| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
Goidelic is one of two major divisions of modern-day Celtic languages (the other being Brythonic). It is also known as Gaelic, or Q-Celtic because of the way that words in Brythonic that begin with "B" or "P" begin with "C" or "K" in Goidelic languages.
| E.g. | Welsh | Irish | Scots Gaelic | English |
| penn | ceann | ceann | "head" | |
| pedwar | ceathar | ceithir | "four" | |
| pump | cúig | còig | "five" | |
| pwy | cé | cò | "who" |
Only four Goidelic languages survived into modern times: Irish (Gaeilge), Scots Gaelic (Gàidhlig), Manx (Gaelg), and Shelta.
Although Irish and Manx are often referred to as Irish Gaelic and Manx Gaelic (and it is correct to describe them as Goidelic or Gaelic languages) this is unnecessary because the words Irish and Manx only ever refer to these languages whereas Scots by itself refers to the Germanic language. The word Gaelic by itself is somewhat ambiguous, but most often refers to Scots Gaelic and it is the word that Scots Gaelic speakers themselves use when speaking English. Furthermore, due to the peculiar politics of language and national identity, some Irish speakers are offended by the use of the word Gaelic by itself to refer to Irish. Similarly, some Scots Gaelic speakers also find offensive the use of the obsolete word Erse (i.e. "Irish") to refer to their language.
Goidelic languages were once restricted to Ireland, but in the 6th century Irish colonists and invaders began migrating to Scotland and eventually assimilated the Brythonic language speakers who lived there. Manx, the former common language of the Isle of Man, is descended from the Gaelic spoken in north east Ireland and the now extinct Gaelic of Galloway (Scotland), with heavy influence from Old Norse because of the Viking invasions. Shelta, a cantCant is a term generally used to describe secret languages ( cryptolects) used by gypsies, thieves, and others who have a need to communicate freely without necessarily conveying their meaning to a wider audience. In particular, "Cant" is a term used some spoken by the Irish TravellerIrish Travellers are a nomadic or itinerant people of Irish origin living in Ireland, Great Britain and the United States. They are also often referred to as gypsies or tinkers but these names are now considered to be offensive, and in the case of gypsy as, is considered its own language even though it is based largely on Irish. Goidelic languages may once have been common on the Atlantic coast of Europe and there is some evidence that they were spoken in the region of GaliciaComunidade Autonoma de Galicia Capital Santiago de Compostela Official languages Galician and Castilian Area total % of Spain Ranked 7th 29 574 km² 5,8% Population Total (2003) % of Spain Density Ranked 5th 2 737 370 6,5% 92,36/km² Demonym English Galicia in modern SpainThe Kingdom of Spain is a country located in the southwest of Europe. It shares the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. To the northeast, along the Pyrenees mountain range, it borders France and the tiny principality of Andorra. It inc. The Goidelic languages had their own unique script, known as oghamOgham ( Old Irish Ogam was an alphabet used primarily to represent Gaelic languages that was probably often written in wood in early times. The main flowering of the use of "classical" Ogham in stone seems to be 5th 6th century AD. Monumental Ogham inscri, in use from at least the 5th century until the 15th, especially for carving on wood or stone.
Irish is one of Ireland's two official languages (along with EnglishThe English language is a West Germanic language, originating from England. It is the third most common "first" language (native speakers), with around 402 million people in 2002. English has lingua franca status in many parts of the world, due to the mil) and is still fairly widely spoken in the west of Ireland. The legally defined Irish-speaking areas are called the GaeltachtThe Gaeltacht also called An Ghaeltacht refers to any of the regions in Ireland where the Irish language is the major language, i. the vernacular. These regions were first officially recognised during the years of Irish Free State after the Gaelic Revival. At present, Irish is primarily spoken in Counties CorkCounty Cork Contae Chorca in Irish) is the most southwesterly and the largest of the modern counties of Ireland. The county is often referred to as "The Rebel County" because it has often taken a position in major conflicts different to that of most of Ir, Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Kerry and, to a lesser extent, in Waterford and Meath. Irish is also spoken by a few people in Northern Ireland and has been accorded some legal status there under the 1998 Belfast Agreement.Some people in the north and west of Scotland and the Hebrides still speak Scots Gaelic, but because of its minimal official recognition and because of large-scale emigration from those parts of Scotland, the language appears to be in decline. There are now believed to be approximately 1,000 native speakers of Scots Gaelic in Nova Scotia and 60,000 in Scotland.
Manx is virtually extinct, although attempts to revive it continue and it is still used in ceremonies such as Tynwald Day.All the other living Celtic languages belong to the Brythonic branch of Celtic, which includes Welsh (Cymraeg), Breton (Brezhoneg), and Cornish (Kernowek).