A team of linguists from Aberystwyth University has embarked on an ambitious project to compile what could be the first ever complete dictionary of ancient Celtic languages. Spanning over 1,000 years, this monumental work will draw upon a variety of sources, including Julius Caesar's account of his conquests in northern Europe and ancient memorial stones.
The dictionary will be a crucial resource for scholars seeking to understand the nature of Celtic languages spoken in Britain and Ireland during the dawn of history. Despite the vast majority of material being lost to time, the team expects to uncover an impressive array of words that will shed new light on this previously underexplored era.
Sources will include inscriptions from Roman Britain, letters from soldiers stationed in the region, and fragments of Celtic found in administrative records made by the Romans. The team is also drawn to the enigmatic Ogham alphabet, which was used on stones in places such as Cornwall and Ireland.
According to Dr Simon Rodway, a senior lecturer at Aberystwyth University, this project offers an exciting opportunity to reconstruct the linguistic landscape of Britain and Ireland during a pivotal period in history. "These disparate sources have never before been brought together in a way that offers such an insight into the nature of Celtic languages spoken in these islands at the dawn of the historical period," Rodway noted.
As the team delves into their research, they are aware that similarities exist between words across modern Celtic languages, such as Welsh and Irish. For instance, the word for "sea" in both languages – môr in Welsh and muir in Irish – corresponds to the Celtic name Moridunum, associated with the ancient city of Carmarthen in south-west Wales.
With a focus on producing both online and printed versions of the dictionary, this groundbreaking work promises to revolutionize our understanding of ancient Celtic languages.
The dictionary will be a crucial resource for scholars seeking to understand the nature of Celtic languages spoken in Britain and Ireland during the dawn of history. Despite the vast majority of material being lost to time, the team expects to uncover an impressive array of words that will shed new light on this previously underexplored era.
Sources will include inscriptions from Roman Britain, letters from soldiers stationed in the region, and fragments of Celtic found in administrative records made by the Romans. The team is also drawn to the enigmatic Ogham alphabet, which was used on stones in places such as Cornwall and Ireland.
According to Dr Simon Rodway, a senior lecturer at Aberystwyth University, this project offers an exciting opportunity to reconstruct the linguistic landscape of Britain and Ireland during a pivotal period in history. "These disparate sources have never before been brought together in a way that offers such an insight into the nature of Celtic languages spoken in these islands at the dawn of the historical period," Rodway noted.
As the team delves into their research, they are aware that similarities exist between words across modern Celtic languages, such as Welsh and Irish. For instance, the word for "sea" in both languages – môr in Welsh and muir in Irish – corresponds to the Celtic name Moridunum, associated with the ancient city of Carmarthen in south-west Wales.
With a focus on producing both online and printed versions of the dictionary, this groundbreaking work promises to revolutionize our understanding of ancient Celtic languages.
it's like uncovering a whole new world of history! i'm literally so hyped about this project from aberystwyth university they're gonna use all these cool sources like roman britain inscriptions and soldier letters to figure out the words that were used back then 
and did u know that there are similarities between modern celtic languages like welsh and irish 
it's wild to think about how many words have been lost to time but this dictionary is gonna bring some of those back to life 
i can already imagine how epic it's gonna be when they release the online version 
but at the same time, I'm thinking... isn't this just gonna be a bunch of old texts that are hard to understand? Like, how can we even trust what's written on those ancient memorial stones? And what about all the words that were lost to time? Are they just gonna magically appear in this dictionary? 
. sounds like an epic project to me! 
i was watching a vid last night where they showed how to roll out the dough and cut it into different shapes its so satisfying when its all done and you can finally sink your teeth into it... anyway back to ancient languages lol what if we could decipher the meaning behind those weird symbols on the Ogham stones?
Like, Moridunum is actually an old city name in Wales... mind blown! 
I'm so stoked about this project!!! Can you believe they're gonna compile a complete dictionary of ancient Celtic languages? It's like, we're basically getting a window into the past here 
! I mean, imagine being able to read words from Julius Caesar's account or see inscriptions on stones in Cornwall and Ireland. Mind blown! 
I think it's so cool that these linguists are working on this massive project! 1,000 years is a looong time, but can you imagine what kind of words and meanings they'll uncover from all those old sources? 
.
.
!
Still, if it's gonna shed new light on history and all that jazz, then yeah, go for it! 
. I love how the team's aware that there are similarities between modern Celtic languages tho 
. This project's def gonna change our understanding of ancient Celtic languages & it's so refreshing to see linguists gettin all excited about it 
. Can't wait to see the final product! 
