Continental Celtic languages Totally Explained

Everything about The Continental Celtic Languages totally explained

The Continental Celtic languages is a modern name for the Celtic languages, now all extinct, that originated and were spoken on the continent of Europe (as opposed to the Insular Celtic languages that originated in Britain and Ireland). The Continental Celtic languages were spoken by the people known to Roman and Greek writers as Keltoi, Celts, Gauls and Galatae. These languages were spoken from Iberia to the Balkans and in Asia Minor. However they've been superseded mainly by Germanic and Italic languages. Although it's likely that Celts spoke dozens of different languages and dialects across Europe in pre-Roman times, only four such languages are commonly said to be actually attested:

Lepontic (7th to 3rd century BC)
Gaulish (3rd century BC to 2nd century AD)
Galatian (3rd century BC to 4th century AD)
Celtiberian (before 1st century BC)

A further two languages can be listed as Continental Celtic:

Lusitanian language (before 2nd century AD), which may also be an Indo-European, but a non-Celtic language with many traits which make it close to Celtic

Noric (4th century BC to 1st or 2nd century AD), which is the name given sometimes to the Celtic dialects spoken in Central and Eastern Europe, very few vestiges of which remain outside toponymy. Lepontic was spoken on the southern side of the Alps. Lepontic is generally considered an early dialect of Gaulish, and Galatian may be a late one as well. It is evidenced in a number of inscriptions as well as place names. Gaulish was one of the languages spoken in greater Gaul. This is often considered to be divided into two dialects, Cisalpine (the Italian side) and Transalpine (the French side). It is evidenced in a number of inscriptions as well as place names and tribal names in writings of classical authors. It may have been a substratum to Breton, see below. Galatian was spoken around Ankara. Classical writers say that the language is similar to that of Gaul. There is also evidence of invasion of Celts from Europe. Celtiberian is the name given to the language in NE Iberia, between the headwaters of the Duro, Tajo, Júcar and Turia rivers and the Ebre river. It is attested by some 200 incriptions as well as place names. It is distinct from the Iberian language. A non-Indo-European language may also have been spoken by the Tartesian people in SW Iberia. Lusitanian was spoken in the area between the Duro and Tagus rivers in what is now Portugal and part of Spain. It is only attested by 5 inscriptions, together with various place names. It is sometimes claimed to be a Celtic language but the claim is disputed in the literature. Noric was spoken in Austria and Slovenia. Only two fragmentary texts are preserved..

Use of term

The modern term Continental Celtic is used in contrast to Insular Celtic. While most researchers agree that Insular Celtic is a distinct branch of Celtic (Cowgill 1975; McCone 1991, 1992; Schrijver 1995), having undergone common linguistic innovations, there's no evidence that the Continental Celtic languages can be similarly grouped. Instead, the term Continental Celtic is polyphyletic and refers simply to non-Insular Celtic languages. Since little material has been preserved in any of the Continental Celtic languages, historical linguistic analysis based on the comparative method is difficult to perform. However, some researchers see the Brythonic languages and Gaulish as forming a sub-group of Indo-European, see Celtic languages. The Continental languages are P-Celtic, except for the Celtiberian language which is Q-Celtic, and have had an influence on French and Spanish.

Note on Breton

Even though Breton is spoken in continental Europe, it isn't considered one of the Continental Celtic languages, though it has been spoken on the continent of Europe for a thousand years. It is a Brythonic language closely related to Welsh and Cornish, although it has been suggested that there's a Gaulish substratum in the Vannetais dialect (Galliou and Jones 1991). Falch'un considered Breton as a descendant of Gaulish, but the historical and linguistic evidence show otherwise.

Bibliography

Ball M and Fife J (1993). The Celtic Languages.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Continental Celtic Languages'.

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