Celtiberian Language
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Celtiberian or Northeastern Hispano-Celtic is an extinct
Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutc ...
language of the
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
branch spoken by the Celtiberians in an area of the
Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
between the headwaters of the
Douro The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part o ...
,
Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...
,
Júcar left The Júcar () or Xúquer () is a river on the Iberian Peninsula of Spain. The river runs for approximately 509 km from its source at Ojuelos de Valdeminguete, on the eastern flank of the Montes Universales, Sistema Ibérico. Its most i ...
and Turia rivers and the
Ebro , name_etymology = , image = Zaragoza shel.JPG , image_size = , image_caption = The Ebro River in Zaragoza , map = SpainEbroBasin.png , map_size = , map_caption = The Ebro ...
river. This language is directly attested in nearly 200 inscriptions dated to the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, mainly in Celtiberian script, a direct adaptation of the
northeastern Iberian script The northeastern Iberian script, also known as Levantine Iberian or Iberian, was the main means of written expression of the Iberian language. The language is also expressed by the southeastern Iberian script and the Greco-Iberian alphabet ...
, but also in the
Latin alphabet The Latin alphabet or Roman alphabet is the collection of letters originally used by the ancient Romans to write the Latin language. Largely unaltered with the exception of extensions (such as diacritics), it used to write English and th ...
. The longest extant Celtiberian inscriptions are those on three
Botorrita plaque The Botorrita plaques are four bronze plaques discovered in Botorrita (Roman ''Contrebia Belaisca''), near Zaragoza, Spain, dating to the late 2nd century BC, known as Botorrita I, II, III and IV. Botorrita II is in the Latin language, but Bot ...
s, bronze plaques from
Botorrita Botorrita is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. Botorrita is known for the archeological artefacts found there, such as the Botorrita plaque The Botorrita plaques are four bronze plaques discovered in Botorrit ...
near
Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...
, dating to the early 1st century BC, labeled Botorrita I, III and IV (Botorrita II is in
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
). In the northwest was another Celtic language, Gallaecian (also known as Northwestern Hispano-Celtic), that was closely related to Celtiberian.


Overview

Enough is preserved to show that the Celtiberian language could be
Q-Celtic The Celtic languages (usually , but sometimes ) are a group of related languages descended from Proto-Celtic. They form a branch of the Indo-European language family. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward L ...
(like
Goidelic The Goidelic or Gaelic languages ( ga, teangacha Gaelacha; gd, cànanan Goidhealach; gv, çhengaghyn Gaelgagh) form one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages, the other being the Brittonic languages. Goidelic languages historically ...
), and not
P-Celtic The Gallo-Brittonic languages, also known as the P-Celtic languages, are a subdivision of the Celtic languages of Ancient Gaul (both '' celtica'' and '' belgica'') and Celtic Britain, which share certain features. Besides common linguistic in ...
like
Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switze ...
or
Brittonic Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to: *Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain *Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic *Britons (Celtic people) The Br ...
. Celtiberian and Gaulish are grouped together as
Continental Celtic languages The Continental Celtic languages are the now-extinct group of the Celtic languages that were spoken on the continent of Europe and in central Anatolia, as distinguished from the Insular Celtic languages of the British Isles and Brittany. ''Contine ...
, but this grouping is paraphyletic: no evidence suggests the two shared any common innovation separately from Insular Celtic. Celtiberian has a fully inflected relative pronoun ''ios'' (as does, for instance, Ancient Greek), not preserved in other Celtic languages, and the
particle In the physical sciences, a particle (or corpuscule in older texts) is a small localized object which can be described by several physical or chemical properties, such as volume, density, or mass. They vary greatly in size or quantity, from ...
s -kue 'and' < *''kʷe'' (cf. Latin ''-que'', Attic Greek ''te''), nekue 'nor' < *''ne-kʷe'' (cf. Latin ''neque''), ekue 'also, as well' < *''h₂et(i)-kʷe'' (cf. Lat. ''atque'', Gaulish ''ate'', OIr. ''aith'' 'again'), ''ve'' "or" (cf. Latin enclitic ''-ve'' and Attic Greek ''ē'' < Proto-Greek ''*ē-we''). As in
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
, there is an ''s''- subjunctive, ''gabiseti'' "he shall take" (Old Irish ''gabid''), ''robiseti'', ''auseti''. Compare
Umbrian Umbrian is an extinct Italic language formerly spoken by the Umbri in the ancient Italian region of Umbria. Within the Italic languages it is closely related to the Oscan group and is therefore associated with it in the group of Osco-Umbrian ...
''ferest'' "he/she/it shall make" or
Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...
''deiksēi'' (aorist subj.) / ''deiksei'' (future ind.) "(that) he/she/it shall show".


Phonology

Celtiberian was a
Celtic language The Celtic languages (usually , but sometimes ) are a group of related languages descended from Proto-Celtic. They form a branch of the Indo-European language family. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward ...
that shows the characteristic sound changes of Celtic languages such as:


PIE Consonants

* PIE *bʰ, *dʰ, *gʰ > b, d, g: Loss of
Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo- ...
voiced aspiration. **Celtiberian and Gaulish placename element -brigā 'hill, town, akro-polis' < *''bʰr̥ǵʰ-eh₂''; **nebintor 'they are watered' < *''nebʰ-i-nt-or''; **dinbituz 'he must build' < *''dʰingʰ-bī-tōd'', ambi-dingounei 'to build around > to enclose' < *''h₂m̥bi-dʰingʰ-o-mn-ei'' (cf. Latin ''fingō'' 'to build, shape' < *''dʰingʰ-o'', Old Irish ''cunutgim'' 'erect, build up' < *''kom-ups-dʰingʰ-o''), ambi-diseti '(that someone) builds around > enclose' < *''h₂m̥bi-dʰingʰ-s-e-ti''. **gortika 'mandatory, required' < *''gʰor-ti-ka'' (cfr. Latin ''ex-horto'' 'exhort' < *''ex-gʰor-to''); **duatir 'daughter' < *''dʰugh₂tēr'', duateros 'grandson, son of the daughter' (Common Celtic ''duxtir''); **bezom 'mine' < *''bʰedʰ-yo'' 'that is pierced'. * PIE *kʷ: Celtiberian preserved the PIE
voiceless In linguistics, voicelessness is the property of sounds being pronounced without the larynx vibrating. Phonologically, it is a type of phonation, which contrasts with other states of the larynx, but some object that the word phonation implies ...
labiovelar ''kʷ'' (hence
Q-Celtic The Celtic languages (usually , but sometimes ) are a group of related languages descended from Proto-Celtic. They form a branch of the Indo-European language family. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward L ...
), a development also observed in Archaic Irish and Latin. On the contrary Brythonic or
P-Celtic The Gallo-Brittonic languages, also known as the P-Celtic languages, are a subdivision of the Celtic languages of Ancient Gaul (both '' celtica'' and '' belgica'') and Celtic Britain, which share certain features. Besides common linguistic in ...
(as well as some dialects of
Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...
and some Italic branches like P-Italic) changed ''kʷ'' to ''p''. -kue 'and' < *''kʷe'', Latin ''-que'', Osco-Umbrian ''-pe'' 'and', ''neip'' 'and not, neither' < *''ne-kʷe''. * PIE *ḱw > ku: ekuo ''horse'' (in ethnic name ''ekualakos'') < *''h₁eḱw-ālo'' (cf. Middle Welsh ''ebawl'' 'foal' < *''epālo'', Latin ''equus'' 'horse', OIr. ''ech'' 'horse' < *eko´- < *''h₁eḱwo-'', OBret. ''eb'' < *''epo-'' < *''h₁eḱwo-''); **kū 'dog' < *''kuu'' < *''kwōn'', in Virokū, 'hound-man, male hound/wolf, werewolf' (cfr. Old Irish ''Ferchú'' < *Virokū, Old Welsh ''Gurcí'' < *Virokū 'idem.'. * PIE *gʷ > b: bindis 'legal agent' < *''gʷiHm-diks'' (cfr. Latin ''vindex'' 'defender'); **bovitos 'cow passage' < *''gʷow-(e)ito'' (cfr. OIr ''bòthar'' 'cow passage' < *gʷow-(e)itro), and boustom 'cowshed' < *''gʷow-sto''. * PIE *gʷʰ > gu: guezonto < *''gʷʰedʰ-y-ont'' 'imploring, pleading'. Common Celtic *''guedyo'' 'ask, plead, pray', OIr. ''guidid'', W. ''gweddi''. * PIE *p > *φ > ∅: Loss of PIE *', e.g. ' (Celtiberian, Old Irish and Old Breton) vs. Latin ' and
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
'. ozas sues acc. pl. fem. 'six feet, unit of measure' (< *''φodians'' < *''pod-y-ans'' *''sweks''); **aila 'stone building' < *''pl̥-ya'' (cfr. OIr. ''ail'' 'boulder'); **vamos 'higher' < *''uφamos'' < *''up-m̥os''; **vrantiom 'remainder, rest' < *''uper-n̥tiyo'' (cfr. Latin ''(s)uperans''). **Toponym Litania now Ledaña 'broad place' < *''pl̥th2-ny-a''.


Consonant clusters

* PIE *mn > un: as in Lepontic, Brittonic and Gaulish, but not Old Irish and seemingly not Galatian. Kouneso 'neighbour' < *''kom-ness-o'' < *''Kom-nedʰ-to'' (cf. OIr. ''comnessam'' 'neighbour' < *''Kom-nedʰ-t-m̥o''). * PIE *pn > un: Klounia < *''kleun-y-a'' < *''kleup-ni'' 'meadow' (Cfr. OIr. ''clúain'' 'meadow' < *''klouni''). However, in Latin *''pn'' > mn: ''damnum'' 'damage' < *''dHp-no''. * PIE *nm > lm: Only in Celtiberian. melmu < *''men-mōn'' 'intelligence', Melmanzos 'gifted with mind' < *''men-mn̥-tyo'' (Cfr. OIr. ''menme'' 'mind' < *''men-mn̥''. Also occurs in modern Spanish: ''alma'' 'soul' < *''anma'' < Lat. ''anima'', Asturian ''galmu'' 'step' < Celtic *''kang-mu''. * PIE *ps > *ss / s: usabituz 'he must excavate (lit. up/over-dig)' < *''ups-ad-bʰiH-tōd'', Useizu * < *''useziu'' < *''ups-ed-yō'' 'highest'. The ethnic name ''contestani'' in Latin (''contesikum'' in native language), recall the proper name Komteso 'warm-hearted, friendly' (< *''kom-tep-so'', cf. OIr. ''tess'' 'warm' > *''tep-so''). In Latin epigraphy that sound is transcribed with geminated: Usseiticum 'of the Usseitici' < *''Usseito'' < *''upse-tyo''. However, in
Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switze ...
and
Brittonic Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to: *Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain *Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic *Britons (Celtic people) The Br ...
*ps > *x (cf. Gaulish ''Uxama'', MW. ''uchel'', 'one six'). * PIE *pt > *tt / t: setantu 'seventh' (< *''septmo-to''). However, in Gaulish and Insular Celtic *pt > x: ''sextameto'' 'seventh', Old Irish ''sechtmad'' (< *''septmo-e-to''). * PIE *gs > *ks > *ss / s: sues 'six' < *''sweks''; **Desobriga 'south/right city' (Celts oriented looking east) < *''dekso-*bʰr̥ǵʰa''; **Nertobris 'strength town' < *''h₂ner-to-*bʰr̥ǵʰs''; **es- 'out of, not' < *''eks'' < *''h₁eǵʰs'' (cf. Lat. ''ex-'', Common Celtic ''exs-'', OIr. ''ess-''). In Latin epigraphy that sound its transcript with geminated: Suessatium < *''sweks''- 'the sixth city' (cfr. Latin ''Sextantium'') **Dessicae < *''deks-ika''. However, in
Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switze ...
*ks > *x: ''Dexivates''. * PIE *gt > *kt > *tt / t: ditas 'constructions, buildings' < *''dʰigʰ-tas'' (= Latin ''fictas''); **loutu 'load' < *''louttu'' < *''louktu'' < *''leugʰ-tu''; **litom 'it is permitted', ne-litom 'it is not permitted' (< *''l(e)ik-to'', cf. Latin ''licitum'' < *''lik-e-to''). But Common Celtic *kt > *xt: ''luxtu'' < *''louktu'' < *''leugʰ-tu'', OIr. ''lucht''. **Celtiberian Retugenos 'right born, lawful' < *''h₃reg-tō-genos'', Gaulish ''Rextugenos''. In Latin epigraphy that sound is transcribed with geminated: Britto 'noble' < *''brikto'' < *''bʰr̥ǵʰ-to''. **Bruttius 'fruitful' < *''bruktio'' < *''bʰruHǵ-t-y-o'' (cfr. Latin ''Fructuosus'' 'profitable'). * PIE *st > *st: against Gaulish, Irish and Welsh (where the change was *st > ss) preservation of the PIE cluster *st. Gustunos 'excellent' < *gustu 'excellence' < *''gus-tu''. Old Irish ''gussu'' 'excellence' (cfr. ''Fergus'' < *''viro-gussu''), Gaulish ''gussu'' ( Lezoux Plate, line 7).


Vowels

* PIE *e, *h₁e > e: Togoitei eni 'in Togotis' < *''h₁en-i'' (cf. Lat. ''in'', OIr. ''in'' 'into, in'), somei eni touzei 'inside of this territory', es- 'out of, not' < *''eks'' < *''h₁eǵʰs'' (cf. Lat. ''ex-'', Common Celtic ''exs-'', OIr. ''ess-''), esankios 'not enclosed, open' lit. 'unfenced' < *''h₁eǵʰs-*h₂enk-yos'', treba 'settlement, town', Kontrebia 'conventus, capital' < *''kom-treb-ya'' (cf. OIr. ''treb'', W. ''tref'' 'settlement'), ekuo ''horse'' < *''h₁ekw-os'', ekualo 'horseman'. * PIE *h₂e > a: ankios 'fenced, enclosed' < *''h₂enk-yos'', Ablu 'strong' < *''h₂ep-lō'' 'strength', augu 'valid, firm' < *''h₂ewg-u'', adj. 'strong, firm, valid'. * PIE *o, *Ho > o: olzui (dat.sing.) 'for the last' (< *''olzo'' 'last' < *''h₂ol-tyo'', cf. Lat. ''ultimus'' < *''h₂ol-t-m̥o''. OIr. ''ollam'' 'master poet' < *''oltamo'' < *''h₂ol-t-m̥''), okris 'mountain' (< *''h₂ok-r-i'', cf. Lat. ''ocris'' 'mountain', OIr. ''ochair'' 'edge' < *''h₂ok-r-i''), monima 'memory' (< *''monī-mā'' < *''mon-eye-mā''). * PIE *eh₁ > ē > ī?. This Celtic reflex isn't well attested in Celtiberian. e.g. IE ''*h3rg'-s'' meaning "king, ruler" vs. Celtiberian ''-reiKis'', Gaulish ''-rix'', British ''rix'', Old Irish, Old Welsh, Old Breton ''ri'' meaning "king". In any case, the maintenance of PIE ē = ē is well attested in dekez 'he did' < *''deked'' < *''dʰeh₁k-et'', identical to Latin ''fecit''. * PIE *eh₂ > ā: dāunei 'to burn' < *''deh₂u-nei'' (Old Irish ''dóud, dód'' 'burn' < *''deh₂u-to-''), silabur sāzom 'enough money, a considerable amount of money' (< *''sātio'' < *''she₂t-yo'', Common Celtic ''sāti'' 'sufficiency', OIr. ''sáith''), kār 'friendship' (< *''keh₂r'', cf. Lat. ''cārus'' 'dear' < *''keh₂r-os'', Irish ''cara'' 'friend', W. ''caru'' 'love' < *''kh₂r-os''). * PIE *eh₃, *oH > a/u: Celtic ' in final syllables and ' in non-final syllables, e.g. IE ''*dh3-td'' to Celtiberian datuz meaning 'he must give'. dama 'sentence' < *''dʰoh₁m-eh₂'' 'put, dispose' (cfr. Old Irish ''dán'' 'gift, skill, poem', Germanic dōma < *''dʰoh₁m-o'' 'verdict, sentence'). * PIE *Hw- > w-: uta 'conj. and, prep. besides' (< *''h₂w-ta'', 'or, and', cfr, Umb. ''ute'' 'or', Lat. ''aut'' 'or' (< *''h₂ew-ti'').


Syllabic resonants and laryngeals

* PIE *n̥ > an / *m̥ > am: arganto 'silver' < *''h₂r̥gn̥to'' (cf. OIr. ''argat'' and Latin ''argentum''). kamanom 'path, way' *''kanmano'' < *''kn̥gs-mn̥-o'' (cf. OIr. ''céimm'', OW. ''cemmein'' 'step'), decameta 'tithe' < *''dekm̥-et-a'' (cf. Gaulish ''decametos'' 'tenth', Old Irish ''dechmad'' 'tenth'), dekam 'ten' (cf. Lat. ''decem'', Common Celtic ''dekam'', OIr. ''deich'' < *''dekm̥''), novantutas 'the nine tribes', novan 'nine' < *''h₁newn̥'' (cf. Lat. ''novem'', Common Celtic ''novan'', OW. ''nauou'' < *''h₁newn̥''), ās 'we, us' (< *''ans'' < *''n̥s'', Old Irish ''sinni'' < *''sisni'', *''snisni'' 'we, us', cf. German ''uns'' < *''n̥s''), trikanta < *''tri-kn̥g-ta'', lit. 'three horns, three boundaries' > 'civil parish, shire' (modern Spanish
Tres Cantos Tres Cantos is a municipality of Spain located in Community of Madrid. Originally belonging to Colmenar Viejo, it seceded from the latter municipality in 1991, becoming the youngest municipality in the region. The urbanised area was conceived as ...
. * Like Common Celtic and Italic (SCHRIJVER 1991: 415, McCONE 1996: 51 and SCHUMACHER 2004: 135), PIE *CHC > CaC (C = any consonant, H = any laryngeal): datuz < *''dh₃-tōd'', dakot 'they put' < *''dʰh₁k-ont'', matus 'propitious days' < *''mh₂-tu'' (Latin ''mānus'' 'good' < *''meh₂-no'', Old Irish ''maith'' 'good' < *''mh₂-ti''). * PIE *CCH > CaC (C = any consonant, H = any laryngeal): Magilo 'prince' (< *''mgh₂-i-lo'', cf. OIr. ''mál'' 'prince' < *''mgh₂-lo''). * PIE *r̥R > arR and *l̥R > alR (R = resonant): arznā 'part, share' < ''*φarsna'' < *''parsna'' < *''pr̥s-nh₂''. Common Celtic ''*φrasna'' < *''prasna'' < *''pr̥s-nh₂'', cf. Old Irish ''ernáil'' 'part, share'. * PIE *r̥P > riP and *l̥P > liP (P = plosive): briganti PiRiKanTi < *''bʰr̥ǵʰ-n̥ti''. silabur konsklitom 'silver coined' < *''kom-skl̥-to'' 'to cut'. * PIE *Cr̥HV > CarV and *Cl̥HV > CalV: sailo 'dung, slurry' *''salyo'' < *''sl̥H-yo'' (cf. Lat. ''saliva'' < *''sl̥H-iwa'', OIr. ''sal'' 'dirt' < *''sl̥H-a''), aila 'stone building' < *''pl̥-ya'' (cf. OIr. ''ail'' 'boulder'), are- 'first, before' (Old Irish ''ar'' 'for', Gaulish ''are'' 'in front of', < *''pr̥h₂i''. Lat. ''prae-'' 'before' < *''preh₂i''). * Like Common Celtic (JOSEPH 1982: 51 and ZAIR 2012: 37), PIE *HR̥C > aRC (H = any laringeal, R̥ any syllabic resonant, C = any consonant): arganto 'silver' < *''h₂r̥gn̥to'', not **''riganto''.


Exclusive developments

*
Affrication An affricate is a consonant that begins as a stop and releases as a fricative, generally with the same place of articulation (most often coronal). It is often difficult to decide if a stop and fricative form a single phoneme or a consonant pair ...
of the PIE groups -*dy-, -*dʰy-. -*ty- > z/th (/θ/) located between vowels and of -*d, -*dʰ > z/th (/θ/) at the end of the word: adiza 'duty' < *''adittia'' < *''h₂ed-d(e)ik-t-ya''; Useizu 'highest' < *''ups-ed-yō''; touzu 'territory' < *''teut-yō''; rouzu 'red' < *''reudʰy-ō''; olzo 'last' < *''h₂ol-tyo''; ozas 'feet' < *''pod-y-ans''; datuz < *''dh₃-tōd''; louzu 'free' (in: LOUZOKUM, MLH IV, K.1.1.) < *''h₁leudʰy-ō'' (cf.
Oscan Oscan is an extinct Indo-European language of southern Italy. The language is in the Osco-Umbrian or Sabellic branch of the Italic languages. Oscan is therefore a close relative of Umbrian. Oscan was spoken by a number of tribes, including ...
''loufir'' 'free man',
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
''ljúdi'' 'men, people'.


Morphology


Noun cases

* ''arznā'' 'part, share' < *parsna < *pr̥s-nh₂. Common Celtic ''*φrasna'' < *prasna * ''veizos'' 'witness' < *weidʰ-yo < *weidʰ- 'perceive,see' / ''vamos'' 'higher' < *up-m̥os * ''gentis'' 'son, descendance' < *gen-ti. Common Celtic *genos 'family' * ''loutu'' 'load' < *louttu < *louktu < *leugʰ-tu. Common Celtic ''luxtu'' < *louktu < *leugʰ-tu (oir. ''lucht''). * ''duater'' 'daughter' < *dʰugh₂tēr. Common Celtic ''duxtir''. There is also a potential Vocative case, however this is very poorly attested, with only an ambiguous -e ending for o-stem nouns being cited in literature.


Demonstrative pronouns


Sample texts

* First
Botorrita plaque The Botorrita plaques are four bronze plaques discovered in Botorrita (Roman ''Contrebia Belaisca''), near Zaragoza, Spain, dating to the late 2nd century BC, known as Botorrita I, II, III and IV. Botorrita II is in the Latin language, but Bot ...
side A, Botorrita,
Saragossa Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributar ...
. (K.01.01.A). Image:Botorrita 1.jpg, First Botorrita plaque (
Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...
). Image:Zaragoza - Museo - Grafito 01.jpg, Another Botorrita plaque (
Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...
).
: soz augu arestalo damai : ''all this (is) valid by order of the competent authority'' : 'all this' ''soz'' (< *sod) 'final, valid' ''augo'' (< *h₂eug-os 'strong, valid', cf. Latin ''augustus'' 'solemn'). : 'of the competent authority' ''arestalos'' (< *pr̥Hi-steh₂-lo 'competent authority' < *pr̥Hi-sto 'what is first, authority', gen. sing.) : 'by order' ''damai'' (< *dʰoh₁m-eh₂ 'stablishing, dispose', instrumental fem. sing.). :(Translation: Prosper 2006) : saum dekametinas datuz somei eni touzei iste ankios iste es-ankios :''of these, he will give the tax inside of this territory, so be fenced as be unfenced'' : 'of these' (''saum'' < *sa-ōm) 'the tithes, the tax' (''dekametinas'') : 'he will pay, will give' (''datuz'') 'inside, in' (''eni'' < *h₁en-i) : 'of this' (''somei'' loc. sing. < *so-sm-ei 'from this') : 'territory' (''touzei'' loc. sing. < *''touzom'' 'territory' < *tewt-yo) : 'so (be) fenced' ''iste ankios'' 'as (be) unfenced' ''iste es-ankios'' :(Transcription Jordán 2004) :togoitei ios vramtiom-ve auzeti aratim-ve dekametam datuz :''In Togotis, he who draws water either for the green or for the farmland, the tithe (of their yield) he shall give'' :(Translation: De Bernardo 2007) * Great inscription from Peñalba de Villastar,
Teruel Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel Province. It has a population of 35,675 in 2014 making it the least populated provincial capital in the country. It is noted for its harsh climate, with ...
. (K.03.03). :eni Orosei :uta Tigino tiatunei :erecaias to Luguei :araianom komeimu :eni Orosei Ekuoisui-kue :okris olokas togias sistat Luguei tiaso :togias :eni Orosei uta Tigino tiatunei erecaias to Luguei araianom comeimu eni Orosei Ekuoisui-kue okris olokas togias sistat Luguei :''in Orosis and the surroundings of Tigino river, we dedicate the fields to Lugus. In Orosis and Equeiso the hills, the vegetable gardens and the houses are dedicated to Lugus'' :'in' ''eni'' (< *h₁en-i) 'Orosis' ''Orosei'' (loc. sing. *oros-ei) :'and' ''uta''(conj. cop.) 'of Tigino (river)' (gen. sing. *tigin-o) 'in the surroundings' (loc. sing. *tiatoun-ei < *to-yh₂eto-mn-ei) :'the furrows > the land cultivated' ''erekaiās'' < *perka-i-ans acc. pl. fem.) 'to Lugus' ''to Luguei'' : araianom (may be a verbal complement: properly, totally, *pare-yanom, cfr. welsh ''iawn'') 'we dedicate' ''komeimu'' (< *komeimuz < *kom-ei-mos-i, present 3 p.pl.) :'in' ''eni'' 'Orosis' (''Orosei'' loc. sing.) 'in Ekuoisu' (''Ekuoisui'' loc. sing.) '-and' (''-kue'' <*-kʷe) : 'the hills' (''okris'' < *h₂ok-r-eyes. nom. pl.) 'the vegetable gardens' (''olokas'' < *olkās < *polk-eh₂-s, nom. pl.) '(and) the roofs > houses' (''togias'' < tog-ya-s, nom. pl.) :'are they (dedicated)' ''sistat'' (< *sistant < *si-sth₂-nti, 3 p.pl.) 'to Lug' (''Lugue-i'' dat.) :(Transcription: Meid 1994, Translation: Prosper 2002Prósper, Blanca M. 2002: «La gran inscripción rupestre celtibérica de Peñalba de Villastar. Una nueva interpretación», Palaeohispanica 2, pp. 213-226.) * Bronze plaque of Torrijo del Campo,
Teruel Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel Province. It has a population of 35,675 in 2014 making it the least populated provincial capital in the country. It is noted for its harsh climate, with ...
. :kelaunikui :derkininei : es :kenim : dures : lau :ni : olzui : obakai :eskenim : dures :useizunos : gorzo :nei : lutorikum : ei :subos : adizai : ekue : kar :tinokum : ekue : lankikum :ekue : tirtokum : silabur :sazom : ibos : esatui :Lutorikum eisubos adizai ekue Kartinokum ekue Lankikum ekue Tirtokum silabur sazom ibos esatui (datuz) : ''for those of the Lutorici included in the duty, and also of the Cartinoci, of the Lancici and of the Tritoci, must give enough money to settle the debt with them.'' : 'for those included ' (''eisubos'' < *h1epi-s-o-bʰos) : 'of the Lutorici' (''lutorikum'' gen. masc. pl.) : 'and also' (''ekue'' <*h₂et(i)kʷe) 'of the Cartinoci' (''kartinokum'') : 'and also' (''ekue'') 'of the Lancici' (''lankikum'') 'and also' (''ekue'') 'of the Tritoci' (''tirtokum'') : 'in the assignment, in the duty' (''adizai'' loc. fem. sing. < *adittia < *ad-dik-tia. Cfr. Latin ''addictio'' 'assignment'), : 'money' (''silabur'') 'enough' (''sazom'' < *sātio < *seh₂t-yo) : 'to settle the debt' (''esatui'' < *essato < *eks-h₂eg-to. Cfr. Latin ''ex-igo'' 'demand, require' and ''exactum'' 'identical, equivalent') : 'for them' (''ibus'' < *i-bʰos, dat.3 p.pl.) : 'must give' (''datuz'' < *dh₃-tōd). :(Transcription and Translation: Prosper 2015) Image:Zaragoza - Museo - Bronce epigráfico.jpg, Cortono plaque. Unknown origin. Image:Bronce luzaga.jpg, Luzaga plaque ( Guadalajara). Image:Tésera hospitalidad (Uxama).jpg, Uxama
tessera A tessera (plural: tesserae, diminutive ''tessella'') is an individual tile, usually formed in the shape of a square, used in creating a mosaic. It is also known as an abaciscus or abaculus. Historical tesserae The oldest known tesserae ...
(Osma,
Soria Soria () is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 ( INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial populati ...
).
Image:Tessera Celtiberian (unknown).jpg, Fröhner
tessera A tessera (plural: tesserae, diminutive ''tessella'') is an individual tile, usually formed in the shape of a square, used in creating a mosaic. It is also known as an abaciscus or abaculus. Historical tesserae The oldest known tesserae ...
. Unknown origin.


See also

* Celtiberian script *
Botorrita plaque The Botorrita plaques are four bronze plaques discovered in Botorrita (Roman ''Contrebia Belaisca''), near Zaragoza, Spain, dating to the late 2nd century BC, known as Botorrita I, II, III and IV. Botorrita II is in the Latin language, but Bot ...
*
Gallaecian language Gallaecian, or Northwestern Hispano-Celtic, is an extinct Celtic language of a Hispano-Celtic group. It was spoken by the Gallaeci at the beginning of the 1st millennium in the northwest corner of the Iberian Peninsula that became the Roman ...
*
Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switze ...
*
Lepontic language Lepontic is an ancient Alpine Celtic languageJohn T. Koch (ed.) ''Celtic culture: a historical encyclopedia'' ABC-CLIO (2005) that was spoken in parts of Rhaetia and Cisalpine Gaul (now Northern Italy) between 550 and 100 BC. Lepontic is atte ...
*
Iberian scripts The Iberian scripts are the Paleohispanic scripts that were used to represent the extinct Iberian language. Most of them are typologically unusual in that they are semi-syllabic rather than purely alphabetic.Ferrer, J., Moncunill, N., V ...
*
Continental Celtic languages The Continental Celtic languages are the now-extinct group of the Celtic languages that were spoken on the continent of Europe and in central Anatolia, as distinguished from the Insular Celtic languages of the British Isles and Brittany. ''Contine ...
*
Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula This is a list of the pre- Roman people of the Iberian Peninsula (the Roman Hispania, i. e., modern Portugal, Spain and Andorra). Some closely fit the concept of a people, ethnic group or tribe. Others are confederations or even unions of t ...
*
Lusitanian language Lusitanian (so named after the Lusitani or Lusitanians) was an Indo-European Paleohispanic language. There has been support for either a connection with the ancient Italic languages or Celtic languages. It is known from only six sizeable inscri ...


References


Sources

* Alberro, Manuel. The celticisation of the Iberian Peninsula, a process that could have had parallels in other European regions. In: Etudes Celtiques, vol. 35, 2003. pp. 7–24. OI: https://doi.org/10.3406/ecelt.2003.2149 www.persee.fr/doc/ecelt_0373-1928_2003_num_35_1_2149 * Anderson, James M. "Preroman indo-european languages of the hispanic peninsula" . In: ''Revue des Études Anciennes''. Tome 87, 1985, n°3-4. pp. 319–326. OI: https://doi.org/10.3406/rea.1985.4212 ww.persee.fr/doc/rea_0035-2004_1985_num_87_3_4212* Hoz, Javier de. "Lepontic, Celtiberian, Gaulish and the archaeological evidence". In: ''Etudes Celtiques''. vol. 29, 1992. Actes du IXe congrès international d'études celtiques. Paris, 7-12 juillet 1991. Deuxième partie : Linguistique, littératures. pp. 223–240. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/ecelt.1992.2006 * Hoz, Javier de. (1996). ''The Botorrita first text. Its epigraphical background''; in: ''Die größeren altkeltischen Sprachdenkmäler.'' Akten des Kolloquiums Innsbruck 29. April - 3. Mai 1993, ed. W. Meid and P. Anreiter, 124–145, Innsbruck. * Jordán Cólera, Carlos: (2004). ''Celtibérico''

University of Zaragoza, Spain. * Joseph, Lionel S. (1982): ''The Treatment of *CRH- and the Origin of CaRa- in Celtic''. Ériu n. 33 (31-57). Dublín. RIA. * Lorrio, Alberto J. "Les Celtibères: archéologie et culture". In: ''Etudes Celtiques''. vol. 33, 1997. pp. 7–36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/ecelt.1997.2109 * Luján, Eugenio R. "Celtic and Celtiberian in the Iberian peninsula". In: E. Blasco et al. (eds.). ''Iberia e Sardegna''. Le Monnier Universitá. 2013. pp. 97–112. * Luján, Eugenio R.; Lorrio, Alberto J. "Un puñal celtibérico con inscripción procedente de Almaraz (Cáceres, España)". In: ''Etudes Celtiques'', vol. 43, 2017. pp. 113–126. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3406/ecelt.2017.1096 * McCone, Kim.(1996): ''Towards a relative chronology of ancient and medieval Celtic sound change'' Maynooth Studies in Celtic Linguistics 1. Maynooth. St. Patrick's College. * Meid, Wolfgang. (1994). ''Celtiberian Inscriptions'', Archaeolingua, edd. S. Bökönyi and W. Meid, Series Minor, 5, 12–13. Budapest. * Schrijver, Peter (1991): ''The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Latin''. Amsterdam. Ed. Rodopi. * Schumacher, Stefan (2004): ''Die keltischen Primärverben: ein vergleichendes, etymologisches und morphologisches Lexikon''. Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft vol. 110. Universität Innsbruck. * Untermann, Jürgen. (1997): ''Monumenta Linguarum Hispanicarum. IV Die tartessischen, keltiberischen und lusitanischen Inschriften'', Wiesbaden. * Velaza, Javier (1999): ''Balance actual de la onomástica personal celtibérica'', ''Pueblos, lenguas y escrituras en la Hispania Prerromana'', pp. 663–683. * Villar, Francisco (1995): ''Estudios de celtibérico y de toponimia prerromana'', Salamanca. * Zair, Nicholas. (2012): ''The Reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European Laryngeals in Celtic''. Leiden. Ed. Brill.


Further reading

;General studies: * Beltrán Lloris, Francisco; Jordán Cólera, Carlos. "Celtibérico". In: ''Palaeohispanica: revista sobre lenguas y culturas de la Hispania antigua'' n. 20 (2020): pp. 631–688. DOI: 10.36707/palaeohispanica.v0i20.395 * Blažek, Václav.
Celtiberian
. In: ''Sborník prací Filozofické fakulty brněnské univerzity''. N, Řada klasická = Graeco-Latina Brunensia. 2007, vol. 56, iss. N. 12, pp. 25. . * Cólera, Carlos Jordán (2007). "Celtiberian". ''e-Keltoi: Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies''. Vol. 6: The Celts in the Iberian Peninsula. Article 17. pp. 749–850. Available at: https://dc.uwm.edu/ekeltoi/vol6/iss1/17 * Stifter, David (2006). "Contributions to Celtiberian Etymology II". In: ''Palaeohispanica: revista sobre lenguas y culturas de la Hispania Antigua'', 6. pp. 237–245. . ;Specific themes * Bernardo Stempel, Patrizia de. "Celtic ‘son’, ‘daughter’, other descendants, and ''*sunus'' in Early Celtic". In: ''Indogermanische Forschungen'' 118, 2013 (2013): 259–298. doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/indo.2013.118.2013.259 * Fernández, Esteban Ngomo. “A propósito de matrubos y los términos de parentesco en celtibérico”. In: ''Boletín del Archivo Epigráfico''. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. nº. 4 (2019): 5-15. * Fernández, Esteban Ngomo. "El color rojo en celtibérico: del IE ''*H1roudh-'' al celtibérico ''routaikina''". In: ''Boletín del Archivo Epigráfico''. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. nº. 6 (junio, 2020): 5-19. * Simón Cornago, Ignacio; Jordán Cólera, Carlos Benjamín. "The Celtiberian S. A New Sign in (Paleo)Hispanic Epigraphy". In: ''Tyche'' 33 (2018). pp. 183–205.


External links


Detailed map of the Pre-Roman Peoples of Iberia (around 200 BC)Celtic, Celtiberian - 2nd - 1st c. B.C. Examples of writing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Celtiberian Language Continental Celtic languages Paleohispanic languages Extinct languages of Spain