Re: Hello!

[Geoff Eddy <geoff@morven.compulink.co.uk>]

On Mon, 27 Apr 1998, I wrote:

> This foundered for various technical reasons, but I suspect a similar
> idea might well fit into the Brithenig alternate world to investigate
> the alternate Q-Celtic languages which would have arisen...

And Andrew Smith replied:

> That's a good idea, it's one I have wondered about in the past.  If you
> haven't seen it try reading An Introduction to the Celtic Languages by
> Paul Russel, (1996).  It was helpful in giving the effects of sound
> changes and mutations in P-Celtic, and I think it coverage of Q-Celtic
> should be just as good.  At a guess I should say your university library
> somewhere in Edinburgh would have it, if not then they should be shot.

I actually borrowed this very book from the public library some time ago
and am now trying to find it in a bookshop! The only times I've seen it
I had less than the 21 pounds it cost :-( Speaking of books, what's the
book "From Latin to Romance in sound-charts", referred to in your
Brithenig page, like? I've never seen it.

(from a different post):

> On the isle of Man I think they speak Gaelic written in a Brithenig
> orthography.  In northern Kemr, the influx of immigrant Irish created a
> new dialect of Brithenig influenced by Irish pronunciation, known as
> Yscaws (Scouse).  It's most common in the Kemrese equivalent of Liverpool,
> north of Aberddui.

Brithenig turns out to have been a good deal more widely spoken than I
originally thought! My original conception was of a Romance language
affected by Q-Celtic phonology in the same way that Brithenig is
affected by P-Celtic phonology: "coigiteo earago som", or something like
that... i.e. what would have happened if speakers of Latin had been
numerous enough to displace speakers of Proto-Goidelic, etcetera.

There are actually some rather complex problems with this which I'll
happily indulge myself in if requested... Also, P-Celtic-influenced
Q-Celtic, or vice versa, could get quite interesting. Excuse my
ignorance of the Brithenig alternate universe, but what languages are
spoken in the alternate equivalents of the various parts of Scotland and
Ireland?

> I would like to hear more about Liotan.

Ask away! Have a look at my (incomplete) website,
http://www.cix.co.uk/~morven/liotan.html if you like - it says some nice
things about Brithenig (grovel!). Replace "liotan" with "l_intro" if you
don't like frames.

Geoff Eddy

-- 
[] Anna laughed with delight         <> Geoff Eddy, somewhere in
Edinburgh.. []
[] And my future was suddenly bright <>
--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++ []
[] So full of plans                  <> "The more it stays the same,
the     []
[]  - Pal Shazar                     <>  less it changes" - Nigel
Tufnell    []