In a surprising turn of events, Tesco has issued an apology after it erroneously displayed bilingual signs in Welsh at one of its stores located in Cornwall, which is quite far from Wales. Shoppers visiting the Tesco branch in Helston—approximately 200 miles away from South Wales—might have found themselves puzzled by the signs that directed them to 'pysgod,' the Welsh term for fish, rather than the Cornish equivalent. Similarly, the sign for sweet potato read 'tatws melys,' again using Welsh instead of the local Cornish language.
Councillor Loveday Jenkin, a prominent figure within the Mebyon Kernow political party advocating for enhanced self-governance in Cornwall, expressed her appreciation for Tesco's initiative in putting up bilingual signage. However, she pointed out that it would have been even more thrilling if the signs had featured Cornish instead of Welsh. During her visit to the Tesco store on Wednesday, she took the opportunity to thank the customer service team for their efforts but also kindly requested that they use the correct Celtic language.
As a fluent speaker of Kernewek (Cornish), Loveday highlighted that while there are some similarities between Cornish and Welsh, they are distinct languages. For instance, in Cornish, the word for fish is 'pysk,' and sweet potato is referred to as 'aval dor melys.' She noted, "If you weren’t a Cornish speaker, you might get mixed up with Cornish and Welsh," emphasizing the need for accuracy in such signage.
Loveday hopes this error won't discourage Tesco from continuing to promote bilingual signs. She remarked that several other supermarkets and shops already feature signage in Cornish, and there is a noticeable presence of the Cornish language on road signs and public buildings.
This incident comes at a significant time, as in January, Kernewek received official recognition under Part III of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, thereby granting it greater protection and status. According to Cornwall Council, there are approximately 500 advanced speakers of Cornish and around 2,000 individuals with basic proficiency in the language. Gwenno Saunders, a Cornish/Welsh singer who was nominated for the Mercury Prize, has voiced her belief that Cornish should be taught more widely to children in the county to ensure the language’s survival and cultural heritage.
Perran Moon, the Labour MP for Camborne and Redruth, commented that the new status of the Cornish language is a positive development for Cornwall. He stated, "We are also pleased that retailers are starting to use bilingual signage; however, this mistake clearly highlights the importance of accessibility to the Cornish language for those who wish to use it."
Garry Tregidga, co-director of the University of Exeter’s Institute for Cornish Studies, mentioned that although this blunder is embarrassing for Tesco, the intention to include Cornish language signs is commendable. He expressed hope that replacement signs would be created in the correct language. Tregidga added, "What is also positive is that this mistake was noticed. It shows the increasing number of people engaging with and recognizing Cornish. If anyone from Tesco needs assistance with the new signs, many would be eager to help."
He emphasized that with the UK government now acknowledging Cornish on par with Welsh and Gaelic, there exists an excellent opportunity to unify the cultural, economic, and political aspects of Cornish identity, enabling communities to strive towards a brighter future rather than remaining marginalized within the UK.
While Welsh (Cymraeg) enjoys much broader usage in Wales, the Welsh government aims for one million speakers by 2050. Ffred Ffransis, a notable Welsh language advocate, supports initiatives to promote the Cornish language. He asserted, "Here in Wales, we are advocating for major companies like Tesco to extend their bilingual signage beyond just significant displays, ensuring all signs related to daily offers and customer notices reflect both languages, underscoring the practical use of Welsh."
Following the uproar, the Welsh signs have since been taken down from the Helston Tesco. A spokesperson for Tesco acknowledged the error, stating, "We’re sorry for this mistake and have removed these signs." It is expected that the signs will be replaced with ones in Cornish at the earliest opportunity.
