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Celtic language: origin, history, current state

What is modern Celtic? Celts are ancient tribes, the name given to the ancient Greeks. The Romans also called the Celts Gauls. About three thousand years ago, this people settled almost throughout the territory of modern Europe. It was their culture that gave rise to such characters as Tristan and Isolde, the magician Merlin, the knights of Percival and Lancelot. The people of the Celts were never able to create their own state. However, they reached great heights in culture.

Origin of language

The Celtic language belongs to a huge group of Indo-European languages. It is believed that his ancestor is Proto-Celts. Scientists reliably unknown the moment when the proto-Celtsian adverb spun from a common Indo-European tree. Celtic languages are similar to both Scandinavian, and German and Italian language groups.

The first mention of this nation in the territory of modern Britain dates back to 800 BC. E. From this moment begins the so-called era of the Celts in Britain.

Already in the I millennium BC various dialects of Celtic were spread throughout Europe. Among these territories can be called France, Britain, part of Germany, Ireland, Spain. Over time, the Celtic language zone begins to decline significantly. Many of his adverbs were extinct. For ever, such dialects as Manx, Celtiberian, Korn, Leptontius disappeared. Today there is no such thing as a living Celtic language. To this group belong several modern languages. This is Gaelic, Irish, Welsh and Breton.

Cultural achievements of Celtic tribes

The Celts were quite skillful and skillful for their time. For example, in the territory of modern Switzerland archaeologists have found a horse harness designed by the Celts. In the book of the German researcher Helmut Birkahn it is said about the unique invention of the Celts - the carpenter's machine. In addition, the Celtic tribes first laid salt mines, and also managed to extract iron from iron ore. And by this they put an end to the Bronze Age in the whole of Europe. Their horse carts were among the best in Europe. Celts were the only tribes that knew how to make glass bracelets without a seam.

Language in the Kingdom of Scotland

Celtic Scottish is called Gaelic. Gaelic Scottish is spoken by a very small group of the population - only about 2 thousand people. Outside of the Kingdom of Scotland, it is distributed in two regions: the island of Cape Breton and the province of Nova Scotia in Canada. In no case should you confuse Scottish Gaelic with the English version of the Scottish language.

Welsh and Breton languages

Welsh also reached our days. It is spoken about 650 thousand inhabitants of Wales, as well as in other parts of the world. For example, this is Canada, the United States, Australia, where its carriers meet. In the early twentieth century. For the order of half the inhabitants of Wales, Welsh was the language of everyday communication. Then the number of its carriers began to decline.

Another Celtic language is Breton. About 360 thousand people communicate on it. Basically, this language is distributed in the territory of Brittany - north-west French region. Here Breton can be heard on radio stations. However, this is not so often: just a few hours a week. Also, several printed publications are published in Breton. The Breton language has a very strong connection with the Welsh language. But it can not be said that these languages are mutually intelligible. In Breton, a large number of lexis from Latin, French and Gallic languages are borrowed, which have not reached our times.

Gaelic in Ireland

Along with English, Celtic (Gaelic) is the official language of Ireland. From the language that was brought here by the overseas conquerors, it turned into a dialect of indigenous people. For a long time, Gaelic was the main communication language in Ireland. But a number of historical events entailed its overthrow. Beginning in 1922, the Irish government is doing its best to revive the Gaelic Irish language. More recently, Gaelic has become a compulsory subject in the general education school, and is also used in official records management and in road signs.

Celtic language: state of the art

To date, living Celtic languages are losing their prestigious status. Of all the listed, only Irish is state. But only a very small percentage of the population speaks it. Spontaneous Irish speech can be heard very rarely. The situation in Wales is not much better, where the Welsh language training system is in good condition.

It should be noted that Celtic words can be found in modern English. For example, these are the words whiskey, plaid, slogan. It is believed that the very word "Britain" came from the Celtic brith, which means "colored". In the annals there are references to the fact that the Celts, before going on a hunt, were painted with bright colors of face and body.

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