Agan Tavas

Agan Tavas, whose name means “Our Language” in Cornish, is a society based in the United Kingdom that supports the revival and everyday use of the Cornish language. It was established in 1987 during the modern Cornish-language revival, a broader cultural movement seeking to restore Cornish as a spoken, written, and community language in Cornwall and among the wider Cornish diaspora. The society’s initial membership model was selective: people observed to speak Cornish fluently could join by invitation. In 1990, the organisation was reorganised as an open society, broadening participation and establishing a continuing institutional base for its language work. Agan Tavas has historically placed particular emphasis on the Unified form of revived Cornish associated with Robert Morton Nance’s 1929 orthography. Its position is not simply to impose one spelling system across the Cornish-language community. The society recognises the validity of revived Cornish forms based on orthographies used by Cornish people at different points in the language’s history, while opposing what it regards as unnecessary invention in modern Cornish. It supports amendments to Unified Cornish associated with Nicholas Williams, while respecting members’ use of both Unified Cornish and Unified Cornish Revised. The society’s activities combine language advocacy, education, publishing, and community organisation. It maintains information about classes that use historical forms of Cornish, organises events for members, and publishes books in Unified Cornish and Unified Cornish Revised. Its principal member publication is An Gowsva, a bilingual magazine whose title can be translated as “The Talking Shop.” The periodical provides a forum for language discussion and publishes material in several contemporary orthographic approaches, including Standard Written Form and Kernowek Standard, while allowing the use of traditional graphs. Agan Tavas has also participated in debates about how the Cornish-language community can work across orthographic differences. Former chairmen Andrew Climo and Craig Weatherhill advocated bringing language users together around a Standard Written Form grounded in traditional Cornish. At an extraordinary general meeting in September 2008, the society’s membership voted overwhelmingly to support the Standard Written Form while seeking to protect the teaching of traditional Cornish. The same decision also recognised Kernowek Standard. This position reflected an effort to balance continuity with historical forms against the practical need for shared written standards in education and public communication. The organisation’s role is therefore both cultural and practical. It preserves older Cornish traditions, supports learners and teachers, provides publishing opportunities, and contributes to discussions about spelling and language planning. The society has attracted members who learned Cornish through the Standard Written Form, and its magazine has provided space for writing in multiple standards. In 2025, Agan Tavas was listed among organisations involved in commemorating the Cornish Rebellion of 1497 and John de Rosewarne, a rebel leader associated with Camborne, alongside the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies, Mebyon Kernow, and St Meriadoc School. Agan Tavas remains an active language-promotion society rather than a conventional commercial consumer brand.

Agan Tavas was formed in 1987 as part of the modern revival of the Cornish language. Its original membership arrangements reflected the small and specialist character of the revived-language movement: people considered fluent in Cornish could be invited to join. In 1990, the society was reorganised as an open society, enabling a wider range of learners, speakers, teachers, writers, and supporters to participate. The organisation adopted a continuing role in supporting Unified Cornish, the revived orthographic tradition associated with Robert Morton Nance’s work in 1929. Over time, Agan Tavas developed a position that combined support for a preferred historical framework with recognition of the diversity of Cornish revival practice. It accepts the validity of revived Cornish forms based on orthographies used historically by Cornish people and discourages excessive invention in modern language construction. The society supports amendments to Unified Cornish associated with Nicholas Williams, while allowing members to use either Unified Cornish or Unified Cornish Revised. Its work has included maintaining lists of classes using historical Cornish, organising member events, publishing books, and producing An Gowsva, a bilingual magazine published for members at four-month intervals. The magazine has helped provide a platform for articles in different written forms of Cornish, including Standard Written Form and Kernowek Standard, with provision for traditional graphs. Agan Tavas has also contributed to discussions about orthographic unity within the Cornish-language movement. Former chairmen Andrew Climo and Craig Weatherhill supported efforts to bring the community together through a Standard Written Form based on traditional Cornish. At an extraordinary general meeting in September 2008, members voted overwhelmingly to support the Standard Written Form while protecting the teaching of the traditional language. The resolution also supported Kernowek Standard. This approach allowed the society to engage with newer learners and educational practices without abandoning the historical forms central to its identity. The society’s later public activity has continued to connect Cornish-language advocacy with broader Cornish cultural history. In 2025, it joined other cultural and civic organisations in commemorating the Cornish Rebellion of 1497 and John de Rosewarne, a rebel leader associated with Camborne. Agan Tavas’s history is consequently defined less by commercial expansion than by sustained voluntary and cultural work: maintaining a community for Cornish speakers, supporting written production, encouraging teaching, and participating in debates about how a revived language should be represented and transmitted.

• 2025

  1497 Cornish Rebellion commemoration

  [1]Agan Tavasen.wikipedia.org

  Agan Tavas participated in a commemoration of the Cornish Rebellion of 1497 and John de Rosewarne alongside other Cornish cultural and civic organisations.

• 2008

  Support for Standard Written Form

  [1]Agan Tavasen.wikipedia.org

  At an extraordinary general meeting in September, members voted overwhelmingly to support the Standard Written Form while safeguarding traditional-language teaching and recognising Kernowek Standard.

• 1990

  Reorganisation as an open society

  [1]Agan Tavasen.wikipedia.org

  The society was reformed by its members as an open organisation, expanding participation beyond invited fluent speakers.

• 1987

  Society founded

  [1]Agan Tavasen.wikipedia.org

  Agan Tavas was formed to promote Cornish as a spoken language during the modern Cornish revival.

A community-led Cornish-language society positioned around language revival, historical continuity, inclusive participation, and cooperation across revived-Cornish orthographies.

• Bilingual member magazine

  An Gowsva

  An Gowsva, translated as “The Talking Shop,” is Agan Tavas’s bilingual member magazine. It provides a recurring platform for Cornish-language writing, discussion, and society communication. The publication has included material using Standard Written Form and Kernowek Standard as well as forms that retain traditional graphs.

• Books and publications

  Cornish-language books

  Agan Tavas publishes books in Unified Cornish and Unified Cornish Revised. These publications support reading, language learning, and the continuation of written production within the orthographic traditions recognised by the society.

• Language education

  Language classes and educational support

  The society maintains information about classes using historical forms of Cornish and supports learners who approach the language through different revived orthographies. Its educational role is part of its wider effort to make Cornish a usable spoken and written community language.

• 20251497 Cornish Rebellion and John de Rosewarne commemoration

  United Kingdom

  Agan Tavas took part in a commemoration of the 1497 Cornish Rebellion and John de Rosewarne, a rebel leader associated with Camborne, in collaboration with other Cornish cultural and educational organisations.

  Outcome. The available reference identifies the commemoration and participating organisations but does not provide further outcome details.

  Source

• 2008

  Adoption of a cross-orthography language positionStrategy

  Background

  The Cornish-language community used several revived orthographies, creating a need to balance historical forms with a shared written standard for teaching and communication.

  Action taken

  At an extraordinary general meeting, members voted to support the Standard Written Form while protecting traditional-language teaching and also supporting Kernowek Standard. The society continued to recognise Unified Cornish and Unified Cornish Revised.

  Aftermath

  The decision allowed Agan Tavas to support newer learners using the Standard Written Form while retaining space for traditional and Unified forms in society activities and publications.

  Source

1. 1Agan Tavasen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Agan Tavas official websiteagantavas.com