Simon Phipp :
> > Some confusion arises from the fact that Gaulish was actually pretty
> > close to Latin, and there may have been a similar word in that
> > language or not (don't know, and don't know if anyone does).
>
> Pretty close to Latin? In a general, "offshoots of the same language
> family" way, I assume.
Far closer than that AFAIK
You have to realise that the roots, trees, branches, offshoots etc view of linguistic evolution and affiliation is based on a very nationalistic 19th century mindset and corresponding worldview.
This is perpetuated today for more political than scientific purposes, as linked to the idea that each nation-state has (MUST have !) its own nationally specific language.
In fact, Gaulish was spoken not only in "Gaul" (such that it didn't actually exist at the time) but in much of northern Italy. The examples that we have of the "gallo-roman" dialects of Vulgate Latin (very few, because overzealous copyists routinely "corrected" manuscripts to more classical grammar and forms, and into the 20th century classicists had a tendency to ignore any non-classical texts as bad latin, not worthy of study), seem to suggest that Gaulish was actually very close to Latin because the dialects were very close to corresponding Italic ones : if Gaulish had been very different, it would have had far more impact on popular usage than it did.
Current theory suggests that Gaulish basically turned into a dialect of Vulgate Latin, and could do so because it was so close, and was then easily wiped out.
> From what I have seen (very limited), they were
> quite distinct.
You can't have seen very much, because not very much survives !! Mainly place-names and a few other proper names, at that. AFAIK continental Celts occasionally claim that their language is descended from Gaulish, for typical nationalistic and propaganda purposes, but in fact the Bretons were originally Brits that were displaced by the arrival of the Romans in Britain*, and were only distantly related to the Gauls, if at all.
Sorry for the non-Gloranthan content.
Julian Lord
--__--__--
Powered by hypermail