Goidelic (Gaelic) languages
 

The Goidelic languages (also sometimes called, particularly in colloquial situations, the Gaelic languages or collectively Gaelic) have historically been part of a dialect continuum stretching from the south of Ireland, through the Isle of Man, to the north of Scotland. They are one of two major divisions of modern-day Insular Celtic languages (the other being the Brythonic languages). Goidelic is generally divided into: Irish (Gaeilge), Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig), and Manx (Gaelg). Shelta is sometimes mistakenly thought to be a Goidelic language when it is, in fact, a cant based on Irish and English, with a primarily English-based syntax.

The Goidelic branch is also known as Q-Celtic, because Proto-Celtic *kw was originally retained in this branch (later losing its labialisation and becoming plain [k]), as opposed to Brythonic, where *kw became [p]. This sound change is found in Gaulish as well, so Brythonic and Gaulish are sometimes collectively known as "P-Celtic". (In Celtiberian, *kw is also retained, so the term "Q-Celtic" could be applied to it as well, although Celtiberian is not a Goidelic language.)

A form of Early Modern Irish, known as Classical Gaelic, was used as a literary language in Ireland until the 17th century and in Scotland until the 18th century. Later orthographic divergence is the result of more recent orthographic reforms resulting in standardised pluricentric diasystems. Manx orthography is based on English and Welsh and was introduced in 1610 by John Phillips, the Welsh-born Bishop of Sodor and Mann.

Another significant difference between Goidelic and Brythonic languages is the transformation of *an, am to a denasalised vowel with lengthening, é, before an originally voiceless stop or fricative, cf. Old Irish éc "death", écath "fish hook", dét "tooth", cét "hundred" vs. Welsh angau, angad, dant, and cant. Otherwise:

the nasal is retained before a vowel, jod, w, m, and a liquid:
Old Irish ban "woman" (< banom)
Old Irish gainethar "he/she is born" (< gan-je-tor)
Old Irish ainb "ignorant" (< anwiss)
the nasal passes to en before another n:
Old Irish benn "peak" (< banno) (vs. Welsh bann)
Middle Irish ro-geinn "finds a place" (< ganne) (vs. Welsh gannaf)
the nasal passes to in, im before a voiced stop
Old Irish imb "butter" (vs. Breton aman(en)n, Cornish amanyn)
Old Irish ingen "nail" (vs. Old Welsh eguin)
Old Irish tengae "tongue" (vs. Welsh tafod)
Old Irish ing "strait" (vs. Middle Welsh eh-ang "wide")
 

Please email us to schedule a first private class in Gaelic.

Group classes are also available, please check our New Schedule!

If you do not find the language you are looking for, please let us know via email.