| Indo-European was spoken about 6000 years ago | | | | writing was adopted in the Celtic world in the late |
| (4000 BC) by a seminomadic people who lived in | | | | first millennium it appeared almost entirely in |
| the steppe region of Southern Russia. Speakers | | | | Greek and Latin. Early Celtic evidence consists of |
| of the languages migrated eastwards and | | | | inscriptions, coin legends and the names of people |
| westwards; they had reached the Danube valley | | | | and places contained within classical documents. |
| by 3500 BC and India by 2000 BC. The dialects of | | | | Now I would like to tell about the Brittonic brunch |
| Indo-European became much differentiated, | | | | of Celtic languages, which was spread over the |
| chiefly because of migration, and evolved into | | | | territory of Britain. Because of our knowledge of |
| separate languages. So great was the variety | | | | the Celts is slight, we do not even know for |
| among them that it was not until 1786 that the | | | | certain how Britain became Celtic. Some scholars |
| idea was put forward that a Family of | | | | think that the Celts invaded Britain, another - that |
| Indo-European languages actually exists. In the | | | | they came peacefully, as a result of the lively |
| twentieth century Indo-European languages are | | | | trade with Europe about 750 BC on wards. But |
| spoken in a wide arc from Bengal to Portugal, as | | | | we know for certain that the language introduced |
| well as in countries as distant as New Zealand and | | | | into Britain was similar to that spoken in Gaul (the |
| Canada, to which they have been carried by | | | | territory of Celts in Central Europe); indeed, the |
| more recent emigrants. The Indo-European Family | | | | Celtic speech of Gaul and Britain at the dawn of |
| is generally considered to consist of nine different | | | | the historic era can be considered as one |
| brunches, which in turn gave rise to daughter | | | | language, frequently, referred to as Gallo-Britonic. |
| languages. Welsh evolved from the Celtic brunch, | | | | Three successor languages of Brittonic evolved: |
| as did its sister languages - Breton, Cornish, | | | | Cumbric in southern Scotland and north-west |
| Cumbric, Irish, Scots Gaelic and Manx. | | | | England, Welsh in Wales and Сornish in |
| Cornish was a language of people who lived in | | | | south-west Britain. The speakers of all three of |
| Britain in the Cornwall inlet and died out towards | | | | them were known by their Anglo-Saxon |
| the end of the eighteenth century. Dorothy | | | | neighbours as Wealas, or Welsh. The word is |
| Pentreath, who died in 1777, is usually considered | | | | usually considered to mean foreigner, but it can |
| to be the last native speaker of Cornish. Manx | | | | also mean people who have been Romanized. To |
| was spread on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, | | | | describe themselves, the Welsh and the Cumbric |
| survived until well into the second half of the | | | | speakers adopted the name Cymry and called |
| present century and the last native speaker died | | | | their language Cymraeg. Cymry comes from the |
| at the age of 97 in 1974. Other languages are still | | | | Brittonic combrogi (fellow countryman) and its |
| alive and a lot of people talks on them. But | | | | adoption marks a deepening sense of identity. |
| nevertheless all this languages developed from the | | | | You see that almost all words are similar to each |
| Celtic language and the people who used this | | | | other, that''s why they were united in one brunch. |
| language were the Celts. | | | | The Welsh language has survived everythingl. |
| The Celts is a group of people who were | | | | Since the act of union in 1536 when it was |
| classified as such by communities who belonged | | | | virtually banned, it has been subjected to direct |
| to a separate cultural (and literate) tradition. Celtic | | | | and indirect bombardment which should have |
| area is considered to be the north of Alps and | | | | demolished it once and for all. It has been |
| beyond the Mediterranean. It was observers from | | | | neglected and discouraged for over four hundred |
| mediterranean lands of Greece and Rome who | | | | years yet it is still very much alive. Today it is |
| called their neighbours Celts. But today scientists | | | | tolerated by many, rejected by many. It is used |
| ask the question who the Celts really are. The | | | | by a large number of people as a natural means |
| problem of defining what is meant by the terms | | | | of communication. |
| "Celt" and "Celtic" centres around the relationship, | | | | Now the scholars discussed the problem of the |
| if any, between material culture, ethnicity and | | | | position of the Wales language. It could be claimed |
| language. Judging by archaeology, documentary | | | | that its position is precisely in the centre, a point |
| sources and linguistic material the scientists came | | | | emphasised by Tom Nail in his analysis of the |
| to the conclusion that by the last few centuries | | | | non-state nationalities of Europe. Although the |
| BC, Celtic territory stretched from Ireland to | | | | Welsh-speakers are by no means among the |
| eastern Europe and beyond, to Galatia (see map). | | | | larger groups, Welsh has a far higher status than |
| The Celts were technically advanced. They knew | | | | several of the more widely spoken languages. |
| how to work with iron, and could make better | | | | Although the density factor if fairly low, |
| weapons than the people who used bronze. | | | | Welsh-speakers live in a country, the other |
| Early linguistic evidence for the Celts is extremely | | | | inhabitants of which recognise their kinship with |
| rare because northern Europe was non-literate | | | | the language, a bonus of immerse importance. |
| during most of the first millennium BC. When | | | | The centrality of Welsh is interesting in itself. |