The Gallic (formerly known as ) is a Celtic language , group Continental Celtic , which was used in Gaul and spoken by the Gauls to the ^fifth century ^, before giving birth the Gallo-Roman in the company of vulgar Latin.

Knowledge related to the language are incomplete because the Celts have preferred the oral tradition and memory for the transmission of knowledge. Besides the fact that the "written word is dead," Julius Caesar noted in his Commentary on the Gallic War as worms learned from druids should not be written .

Although the Gallic is considered extinct since the fifth ^century many words exist in some European languages especially in place names.

We do not yet know very little about the Gallic language, which the certificates are very patchy, and usually collected on votive objects, with the exception of three major parts: the leads of Larzac of Chamalires and Lezoux. We also found a large calendar in Coligny , in the Ain , with many Gaulish words (see article Coligny Calendar ). The Gauls , oral tradition, did not use an alphabet own, but borrowed from the Greeks , the Etruscans or the Romans. The scarcity of written statements would be due to a special religious . A remark of St. Jerome in a commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians of Paul mentions the fact that Treveri spoke almost the same language as the Galatians .

The Gauls spoke several dialects of a Celtic language , they certainly came close to a pre-Celtic substrate with heterogeneous, with the exception of Basque - the extension at the time was more important than today - it remains traces in the toponymy or hydronymy (for the " ligure ", for example, names in -asc/osc Manosque, etc.. Seine <Sequana would also pre-Celtic origin). It seems impossible to know the influence of these substrates on dialectization and evolution of Gaul (in this regard, we can see the article on the French names ).

The Gallic is part of Continental Celtic (belonging to the family of Indo-European ): all these languages are now extinct, although some words survive in some European languages and especially in place names (names of cities-euil ,-joules, etc.).. At one time we tried to explain some peculiarities of the dialect of Vannes Brittany by the Gallic influence of a substrate. Today, most linguists have rejected this hypothesis and explain, conversely some of the dialectal peculiarities by the existence of a substrate Gallo-Roman largest in the region of valves (see explanation in the article on Breton language ), but that are also within the dialect of the Veneti.

One of the languages closest to the Gauls was the Galatian which there are only few traces, the Galatians were in fact close cousins of the Gauls.

Their language, also dead, is classified in the same group Continental Celtic.

Molding a plate written in Gallic ( Rodez , Fenaille Museum. Epoque Gallo-Roman times. Site Flavin , in the Aveyron ).

Registration RIG G-172. Segomaros son of Uillo, toutious (headman) of Namausos , dedicated this sanctuary to Belesama.

Grammar

Morphology

Weak pleadings makes it very difficult to reconstruct the morphology of the Gallic language.

Variations

It seems almost certain that there were at least five cases: nominative , accusative , genitive , dative and instrumental / association , the existence of a rental is assumed for the declension of stems in-o, the vocative is uninsured.

Declination, for what is known, is strongly reminiscent of those of Greek and Latin.

Theme-o

The theme is the best o-certified (equivalent to the second declension Latin and Greek). As in the modern Romance languages, the modern Celtic languages have no gender neutral which makes it difficult to define the kind of many Gallic terms.

This theme is available as well (examples Viros "man" (male) and nemeton "sanctuary" (neutral)):

The genitive in-i appears to be an innovation common to western Indo-European languages (Latin, Celtic). The instrumental plural is expected en-us but Obi-shapes are attested (messamobi, gandobi) and there may have been repairs on other terms as in Old Irish.

Theme-a in

The theme-a, which equals the first declension Latin and Greek. He twice -i/-ia themes found in Sanskrit. In late Gallic, the two themes tend to merge. These themes are available as well: all "people" and rigana "Queen."

Other themes

The other subjects are not attested vowel but can reconstitute (denoted * in the examples). There are themes consonant athematic semi-vowels, whose declination is very close to the Latin third declension:

I semi-vowel / u (Vatis examples of "seer" and mori "sea"):

Magus (m): "boy, servant" and medu: (n.) 'mead'

Conjugation

Conjugation of verbs is even more Gallic unknown. It seems that the Gauls, like the ancient Greek, has retained the Indo-European common verbs in-mi (athematic) and o-(thematic). The Gallic possess, as ancient Greek, five modes: a guide, a subjunctive, an optative, imperative and an infinitive (the form of a verbal noun) and at least three tenses: present, future, past tense.

The infinitive

In Celtic modern:

• the Breton , the Welsh and Manx have retained infinitive form;
• the Irish had lost.

It is possible that the Gaul had been an infinitive form in-YEAR similar to Germanic. The modern Breton has infinitives in this form.

Syntax

Gallic syntax is still virtually unknown. It was recognized some coordination, perhaps some relative pronouns, anaphoric and demonstrative. The order of the sentence seems to be subject-verb-complements.

Glossary

Adverbs Conjunctions & Coordination

• AC: preposition + job-instrumental association "with" (see bret gha, former AC gall, Galle, ag irl "and")
• C: "and" suffix coordination between two similar phrases (verbs, nouns) (see anc irl - ch);
• ETI (adv.): "well, again" (cf. Latin etiam) - preposition (cf. Latin idem or item);
• ETIC, "and even" introduced on the instrumental or a final list item;
• EXTOS, EXTER * "but" (cf gall eithr "except", former echtar IRL);
• COETIC "and also" see etic;
• NEUE * "or" (cf neu gall, Scottish neo)
• NU: "Now, now" (see irl & gall nu);
• TONI (adv): "Then, secondly, then, again, also" (cf. Engl Then, All dann & Neth, tum lat);
• -EU "or" suffix coordination;

Adverbs

• AIUSA: "forever" (see gall SORT)
• DESI: yesterday (see gall ddoe, doe, br dec'h, former irl independent, Scottish-year de, mann jei)
• ETI: again, (see bret eta "then" eto gall "new," irl eadh "thus")
• MOXSOU * Soon, soon, (see gall Moch, moch irl)
• UN: Now, (see naked irl)
• SINDIU: today (see bret hiziv, gall heddiw, irl andiu, Scottish-year diu, jiu mann)
• Sinnoxti *: Tonight, (see bret henozh, gall heno, former anocht irl).
• TONI: So, then;
• INTE + adj. D Masc. or N: adverb of manner in "-ing" - eg. inte Maroua (see gall yn fawr, mann vooar dy, br-ent) = substantially (see gall yn dy mann)

Prepositions and prefixes

• AD: "into," prep. + Accusative (cf. ad-anc irl preverb, former ad gall "to") Adomi
• AMBI "around, about, about" thought (see bret em, am gall, irl im)
• ANDE: "sub" (see bret dan, ann irl)
• APO "with" (cf. Bret, Galle)
• AER "front, with" prep. + Dat. (See bret gall er, irl air "on")
• ATE: "new" (see gall bret ad, former ath-irl, Aith-"re-")
• TO: "of, from" prep. + Genitive / dative (see gall o "from", irl, Breton in Vannes)
• CANTA "with" prep. Kantimi (with me) (see gall bret glove "with" irl gan "without")
• COM, CON, "with, in full" prefix (see gall-CYF, COMH irl)
• DI: (1) ", coming from (distance, separation); (2)" of (partitive) "(3)" no "or negative prefix Intensive preposition + dat. (See bret di, gall y irl di)
• ENTER entar "between" prep + acc. (See bret be, gall Ithr, eidir irl)
• ERI: (1) "by, on behalf of, for" (2) "around" (see bret first "car", er gall "to" irl air "car")
• ES: "off, leaving" prep. + Dat. (See bret had, gall ech, irl as)
• IN, ENI, "in" Pref. and prep. + Dat. & Acc. ; Enimie (by me) (cf. Bret, yn gall, a n-irl)
• Issou "below, at the foot, below the" Pref. and prep. + Dat. (See bret IS "down below" gall SI irl is)
• MEDIO "amidst, within" (cf. Bret mez, former irl mide)
• RACO "before before" (see bret araok "before" DIRAK "for" gall RhAG)
• SEPOS (acc): "except, beyond, besides"> "without" (see bret hep "free", gall heb 'without', irl seach "the past")
• TO: "to to" prep. + Dative (to, zu germ.) Tamiya (for me) (cf. da br, irl do "to")
• TRE, TRI, "by, through" Pref. and prep. + Acc. (See bret be gall, tri irl)
• UXSE "over the top of" (cf. Bret us, gall uwch "higher" irl s)
• VER "on, above '; Pref. and prep. + Dat. & Acc. (See bret war, gall gor, irl forum)
• VERTO: (1) "against, toward, near" (2) "in order to, toward '(cf. ouzh bret, gall gwrth, former fri irl, irl st)
• VO: "as"; Pref. and prep. + Dat. & Acc. (See gall go, irl for)

Listings

Several inscriptions have been found attesting to the existence of writing in Gaul. They are mostly written with characters from the Greek alphabet.

Gallo-Etruscan Inscriptions of Cisalpine Gaul ( ^sixth century BC. - II ^centuryBC. )

• The Lepontic was used in Cisalpine Gaul , now in northern Italy, for the Gallic inscriptions on Pearl Mnsingen-Rain , the vase of Ptuj , the stele of San Bernardino de Brion , the stone of Todi The terminal Vercelli.

Listings Gallo-Greek ( III ^centuryBC. - ^I century AD.)

• The numerous inscriptions gallo-Greek, that is to say, the Gallic language written from the Greek alphabet, are mostly dedications , funerary inscriptions ( cippi , stelae ...) or graffiti : Registration Lapipe-Sene Alise-Sainte-Reine , Inscription Rock the oppidum of Castellan , cippus of Our Lady of Groseau ( Malaucne ), Pierre de Montmirat , etc..

Listings Gallo-Roman ( ^first century BC. - ^fourth century AD.)

• These tiles Chteaubleau , discovered in 1997 and engraved in cursive Latin .

Sources

References

Bibliography

Source vocabulary

• Nora Kershaw Chadwick , Myles Dillon , Christian Joseph Guyonvarc'h and Franoise Le Roux , The Celtic Realms, Armeline (Hardcover - 24 x 18.5 to 509 pages).
• Hollocou Pierre and Jean-Yves Plourin De Quimperl the Black Mountains, place names and their history, Emgleo Breiz, 2006, Ref: 702267
• Albert Deshayes , etymological dictionary of Breton, Chasse-Maree Foreshore, October 2003, ( ISBN 2-914208-25-1 )
• Francis Favereau , Addendum to the Dictionary of Contemporary Breton
• Pierre-Yves Lambert , The Gallic language, description language commentary entries selected, Wandering, 2003 ( ISBN 2-87772-224-4 )
• Xavier Delamarre , Dictionnaire of the Gaulish language, a linguistic approach to the old Celtic-Continental, Wandering, Hesperides Collection, 2003 ( ISBN 2-87772-237-6 )
• Jean-Paul Savignac , shit Caesar's Edition Difference, 2000 ( ISBN 2-7291-1323-1 )
• Jean-Paul Savignac , Dictionary French-Gallic edition of Difference, 2004 ( ISBN 2-7291-1529-3 )

Additions

Related articles

• Language
  • language list
    • Languages by family
      • Indo-European
        • Celtic languages
          • Continental Celtic languages
• Celtic
• Bibliography on Celtic civilization

External Links

• Pierre-Yves Lambert, Reports of meetings of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres, Year 1998 , and on the Bolards Chteaubleau.
• French words of Gallic origin
• PDF-Institute for Linguistics at the University of Vienna (Austria). Materials on the Lepontic the Celtiberian and Cisalpine Gaul - Tables on the history of the Celtic languages (German)

• Language portal
• Portal Celtic

Leave a Reply

Frequently Asked Questions