Western Brittonic languages
| Western Brittonic | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Wales;formerlyNorthern EnglandandScotland |
| Linguistic classification | Indo-European
|
| Subdivisions | |
| Glottolog | None |
| Notes | 6th–present day |
Western Brittonic languages(Welsh:Brythoneg Gorllewinol) comprise twodialectsinto whichCommon Brittonicsplit during theEarly Middle Ages;its counterpart was the ancestor of theSouthwestern Brittonic languages.The reason and date for the split is often given as theBattle of Deorhamin 577, at which point the victoriousSaxonsofWessexessentially cut Brittonic-speaking Britain in two, which in turn caused the Western and Southwestern branches to develop separately.[1]
According to this categorisation, Western Brittonic languages were spoken inWalesand theHen Ogledd,or "Old North", an area ofnorthern Englandand southernScotland.One Western language evolved intoOld Welshand thus to the modernWelsh language;the language ofyr Hen Ogledd,Cumbric,became extinct after the expansion of theMiddle Irish-speakingDál Riatapolity.[2]Southwestern Brittonic became the ancestor toCornishandBreton.[2]
Alan James, however, has suggested a contrary model where Cumbric andPictishwere more closely aligned to one another than they were to Welsh.[3]
References[edit]
- ^I.M. Watkin (1994)."Who are the Welsh?".International Journal of Anthropology.9:53.doi:10.1007/BF02442185.S2CID189916117.
- ^abJ.T. Koch; A. Minard (2006)."Cumbric".In J.T. Koch (ed.).Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia.Santa Barbara. p. 516.ISBN9781851094400.
{{cite encyclopedia}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^James, A. G. (2008): 'A Cumbric Diaspora?' in Padel and Parsons (eds.) A Commodity of Good Names: essays in honour of Margaret Gelling, Shaun Tyas: Stamford, pp 187–203
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