What makes the Welsh Celtic language so special? Welsh has a fascinating history dating back to the days when ancient Welsh people spoke Brythonic. This ancient Celtic tongue is the parent language of Welsh.
The Welsh Celtic language has been with us for a long time. In fact, it’s one of the oldest languages in Europe and the oldest in the British Isles that people have spoken since ancient times. Welsh developed from Brythonic (also called Brittonic), the branch of Insular Celtic that evolved in Britain from Continental Celtic. Celtic is one branch of the Indo-European language family.
While the question, “Is Welsh Celtic or Gaelic?” is common, you now know that Welsh is a Celtic language. However, the post How to Sagely Answer, “Are the Welsh Celtic or Gaelic?” goes into the meanings and differences of these terms in detail. The Welsh themselves are also considered Celtic and not Gaelic. The Gaelic languages are also Celtic, but they evolved from the Gaelic (Goidelic) branch of Insular Celtic rather than Brythonic. The Gaelic languages are Irish Gaelic, Scots Gaelic, and Manx. Brythonic gave us Welsh, Cornish, and Breton. Yes, Breton—spoken in Brittany in France—is a Celtic language related to Cornish and Welsh!
This post is all about the Welsh Celtic language.
Welsh is a Celtic Language
Is Welsh a dying language? Thankfully, no. Not only that, but it’s the only Celtic tongue not considered an endangered language by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Since 2008, more people have been speaking and writing Welsh. Wales’ official languages are Welsh and English. A greater number of people in Wales spoke Welsh over English until 1911 when English tipped the scale and became the most-spoken language in Cymru. However, in recent times, the Welsh government has tried to get more people to speak the native language. It’s gradually been working. You’ll find fluent Welsh speakers in Wales, of course (29.7% of the population), and in the Welsh colony in Patagonia, Argentina. People also speak Cymraeg (Welsh) in England and parts of the US, Scotland, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Are the Welsh considered Celtic?
Yes, the Welsh are considered Celtic. They speak Cymraeg (Welsh), which evolved from Brythonic, a Celtic language that developed in Britain around the 6th century BC. The Welsh people have a Celtic language, history, and cultural identity. Additionally, they not only trace their ancestry to the Celts of ancient Britain but even earlier to the Beaker Folk and original hunter-gatherers of the island.
The 6 Surviving Celtic Languages
What are the six Celtic languages? Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Breton, Manx, Cornish, and Welsh are the six surviving Celtic languages. However, the Celtic language family originally consisted of 16 languages (that we know of). Historians believe many other Celtic languages died out because of the Roman conquest and Latinization of much of western Europe, western Asia, northern Africa, Mediterranean islands, and most of Britain. Then, the Roman Empire fell, and the Romance languages developed. Latin became a dead language between 600 and 750 AD. However, Latin continued as the language of the Roman Catholic Church. So much Latin influence, in combination with ancient Celtic (both Continental and Insular) never existing as a written language, contributed to the extinction of many of the original Celtic languages.
Britain was the exception, as it has more Celtic language speakers than anywhere else in the world. Why is this, especially since Rome conquered Britain? It was “Britannia,” right? The Romans even made Cymru a province called “Britannia Secunda” in 296 AD. Yes, that is all true. However, the British Isles and remote places within it, such as the rugged mountainous regions of northwestern Wales, weren’t fully conquered in the same way as continental Europe. The conquest of Britain was more of a partial one. For example, Welsh tribes integrated into the Roman culture imposed on them but retained their traditions, sense of identity, and the Welsh Celtic language. This incomplete conquest allowed the Celtic languages not only to survive but also to return as the dominant languages of the island in the absence of Roman presence from about 410 AD.
The inscription above Wales Millennium Centre, which is the country’s national arts center in Cardiff, reads, “Creu gwir gwydr o ffwrnais awen.” It means “Truth is as clear as glass forged in the flames of inspiration.”
10 Facts About the Welsh Celtic Language
- Welsh is an entirely phonetic language. Unlike English, no words occur in Welsh that don’t follow the pronunciation and spelling rules.
- The Welsh alphabet includes double letters called digraphs that are thought of as single letters, such as “dd,” “ng,” “ch,” and the famous “ll.”
- Welsh is the oldest surviving language descended from Brythonic, with Primitive Welsh appearing around 550 AD.
- Cymraeg (Welsh) has three consonant mutations, which means that the beginnings of words change depending on how the speaker uses them in a sentence. The mutations are soft (softening the beginning consonant), nasal (changing the beginning consonant to a nasal sound), and aspirate (adding a breathy sound). Here are examples of mutations with the word “car.” This simple example uses an original word that is the same in both English and Welsh.
- Soft mutation: “car” (car) → “gar” (his car)
- Nasal mutation: “car” (car) → “nghar” (in my car)
- Aspirate mutation: “car” (car) → “char” (her car)
- Like in many other languages, Welsh words are either masculine or feminine. However, Welsh is unique in that the gender of words alters the forms of adjectives and sometimes verbs that come after them in a sentence.
Influences, Variations, and Relationships
- While Welsh evolved from Brythonic, it was influenced by Latin and Old English in Roman and Anglo-Saxon times. Several minority languages have also influenced Welsh, such as Yiddish, Arabic, Romani, and Polish.
- The language most similar to Welsh is Cornish. A Welsh speaker can understand some Cornish and vice versa, but only certain words and phrases here and there. The second most similar language to Welsh is Breton.
- An earlier form of Welsh called “Cumbric” was once spoken in southern Scotland and northern England. The Welsh called this area of Scotland “Yr Hen Ogledd,” which means “The Old North.” People of Yr Hen Ogledd spoke Cumbric from approximately the 6th to the 10th or 11th centuries (the Early Middle Ages).
- There are different dialects of Welsh depending on where the speaker lives. Welsh dialects include those of Rhosllanerchrugog (a mining community in the northeast), the Swansea Valley in West Glamorgan, Montgomeryshire, Caernarfon town, the Glynogwr area in the southeast, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Ynys Môn (Anglesey), Llanymawddwy and southern Merionethshire in mid-Wales, Pembrokeshire, the dialect of southeast Wales, the dialect of Llansannan in Denbighshire, and the dialect of northeast Wales. For example, “onion” in North Wales is “nionyn.” In South Wales, the word for this vegetable is “winwns.”
- Until the 20th century, shepherds in England used an ancient system for counting sheep with roots in the Brythonic languages (like Cumbric). The numbers used were very similar to those of modern Welsh. This system was called “Yan Tan Tethera.” The words translate as “one, two, three.” (Note: This is only one example. There are many dialectal variations of this system.) However, the counting system itself is based on units of twenty. For example, if you have five score of sheep (5 x 20), you have a herd of 100.
Teach Your Cat Welsh by Anne Cakebread
Are you ready to learn some Welsh? You can start with this book as a beginner or with her earlier bestseller, Teach Your Dog Welsh. Author Anne Cakebread also has beginner-level books available for other languages, including Gaelic, Scots, Irish, German, Korean, and British Sign Language.
From the blurb: A light-hearted, fully illustrated, retro-style picture book with 60+ words and phrases for you to practice your Welsh with your furry best friend. Suitable as a first introduction to Welsh for learners of all ages; for tourists who would like a fun way to pick up a few basic expressions when visiting Wales; as a revision book for adults who haven’t used their Welsh for a while; or for children, who will love the cute pictures and the mischievous cat. Many of the words and phrases can also be used in non-cat-related situations!
Anne Cakebread’s first book in this series, Teach Your Dog Welsh, was a No.1 bestseller. Includes a pronunciation guide for every phrase and beautiful retro-style illustrations throughout. The perfect gift for cat-lovers (and many of the expressions can also be used in non-cat-related situations!) NB Around 50% of the phrases are different from those in Teach Your Dog Welsh.
As you’re drifting off to sleep tonight, try counting a herd of sheep with Yan Tan Tethera and see if you find yourself in a peaceful dream of Wales.
This post was all about the Welsh Celtic language.
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