Indo-European languages, in fact, are found across a huge swath of the Old World, from northwestern Europe to the Indian sub-continent. when the Western Roman Empire collapsed.Ĭeltic is a branch of the great Indo-European language family, as are the Teutonic, Romance and Balto-Slavonic languages of Europe, classical Greek and Latin, and many others. Gallic appears to have become extinct during the Roman occupation of Gaul-at all events, there is no trace of it by the 5th century A.D. The Medieval and Modern Celtic languages are Welsh, Cornish and Breton, all derived from the early Brythonic spoken in Britain, and Irish, Scots Gaelic and Manx, which are all derived from Old Irish Goidelic. The earliest recorded versions of Celtic are Gallic and Brythonic, spoken in Gaul and Britain respectively at the time of the Roman conquest, and Goidelic, the language of Ireland by the 5th century A.D. “Celtic” was initially a linguistic concept, used solely to refer to the Celtic languages. But before these various theories can be examined, the meaning of the term “Celt” must be clarified. This article will summarize the present theories, and suggest a resolution. By the 5th century A.D., the beginning of Irish historical records, all of Ireland was Celtic speaking but when had it become so? Theories have ranged widely, from as early as 5000 to as late as 100 B.C. When did the Celts arrive in Ireland? The question has plagued linguists and archaeologists alike for a century.
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