The last Cornish monoglot died in 1676, just two years after the final disputed sighting of a dodo. But the language is not quite as dead as that particular bird; at a push, it could be said to be more like the phoenix. New life seemed a remote prospect during the long centuries of decline. Emerging as distinct from Welsh in the 6th century, it was once spoken as far east as Somerset. But the aggressive expansion of Wessex drove it down the peninsula. After the 1549 English Book of Common Prayer was imposed, it was reduced to a part-time tongue in its heartland. By 1800 it had been entirely silenced, though not before scholars had made notes for posterity. Throughout the 20th century enthusiasts wrote guides, one optimistically titled Cornish for All, but it remained a decidedly minority interest. Revival has always been frustrated because there are several restored forms, each based on different phases in its evolution. They disagree even on whether it should be called Kernewek or Curnoack. But this month the Cornish Language Partnership has brokered agreement on a single standard written form. When Eliezer Ben-Yehuda laid down agreed ground rules for (then-extinct) Hebrew he set it on a path that led to it becoming the official language of Israel. For the 3,500 people who have made themselves fluent in Cornish, the agreed form could unlock funding, teaching and bilingual signage - even if it could be a little while until those venturing west of the Tamar will require a translator.