yn kedhlow, ober, termyn ha teknegieth. Ni re gonsidras lycklod an dewisynter dispresyans yeyn po askorras-aspia ha’n posekter a sovranedh kedhlow. Ni re redyas a-dro dhe’n effeythyow war vewnansow Kernewegoryon, keffrys ha’n kostys katastrofek rag an kerghynnedh ha poblow teythyek.
Ni re dhyskas y hwra platheans yethel gans SK boghosekhe y destennow ha fatel yll SK martesen ervira a’gan parth fatel godh dh’agan yeth oberi. Ni re welas an anwoheladewder a yeth avel denel ha’n peryllyow a wul ‘dyskoryon’ na yll dyski ha ‘kowsoryon’ na yll kewsel. Ni re welas an peryllyow orth bri ha fydhyans rag kowethasow a wrussa palas an pyth hag yw gwelys avel ‘skomblans’.
Ni re glewas prag y fia omblegya orth an jagganat a SK error rag Kernewek ha dell na vynn agan kemeneth skoodhya gorra an skoos a-dhyworthyn. Yn y le, res yw dhyn batalyas. Res yw dhyn gul dhe Gernewek bos spas mar rydh a skomblans dell yll bos, res yw adhyski orth botlapyoryon yn dyski ha devnydh yeth yn ethegel hag yn effeythus, res yw goheles tybi wortaswerth.
Res yw dhyn gul dh’agan yeth bos parth heb SK, rosweyth a dus fydhyadow ha’ga gwriansow denel, drehevys war lelder, kemeneth, assay ha trest: Kernewek hag yw a-barth an bobel, a’n bobel ha gans an bobel.
Niwlen Ster
Notennow
* A prime example is the laughably-unaffordable restaurant RenMor, which The Headland Hotel thinks is a version of “Re’n Mor”, which they believe means “by the sea” as in “next to the sea” but actually means “by the sea!” like saying “by Zeus!”. This is both hilarious and enraging.
** A figure perhaps lower than it should be if you consider that many of the “emotional motives” which were not counted in this category, such as “I’m Cornish, what better reason do you need?”, do also refer to identity.
FENTENNOW
1. Judah, J. (2025) How AI and Wikipedia have sent vulnerable languages into a doom spiral, MIT Technology Review.
2. Ackermann, A. (2023) When AI doesn’t speak your language, Coda.
3. Crichton, D. (2024) AI and the Death of Human Languages, Lux.
4. Lamb, W. (2024). Could Artificial Intelligence save Scottish Gaelic?, The University of Edinburgh.
5. Dencik, L. (/2025) AI Inequalities: Minority Languages, TUC Cymru.
6. Joshi, P., Santy, S., Budhiraja, A., Bali, K., & Microsoft Research, India. (2020). The State and Fate of Linguistic Diversity and Inclusion in the NLP World. Proceedings of the 58th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics.
7. Ackermann, A. (op cit)
8. McLoughlin, I. (2018) How to teach AI to speak Welsh (and other minority languages), The Conversation.
9. Mallory, F. (2025) RISE UP Panel Discussion & Q&A: What AI Can and Cannot Do for Minoritised Languages, YouTube.
10. Perlin, R. (2024) AI Won’t Protect Endangered Languages, The Dial.
11. RISE UP (2025) #4 RISE UP Event Summary: What AI Can and Cannot Do For Minoritised Languages, RISE UP.
12. Mallory, F. (2024) European Day of Languages: Will lesser spoken languages soon only be kept alive by AI technology? Durham University.
13. Bender, E., Gebru, T., McMillan-Major, A., & Mitchell, M. (2021) On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big? Proceedings of the 2021 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency
14. Lee, H.-P., Sarkar, A., Tankelevitch, L., Drosos, I., Rintel, S., Banks, R., & Wilson, N. (2025) The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers. Microsoft.
15. Perlin, R. (op cit)
16. Judah, J. (op cit)
17. Abbruzzese, J., & Wile, R. (2025) Is an AI backlash brewing? What ‘clanker’ says about growing frustrations with emerging tech, NBC News.
18. Webster, K. (2025) Why Using ChatGPT at Work Could Hurt Your Reputation, Inc. Magazine.
19. Herrman, J. (2024) Is That AI? Or Does It Just Suck?, Intelligencer.
20. Wilson, L. (2025) Skians Kreftus ha Kernewek/Artificial Intelligence and Cornish
21. Paschalidis, A. I. (2025) AI and the great linguistic flattening, UNESCO.
22. Wimmer, U. (2010). Reversing Language Shift: the Case of Cornish. Cornish Language Board, p. 113
23. Koc, V. (2025) Generative AI and Large Language Models in Language Preservation: Opportunities and Challenges, ResearchGate.
24. Sourati, Z., Karimi-Malekabadi, F., & Ozcan, M. (2025) The Shrinking Landscape of Linguistic Diversity in the Age of Large Language Models, ResearchGate.
25. Melero, M. (2024) The Future of Language (and Cultural) Diversity in the Age of AI, CLARIN.
26. Perlin, R. (op cit)
27. Russo Carroll, S., Rodriguez Lonebear, D., & Martinez, A. (2017). Data Governance for Native Nation Rebuilding, Native Nations Institute.
28. Te Mana Raraunga. (2018). Frequently Asked Questions, Te Mana Raraunga.
29. Ackermann, A. (op cit)
30. Walter, M., Kukutai, T., Carroll, S. R., & Rodriguez-Lonebear, D. (Eds.). (2020). Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy. Taylor & Francis, p. 24
31. Mallory, F. (op cit)
32. Cymdeithas yr Iaith (2022) Cymru Rydd, Cymru Werdd, Cymru Gymraeg., p. 27
33. O’Sullivan, L. (2025). How AI’s Failure on Linguistic Diversity is Deepening Global Inequality, RESET – Digital for Good.
34. Harvey, F. (2024). Global water crisis leaves half of world food production at risk in next 25 years, The Guardian.
35. Erdocia, I., Migge, B., & Schneider, B. (2024). Language is not a data set—Why overcoming ideologies of dataism is more important than ever in the age of AI. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 28(5), p. 23
36. O’Sullivan, L. (op cit)
37. Erdenesanaa, D. (2023) A.I. Could Soon Need as Much Electricity as an Entire Country, The New York Times
38. Heikkilä, M. (2022) We’re getting a better idea of AI’s true carbon footprint, MIT Technology Review.
39. Judah, J. (op cit)#4 #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Breus #Cornish #Cornwall #data #generativeAI #history #jynn #kedhlow #Kernewek #Kernow #Kernowek #LLM #machine #PYB #SK #SKDinythus #SkiansKreftus #Sordya
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Cinque Film 1: Il Viaggio
Amici cinefili e amiche cinefile, oggi diamo il benvenuto a una nuova rubrica, che spero diventerà un bel punto di riferimento per tutti voi lettori e lettrici. Contagiato da quel solito, immenso, pozzo di ispirazione che è Alta Fedeltà di Nick Hornby, mi dedicherò a liste di vario genere, quasi delle Top 5 in ordine sparso, ognuna con un tema diverso ad ogni puntata. Ovviamente il cinema sarà il perno di questo nuovo speciale, ma – udite udite – stavolta non sarà solo: l’idea infatti è di accompagnare le liste di Cinque Film con piccoli bonus che potrebbero cambiare, una volta composti da una canzone, un’altra da un libro, vedremo. Inoltre spesso sarete voi a consigliare il tema della rubrica: lo sceglierò infatti in base alle proposte che riceverò nelle stories instagram della pagina Film People, un modo per rendere sempre più vostro questo spazio.
Come primo tema di questa rubrica ho scelto il viaggio, anche perché la scorsa settimana è uscito il mio libro e quindi voglio raccontarvi Cinque Film che hanno ispirato la stesura del mio diario di viaggio. Non solo una strada da percorrere, ma anche film che parlano di incontri in terre straniere, connessioni, bisogno di ritrovarsi. Cominciamo!
Before Sunrise (1995): Ethan Hawke e Julie Delpy si conoscono in treno e passano una giornata intera per le strade di Vienna. Se c’è un piccolo sognatore dentro qualcuno di noi, quello scomodo individuo romantico che si muove sotto la nostra pelle amerà questo film, perché forse ci ricorderà vagamente quella notte che abbiamo vissuto anche noi in questo o quel viaggio, o forse ci commuove perché noi un’esperienza così non la vivremo mai. Primo capitolo della straordinaria trilogia di Richard Linklater. Quando il viaggio è un incontro, una scoperta, un nuovo amore.
I Diari della Motocicletta (2004): Gael Garcia Bernal si fa conoscere al grande pubblico grazie a questo cult movie di Walter Salles, incentrato sul viaggio di Ernesto Guevara de la Serna e Alberto Granado, che in sella a una vecchia motocicletta hanno attraversato la loro maiuscola America. La scoperta di una coscienza che trasformerà un “quasi” dottore in medicina in uno dei più grandi combattenti per la libertà. Quando il viaggio è un modo per scoprire chi siamo veramente.
Lost in Translation (2003): Quando si parla di film sui viaggi è impensabile non citare questo capolavoro di Sofia Coppola, con Bill Murray e una giovane Scarlett Johansson che si incontrano in un albergo di Tokyo, dove condivideranno parole, sussurri, canzoni e malinconie. La capitale del Giappone diventa un personaggio vero e proprio, in questo splendido film in cui il viaggio è l’incontro tra due solitudini.
Midnight in Paris (2011): Owen Wilson, in viaggio in Francia, viaggia nel tempo e si ritrova nella Parigi degli anni 20, dove conosce i più grandi artisti di quell’epoca. Quando uscì questo film, amici francesi e italiani mi scrissero in massa, indipendentemente gli uni dagli altri, per dirmi cose del tipo: “Woody Allen ha fatto un film su di te”, “Ma lo hai scritto tu questo film?” o anche “Ti ho pensato tanto”. Questo perché solo un anno prima ho vissuto per un breve periodo nella Ville Lumiere, dove camminavo per la città in cerca di ispirazioni, risposte, un po’ come fa Owen Wilson. Certo, io non ho incontrato nei bar né Hemingway né Scott Fitzgerald, ma non mi posso di certo lamentare (se volete saperne di più, nel mio libro trovate anche queste storie!). Quando il viaggio è cambiamento e una nuova consapevolezza.
I Sogni Segreti di Walter Mitty (2013): L’archivista Ben Stiller, che non ha mai messo il naso fuori New York, per salvare il proprio posto di lavoro deve ripercorrere le tracce del fotografo freelance Sean Penn in giro per il mondo. Per il protagonista sarà l’occasione di vivere esperienze straordinarie che non avrebbe mai neanche immaginato. Il fascino dello scatto fotografico, ma anche l’attrazione dei viaggi in solitaria. Probabilmente ciò che rende davvero speciale questo film è, nonostante le incongruenze e le assurdità, la sua capacità di lasciarci sui titoli di coda con la voglia di rendere magico ogni momento della nostra vita. Quando il viaggio è scoperta e ispirazione.
Quali film aggiungereste a questa lista? Quale volete che sia il prossimo tema della rubrica Cinque Film?
BONUS
Una bella canzone che parla di viaggi: La Strada, Modena City Ramblers.
Un bel libro che parla di viaggi: Strade Blu, William Least Heat-Moon#cinemaViaggi #cinqueFilm #daVedere #film #filmSuiViaggi #roadMovie #storieDiViaggio #top5 #viaggi
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Cinque Film 1: Il Viaggio
Amici cinefili e amiche cinefile, oggi diamo il benvenuto a una nuova rubrica, che spero diventerà un bel punto di riferimento per tutti voi lettori e lettrici. Contagiato da quel solito, immenso, pozzo di ispirazione che è Alta Fedeltà di Nick Hornby, mi dedicherò a liste di vario genere, quasi delle Top 5 in ordine sparso, ognuna con un tema diverso ad ogni puntata. Ovviamente il cinema sarà il perno di questo nuovo speciale, ma – udite udite – stavolta non sarà solo: l’idea infatti è di accompagnare le liste di Cinque Film con piccoli bonus che potrebbero cambiare, una volta composti da una canzone, un’altra da un libro, vedremo. Inoltre spesso sarete voi a consigliare il tema della rubrica: lo sceglierò infatti in base alle proposte che riceverò nelle stories instagram della pagina Film People, un modo per rendere sempre più vostro questo spazio.
Come primo tema di questa rubrica ho scelto il viaggio, anche perché la scorsa settimana è uscito il mio libro e quindi voglio raccontarvi Cinque Film che hanno ispirato la stesura del mio diario di viaggio. Non solo una strada da percorrere, ma anche film che parlano di incontri in terre straniere, connessioni, bisogno di ritrovarsi. Cominciamo!
Before Sunrise (1995): Ethan Hawke e Julie Delpy si conoscono in treno e passano una giornata intera per le strade di Vienna. Se c’è un piccolo sognatore dentro qualcuno di noi, quello scomodo individuo romantico che si muove sotto la nostra pelle amerà questo film, perché forse ci ricorderà vagamente quella notte che abbiamo vissuto anche noi in questo o quel viaggio, o forse ci commuove perché noi un’esperienza così non la vivremo mai. Primo capitolo della straordinaria trilogia di Richard Linklater. Quando il viaggio è un incontro, una scoperta, un nuovo amore.
I Diari della Motocicletta (2004): Gael Garcia Bernal si fa conoscere al grande pubblico grazie a questo cult movie di Walter Salles, incentrato sul viaggio di Ernesto Guevara de la Serna e Alberto Granado, che in sella a una vecchia motocicletta hanno attraversato la loro maiuscola America. La scoperta di una coscienza che trasformerà un “quasi” dottore in medicina in uno dei più grandi combattenti per la libertà. Quando il viaggio è un modo per scoprire chi siamo veramente.
Lost in Translation (2003): Quando si parla di film sui viaggi è impensabile non citare questo capolavoro di Sofia Coppola, con Bill Murray e una giovane Scarlett Johansson che si incontrano in un albergo di Tokyo, dove condivideranno parole, sussurri, canzoni e malinconie. La capitale del Giappone diventa un personaggio vero e proprio, in questo splendido film in cui il viaggio è l’incontro tra due solitudini.
Midnight in Paris (2011): Owen Wilson, in viaggio in Francia, viaggia nel tempo e si ritrova nella Parigi degli anni 20, dove conosce i più grandi artisti di quell’epoca. Quando uscì questo film, amici francesi e italiani mi scrissero in massa, indipendentemente gli uni dagli altri, per dirmi cose del tipo: “Woody Allen ha fatto un film su di te”, “Ma lo hai scritto tu questo film?” o anche “Ti ho pensato tanto”. Questo perché solo un anno prima ho vissuto per un breve periodo nella Ville Lumiere, dove camminavo per la città in cerca di ispirazioni, risposte, un po’ come fa Owen Wilson. Certo, io non ho incontrato nei bar né Hemingway né Scott Fitzgerald, ma non mi posso di certo lamentare (se volete saperne di più, nel mio libro trovate anche queste storie!). Quando il viaggio è cambiamento e una nuova consapevolezza.
I Sogni Segreti di Walter Mitty (2013): L’archivista Ben Stiller, che non ha mai messo il naso fuori New York, per salvare il proprio posto di lavoro deve ripercorrere le tracce del fotografo freelance Sean Penn in giro per il mondo. Per il protagonista sarà l’occasione di vivere esperienze straordinarie che non avrebbe mai neanche immaginato. Il fascino dello scatto fotografico, ma anche l’attrazione dei viaggi in solitaria. Probabilmente ciò che rende davvero speciale questo film è, nonostante le incongruenze e le assurdità, la sua capacità di lasciarci sui titoli di coda con la voglia di rendere magico ogni momento della nostra vita. Quando il viaggio è scoperta e ispirazione.
Quali film aggiungereste a questa lista? Quale volete che sia il prossimo tema della rubrica Cinque Film?
BONUS
Una bella canzone che parla di viaggi: La Strada, Modena City Ramblers.
Pochi minuti per girare il mondo, da Galway ai bar di Lisbona, una canzone che racconta perfettamente le connessioni e gli incontri che si fanno in viaggio (Buon viaggio hermano querido e buon cammino ovunque tu vada, forse un giorno potremo incontrarci di nuovo lungo la strada).Un bel libro che parla di viaggi: Strade Blu, William Least Heat-Moon.
La storia autobiografica dell’autore il quale, dopo aver perso lavoro e moglie (e aver addirittura accarezzato l’idea di togliersi la vita), ritrova se stesso sulle strade degli Stati Uniti. Non le autostrade però, ma le Strade Blu che trova sulle mappe, le vie secondarie, dove sfiorare la provincia e le tante vite che incontra per strada.#cinemaViaggi #cinqueFilm #daVedere #film #filmSuiViaggi #roadMovie #storieDiViaggio #top5 #viaggi
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Cinque Film 1: Il Viaggio
Amici cinefili e amiche cinefile, oggi diamo il benvenuto a una nuova rubrica, che spero diventerà un bel punto di riferimento per tutti voi lettori e lettrici. Contagiato da quel solito, immenso, pozzo di ispirazione che è Alta Fedeltà di Nick Hornby, mi dedicherò a liste di vario genere, quasi delle Top 5 in ordine sparso, ognuna con un tema diverso ad ogni puntata. Ovviamente il cinema sarà il perno di questo nuovo speciale, ma – udite udite – stavolta non sarà solo: l’idea infatti è di accompagnare le liste di Cinque Film con piccoli bonus che potrebbero cambiare, una volta composti da una canzone, un’altra da un libro, vedremo. Inoltre spesso sarete voi a consigliare il tema della rubrica: lo sceglierò infatti in base alle proposte che riceverò nelle stories instagram della pagina Film People, un modo per rendere sempre più vostro questo spazio.
Come primo tema di questa rubrica ho scelto il viaggio, anche perché la scorsa settimana è uscito il mio libro e quindi voglio raccontarvi Cinque Film che hanno ispirato la stesura del mio diario di viaggio. Non solo una strada da percorrere, ma anche film che parlano di incontri in terre straniere, connessioni, bisogno di ritrovarsi. Cominciamo!
Before Sunrise (1995): Ethan Hawke e Julie Delpy si conoscono in treno e passano una giornata intera per le strade di Vienna. Se c’è un piccolo sognatore dentro qualcuno di noi, quello scomodo individuo romantico che si muove sotto la nostra pelle amerà questo film, perché forse ci ricorderà vagamente quella notte che abbiamo vissuto anche noi in questo o quel viaggio, o forse ci commuove perché noi un’esperienza così non la vivremo mai. Primo capitolo della straordinaria trilogia di Richard Linklater. Quando il viaggio è un incontro, una scoperta, un nuovo amore.
I Diari della Motocicletta (2004): Gael Garcia Bernal si fa conoscere al grande pubblico grazie a questo cult movie di Walter Salles, incentrato sul viaggio di Ernesto Guevara de la Serna e Alberto Granado, che in sella a una vecchia motocicletta hanno attraversato la loro maiuscola America. La scoperta di una coscienza che trasformerà un “quasi” dottore in medicina in uno dei più grandi combattenti per la libertà. Quando il viaggio è un modo per scoprire chi siamo veramente.
Lost in Translation (2003): Quando si parla di film sui viaggi è impensabile non citare questo capolavoro di Sofia Coppola, con Bill Murray e una giovane Scarlett Johansson che si incontrano in un albergo di Tokyo, dove condivideranno parole, sussurri, canzoni e malinconie. La capitale del Giappone diventa un personaggio vero e proprio, in questo splendido film in cui il viaggio è l’incontro tra due solitudini.
Midnight in Paris (2011): Owen Wilson, in viaggio in Francia, viaggia nel tempo e si ritrova nella Parigi degli anni 20, dove conosce i più grandi artisti di quell’epoca. Quando uscì questo film, amici francesi e italiani mi scrissero in massa, indipendentemente gli uni dagli altri, per dirmi cose del tipo: “Woody Allen ha fatto un film su di te”, “Ma lo hai scritto tu questo film?” o anche “Ti ho pensato tanto”. Questo perché solo un anno prima ho vissuto per un breve periodo nella Ville Lumiere, dove camminavo per la città in cerca di ispirazioni, risposte, un po’ come fa Owen Wilson. Certo, io non ho incontrato nei bar né Hemingway né Scott Fitzgerald, ma non mi posso di certo lamentare (se volete saperne di più, nel mio libro trovate anche queste storie!). Quando il viaggio è cambiamento e una nuova consapevolezza.
I Sogni Segreti di Walter Mitty (2013): L’archivista Ben Stiller, che non ha mai messo il naso fuori New York, per salvare il proprio posto di lavoro deve ripercorrere le tracce del fotografo freelance Sean Penn in giro per il mondo. Per il protagonista sarà l’occasione di vivere esperienze straordinarie che non avrebbe mai neanche immaginato. Il fascino dello scatto fotografico, ma anche l’attrazione dei viaggi in solitaria. Probabilmente ciò che rende davvero speciale questo film è, nonostante le incongruenze e le assurdità, la sua capacità di lasciarci sui titoli di coda con la voglia di rendere magico ogni momento della nostra vita. Quando il viaggio è scoperta e ispirazione.
Quali film aggiungereste a questa lista? Quale volete che sia il prossimo tema della rubrica Cinque Film?
BONUS
Una bella canzone che parla di viaggi: La Strada, Modena City Ramblers.
Un bel libro che parla di viaggi: Strade Blu, William Least Heat-Moon#cinemaViaggi #cinqueFilm #daVedere #film #filmSuiViaggi #roadMovie #storieDiViaggio #top5 #viaggi
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Penne rigate with sautéed bell peppers, tuna and anchovies #BlueskySupperClub #WhatsCooking #foodsky
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Penne rigate with sautéed bell peppers, tuna and anchovies #BlueskySupperClub #WhatsCooking #foodsky
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Penne rigate with sautéed bell peppers, tuna and anchovies #BlueskySupperClub #WhatsCooking #foodsky
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Penne rigate with sautéed bell peppers, tuna and anchovies #BlueskySupperClub #WhatsCooking #foodsky
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Together for Palestine: Troubling questions about the organisers of this huge event | Al Mayadeen English (2025-09-17)
https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/opinion/together-for-palestine
———>> A huge concert is planned at Wembley arena in London on 17th September. Under the title Together for Palestine a long list of acts are performing, including Brian Eno, …
>> The Together for Palestine event website says: “Every penny donated will go to supporting Palestinian-led humanitarian organisations saving lives under fire. All funds will go through Choose Love, a UK-registered charity who support local partners in conflict zones.”
>> So who gets the funds? It doesn’t say…
#TogetherForPalestine #ChooseLove
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