Scientific milestone: Celtic language dictionary being developed by Welsh linguists
Researchers at a Welsh university have embarked on the creation of the world’s first dictionary of ancient Celtic languages. The project aims to collect and systematically organise linguistic relics preserved in Ireland and Great Britain, offering extraordinary insights into the history of early medieval Europe.
The origins of the ancient Celtic languages have long been shrouded in mystery, presenting a significant challenge for scholars seeking to uncover the story of this enigmatic language family. The main difficulty lies in the scarcity of written records, which are often fragmentary.
However, researchers at Aberystwyth University have launched a historically significant endeavour: to compile the world’s first dictionary of ancient Celtic languages. The project’s goal is not only to gather surviving linguistic artefacts but also to explore the history, development, and interrelationships of these languages, according to IFLScience.
Celtic languages still exist today
Celtic languages continue to form a living language family in Europe. This includes Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Welsh, spoken in parts of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as Breton, which survives in Brittany, north-western France.
Additionally, Cornish and Manx once became extinct but have been revived thanks to language revival movements. All of these languages ultimately descend from the ancient Proto-Celtic group, which was once widespread across Europe.
Roman-era evidence also vital to the research
Dr Simon Rodway, the lead of this ambitious project, points out that the exact emergence of the Celtic languages remains unknown. One of the study’s key aims is to collect and systematise evidence of the ancient languages spoken across the British Isles and Ireland.
This includes Celtic place names and personal names preserved in Greek and Latin sources, as well as linguistic artefacts from Roman Britain. Particularly valuable will be inscriptions carved in stone using the so-called “Ogham” alphabet.
These inscriptions are found on some 400 surviving stone monuments in Ireland and Great Britain and, according to researchers, reveal crucial details about early Irish around the 7th century.
Rodway notes that, although other languages were certainly spoken on the British Isles before the Celtic languages and may have been used alongside them for a time, indisputable evidence of these languages has not survived.
A milestone for multiple disciplines
The creation of the dictionary will not only benefit linguists but may also prove invaluable to archaeologists, archaeogeneticists, and scholars engaged in other historical research.
The volume will not only document ancient Celtic languages but also examine disputed theories regarding other languages spoken in Britain and Ireland, which may be related to early forms of these languages.
In this way, the creation of a dictionary of ancient Celtic languages could open up new dimensions in linguistics, history, and archaeology. Researchers hope that the dictionary will not only shed light on the development, origins, and connections of these languages but also provide insights into the cultural and linguistic context of early European history.