A small language with a recent change in status
Cornish (Kernewek) is the Celtic language of Cornwall, in England. Earlier guides on this site cover Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Irish and Ulster Scots. This article summarises pages from Cornwall Council on the language programme, on learning Cornish and on the Cornish national minority, a Cornwall Council news release of 22 January 2026 on the language’s new status, a GOV.UK press release of 24 April 2014 and the WJEC page for its Language Pathways Cornish qualifications. It concerns the Cornish language in Cornwall, and describes what those bodies say about it.
What “Part III” means and when it arrived
Cornwall Council’s language programme page states that the UK Government formally recognised Cornish in 2002 under Part II of the Council of Europe’s Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and that in 2025 the UK Government recognised Cornish under Part III of the same Charter. It says this gives stronger support, with commitments to particular areas of language development. The council’s news release of 22 January 2026 reports that the Council of Europe has approved Part III status, describing it as bringing Kernewek the same level of promotion as the other Celtic languages recognised across the British Isles, including Welsh, Manx and Gaelic. Councillors and MPs quoted in that release describe the recognition as the result of many years of campaigning. One MP says he has raised with the Prime Minister the obligations that follow from Part III, in particular changes needed so that anyone who wishes to learn Cornish can do so.
Recognition of the Cornish as a people is a separate matter. The UK Government press release of 24 April 2014 announced that the Cornish would be recognised under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, giving them the same status as the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish. Cornwall Council’s minority page adds that a council working group set up to support the Framework Convention also oversees progress against the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
The strategy behind the language
Cornwall Council says it leads the Cornish language programme and that the current strategy runs for ten years from 2026 to 2036, with four key areas: learning, community and culture, status and corpus. The programme’s stated aims include increasing the number of Kernewek speakers, giving the language a wider use and higher profile, creating favourable conditions for its use in public life and improving digital equality. The page describes the language as being in a stronger state than for a long time while still needing a programme to protect, support and develop it.
Where a new learner starts
Cornwall Council’s “Learn Cornish” page (last updated 16 July 2025) directs beginners to the Go Cornish website, which it says offers a way to find a Cornish class, learn some words and phrases and download a learning app. It also points teachers and prospective class organisers to the teachers’ association Ros Dyski, which supports people teaching the language. The council’s language pages also list a Cornish Language Office and an online translation request service.
Qualifications: WJEC Language Pathways Cornish
WJEC, the awarding body, lists Language Pathways Cornish qualifications on its website, with teaching from September 2012. The reference codes on the page show five awards: the WJEC Entry Level Pathway Award in Spoken Cornish (Entry 3), Level 1 and Level 2 Pathway Awards in Spoken Cornish, and Level 1 and Level 2 Pathway Awards in Written Cornish. WJEC describes the Language Pathways qualifications as supporting the acquisition of language skills in purposeful contexts, for learners with an interest in learning a language for the first time as well as those improving existing skills, regardless of skill on entry.
Cornwall Council’s page describes the Entry Level assessment as spoken Cornish only, with no written papers, drawn from three units: communicating personal information, education and employment, and social activities. It says candidates can choose which units they are assessed in and choose different units in later years at a higher level, so that they can deepen the range of their Cornish over time. Cornwall Council describes WJEC as offering a range of qualifications accredited under the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF), in which learners show what they can do with the language rather than what they can remember. The exam-centre policies, appeals procedure and complaints procedure are published by the Cornish Language Office.
Other Celtic languages on this site
- Welsh has a statutory framework and a national learner programme: Learning Welsh.
- Scottish Gaelic has a 2005 Act and a public body: Learning Scottish Gaelic.
- Irish and Ulster Scots in Northern Ireland are covered under a 2022 Act: Irish and Ulster Scots in Northern Ireland.
The bottom line
Cornish is a recognised minority language with a ten-year strategy from 2026 to 2036 and, according to Cornwall Council, Part III status under the European Charter, reported by the council as approved in January 2026. A beginner can start through the Go Cornish site and local classes, and can take WJEC Pathway awards from Entry 3 in spoken Cornish to Level 2 in spoken and written Cornish.
Sources
- Cornwall Council, “Cornish Language Programme” (cornwall.gov.uk)
- Cornwall Council, “Learn Cornish” (cornwall.gov.uk)
- Cornwall Council, “Cornish language officially granted Part III status” (22 January 2026) (cornwall.gov.uk)
- Cornwall Council, “Cornish National Minority” (cornwall.gov.uk)
- GOV.UK, HM Treasury, “Cornish granted minority status within the UK” (24 April 2014)
- WJEC, “Language Pathways Cornish” (wjec.co.uk)