A team of linguists from Aberystwyth University is on a mission to compile the first-ever complete dictionary of ancient Celtic languages. The project, which has been years in the making, aims to gather over 1,000 words that have survived from a language spoken in parts of the UK and Ireland around 2,000 years ago.
While it's unlikely that this dictionary will be a massive tome, as many words have been lost to time, the team is excited to bring together disparate sources such as Julius Caesar's accounts of his conquests, ancient memorial stones, and Roman administrative records. The dictionary will cover a period spanning from 325 BC to AD 500.
The project's lead, Dr Simon Rodway, says that this collection will offer a unique insight into the nature of Celtic languages spoken in these islands at the dawn of the historical period. Historians, archaeologists, and even archaeogeneticists will find this information particularly fascinating.
Interestingly, elements of modern Celtic languages such as Welsh, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Breton, and Cornish have roots in their ancient counterparts. Researchers have found similarities between words across these languages, with examples like the word for "sea" which appears in both Welsh (môr) and Old Irish (muir).
The team's reliance on written records is limited, as much of the material from ancient Celtic-speaking communities has been lost to time. However, fragments of inscriptions on stones, particularly those using the Ogham alphabet, provide valuable clues.
Dr Rodway notes that, while there are more resources available for studying languages in the Mediterranean region, the north of France and Britain have relatively few written records. As a result, linguists must rely on placenames, personal names, and other scattered sources to reconstruct a narrative about ancient Celtic-speaking communities.
The dictionary will be made available both online and in printed form, offering a groundbreaking resource for researchers and scholars interested in the history of these languages.
While it's unlikely that this dictionary will be a massive tome, as many words have been lost to time, the team is excited to bring together disparate sources such as Julius Caesar's accounts of his conquests, ancient memorial stones, and Roman administrative records. The dictionary will cover a period spanning from 325 BC to AD 500.
The project's lead, Dr Simon Rodway, says that this collection will offer a unique insight into the nature of Celtic languages spoken in these islands at the dawn of the historical period. Historians, archaeologists, and even archaeogeneticists will find this information particularly fascinating.
Interestingly, elements of modern Celtic languages such as Welsh, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Breton, and Cornish have roots in their ancient counterparts. Researchers have found similarities between words across these languages, with examples like the word for "sea" which appears in both Welsh (môr) and Old Irish (muir).
The team's reliance on written records is limited, as much of the material from ancient Celtic-speaking communities has been lost to time. However, fragments of inscriptions on stones, particularly those using the Ogham alphabet, provide valuable clues.
Dr Rodway notes that, while there are more resources available for studying languages in the Mediterranean region, the north of France and Britain have relatively few written records. As a result, linguists must rely on placenames, personal names, and other scattered sources to reconstruct a narrative about ancient Celtic-speaking communities.
The dictionary will be made available both online and in printed form, offering a groundbreaking resource for researchers and scholars interested in the history of these languages.
And what about all the lost languages that aren't even written down? They're like "oh, we found this one inscription on a stone" and suddenly they got 1000 words 
. This is gonna be a super interesting resource when it's out tho! 
its like uncovering a whole new chapter in british & irish history... all those words that got lost over time can't wait to learn more about what it meant to be celitic back then, i feel like theres still so much we dont know about our own heritage, and this could be like the start of something amazing 
this project is mind-blowing! i mean, think about it - we're talking ancient languages that have been lost to time and then suddenly come back to life thanks to some clever linguists. like, can you even imagine trying to decipher those old inscriptions on stones? 
it's crazy how much info they've found from Julius Caesar's accounts alone! and the fact that modern Celtic languages are still connected to their ancient roots is so cool - it shows how language really does evolve over time. but yeah, i get why they're limited by all the lost material... i mean, where do you even start searching for clues? 
I'm all about learning more about history and languages, and this project is like, totally on point!
IT'S LIKE WE'RE TALKING TO OUR FUTURE SELVES THROUGH THESE WORDS.
. And the fact that it's going to be online and in print is gonna make it super accessible for everyone, not just linguists and historians 
. And the fact that they're using all these different sources, like Julius Caesar's accounts and ancient memorial stones, is gonna give us an amazing insight into how Celtic languages evolved over time 
.
, but still, this is a huge deal. I mean, we're talking about the earliest written records of Celtic languages here... that's like finding a piece of history! 
. And who knows what kind of new discoveries are gonna come out of this? 
. It's fascinating to see how archaeologists, historians, and even genetics can all come together to study the past 
just when you think we're making progress on preserving our language heritage... another bunch of stuff getting lost to time, you feel? Like, what's up with that? Ancient Celtic languages are basically gone, and now we have to scrounge around for 1k words out of thin air 
. I mean, Julius Caesar's accounts aren't even reliable, and they're using the Ogham alphabet... like, how many of those stones actually survived the ages? 
. I'm sure it'll be super hard for the team, but they're gonna rock this!
. i'm all about language learning and stuff, and this project is like a dream come true for me. i love how they're using old records like caesar's accounts and memorial stones to gather these words. and the fact that modern celtic languages have roots in their ancient counterparts is wild 
. I'm definitely checking out this dictionary online when it comes out 
The fact that they're using stuff like Caesar's accounts and Roman records to build the dictionary is mind-blowing. And it's crazy how much modern Celtic languages have in common with ancient ones - I mean, who knew "sea" was a word shared by Welsh and Old Irish? 
I mean, the fact that modern Welsh, Irish, and Scottish Gaelic have roots in ancient Celtic is mind-blowing! The Ogham alphabet on those stones is like a puzzle piece of history... it's crazy to think about all the stories our ancestors could've shared if only we had more written records 
. Seriously though, it's wild how much we can learn from just a few scattered words and symbols 
. But hey, if it's what the linguists want to do, I won't stop 'em 
.