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Welsh publisher brings Tolkien classic in Celtic languages together(nation.cymru)
24 points by p_ing 20 hours ago | 8 comments
  • luxpir12 hours ago

    Really great to see.

    These languages, sadly largely killed off in the name of I don't know what, are as the final Tolkien quote in the comment says: the senior languages of Britain.

    Fun fact; Cumbria is named in the same way as Cymru, as Welsh was once spoken there too.

    I've never seen a video where Welsh/Breton/Cornish speakers have tried to have conversation, but have seen a few Irish/[Scottish] Gaelic conversations.

    And at one point way back they all would have been intelligible. Shame it didn't follow the Scandinavian evolution, or they may have had an easier way back from having a "prestige language" take over.

    • pqtyw2 hours ago |parent

      > Fun fact; Cumbria is named in the same way as Cymru, as Welsh was once spoken there too.

      Wasn't that how all Britons referred to themselves throughout what is now England back in the day?

  • elcritch11 hours ago

    This is great to see! I happen to be traveling in Wales when I saw this headline. I was listening to Welsh radio on the drive in for a bit just cause it's fascinating. It's a unique sounding language.

  • thaumasiotes12 hours ago

    > Prof Watson is director of Ionad Eeghainn MhicLachlainn: the National Centre for Gaelic Translation (NCGT), which exists specifically to support the translation of literature into Gaelic, as well as Manx and Irish.

    It's interesting that unmodified "Gaelic" apparently refers to Scots Gaelic in Wales. If you asked me about "Gaelic", I'd assume you meant Irish Gaelic.

    • pqtyw2 hours ago |parent

      It's theorized that Gaelic was introduced to Scotland from Ireland only in the 5h century or so. We know very little about Pictish that was spoken there before it, it was probably Celtic but we don't even know that for sure.

    • luxpir12 hours ago |parent

      Not sure where you're from, but the way it seems to have fallen now is Irish Gaelic is called Irish and Gaelic (pronounced "gallic") is usually the Scottish variant.

      Unless you know better, or of some reform, in which case I defer!

      • thaumasiotes3 hours ago |parent

        It does appear to be true that the government of Ireland prefers to call the language "Irish". https://www.ireland.ie/en/technology-fuelling-global-irish-l...

        I'm from the United States.

        (While we're here, we might also note that the term "Erse", referring to Scots Gaelic, is in fact the word "Irish".)

  • AStonesThrow12 hours ago

    [dead]