Easy-to-Learn
"Talk sometimes in a foreign language, not to forget how bad you know it."
- Boleslav Paszkowski
Languages
The group of languages of Celtic origin includes:
- Manx
- Welsh
- Breton
- Cornish
These six languages are known as the Insular Celtic languages because they originated in the British Isles.
These 6 living languages of ancient Celtic origin form one branch of the Indo-European family tree and share sounds from other European and Eastern language groups including the languages of Greece and Rome, the Middle East and Germanic and Slavic tongues.
Celtic Languages
(Gaeilge)
Gaeilge is the name of the language in Irish, and Irish is the name of the language in English. Sometimes people will call it Irish Gaelic in order to make sure they aren't misunderstood to mean "Irish English" for Irish. They may also say Irish Gaelic to distinguish it from Gaelic, which means Scottish Gaelic, a related but different language.
(Gàidhlig)
Scottish Gaelic is a language of the Celtic family - it is a close relative of Welsh, Cornish and Breton, but shares a more intimate relationship with Irish and Manx Gaelic. These three Gaelic or Goidelic languages descend from a common ancestor, spoken in Ireland in the late first millennium BC and early first millennium AD.
(Gaelg)
Manx is a branch of Goidelic Gaelic which includes Scottish and Irish. Manx is historically spoken by the Manx people living in the Isle of Man. Although there are currently no native speakers of Manx, the linguistic revival has been successful enough so that some families now use Manx in household communication.
(Cymraeg)
Welsh is a member of the Brittonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Welsh emerged in the 6th century from Common Brittonic, the common ancestor of Welsh, Breton, Cornish and the extinct language known as Cumbric.
Breton
(Brezhoneg)
Breton belongs to the Brythonic group of Celtic languages, and is related to Welsh and Cornish as well as to Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx. Breton is spoken in Brittany in northwestern France. The language was introduced to France in the 5th century by Brythonic Celtic refugees from southern England.
(Kernowek)
Cornish is a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language historically spoken by the Cornish people. The language has undergone a revival in recent decades and is considered to be an important part of Cornish identity. It is a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom, protected under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, and has a growing number of speakers.
