Re: General RFI

[Padraic Brown <pbrown@polaris.umuc.edu>]

On Thu, 14 May 1998, Geoff Eddy wrote:

> Padraic Brown wrote:
> 
> > I thought Breathanach _was_ a Brithenig dialect!  Do correct me, Geoff, if
> > that's mistaken.
> 
> I'm not sure myself... it was originally intended as the Q-Celtic
> flipside to Brithenig's P-Celtic rather than as an actual dialect; I

I see.  Just like Brithenig, only different! ;-)

> don't think it'd be very easy to derive a Q-Celtic language from
> Brithenig without taking a substantial amount directly from
> Latin/Romance as well.

I'm not entirely certain what you mean by this.  I shouldn't think it were
at all possible to derive _any_ Celtic language from B.  

> 
> On which subject: which of the Romance languages is Brithenig intended
> to resemble most, assuming there is such a bias? [This could help me
> with Breathanach.] I've seen it described as being like Italian spoken
> with a Welsh accent, although in other ways it reminds me more of
> French.

I suppose the French connexion must be considered.  Both peoples (the
protoFrench and the protoCambrians) were Celtic, speaking related tongues
and with similar experiences.  It shouldn't be too great a wonder if their
languages should reflect the common heritage even a little.

The bias, with respect to Kernu anyway, is towards French; as the contact
and exchange between the two have always been considerable.  They've
borrowed heavily in certain areas of vocabulary; and the accent seems to
have a fearsome French twist to it.

> 
> On a different note, has anybody ever considered writing a novel or two
> set in the Brithenig universe? That's an obvious use for a conlang.

A novel or _two_!?  That's quite a heavy load!  There is an Arthurian
Romance on the way (3 1/2 chapters of 5 done), with one or two more in the
works (in K.) -- not a novel by any stretch.  But, I doubt either language
is yet ready for a novel, wordwise if not grammarwise.  Having given a go
at writing "real" literature in K., I'm not certain that _I_ am ready to
make a go at something larger.  I don't know how Andrew feels about B.,
but unless he's been living and breathing Cambrian culture, I'm sure he
might agree.  Mind you, a novel in Brithenig (or even a novella) is a
smashing idea! -- but I doubt it would sell very well. :-(

> 
> Geoff
> 

Padraic.