Date: 06-Aug-2007
From: Erik Nelson <Whiggamore777 hotmail.com>
Subject: P-Celtic, Q-Celtic Extended to German/Greek, Latin
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Dear All, I have an admittedly amateur question. I understand that there are two types of Celtic tongues, Q-Celtic (older) and P-Celtic (younger). I also understand that Q-Celtic survived on the fringes of Celtic lands — Ireland, Iberia. I understand further that P-Celtic apparently developed in the interior of Celtic lands — Gaul, SE Britain. I understand yet further that one way of assessing P vs Q Celtic is looking at words for 'four' and 'five'. Now, please allow me to make an amatuer observation: German and Greek resemble P-Celtic b/c the Greek *PENTA and the German *FETWOR / *FUMPF both involve the P-sound (Grimm's shifted in German?). Likewise, Latin and Slavic resemble Q-Celtic b/c the Latin *QUATOR / *QUINQUE and the Russian ''chetiri'' (4) all involve the Q-sound. Furthermore, as with Q-Celtic, the ''Q-IE'' tongues (Latin, Slavic) exist on the fringes of IE settlement. Whereas the ''P-IE'' tongues (German, Greek) exist in the interior of the IE lands. (Greek being something of a stretch.) Lastly, I understand that Greek, from Homer and Hesiod c.700 bce, is known to have been ''P-type'' since 700 bce. And that ''P-type'' Celtic did not develop until c.500 bce (seemingly having something to do with La Tene culture's emergence around that time, 500-450 bce), and that in 700 bce (Halstatt culture??) Celtic was ''Q-Type''. And that German must have been ''P-type'' from c.500 bce when Proto-Germanic is attested / inferred during the ''Pre-Roman Iron Age (500 - 1 bce)'' that seems to coincide with the La Tene culture = ''P-type'' Celtic. So my question is, aside from does this observation of mine have any merit (?), could ''P-Type'' Greek have influenced Celtic and German through trade contacts? Or, could some other influence have jointly affected Greek, Celtic, and German to shift those tongues from ''Q-Type'' to ''P-Type''? (I understand that Prof. Theo Vennemann argues that Punic had contact with Proto-Germanic speakers, not to mention Punic contacts with the La Tene Celts, nor to mention Greece (the Greek Alpha-bet = Punic Aleph-Beth)... so, could Punic contact have, through trade or something, shifted Greek, Celtic, and German from Q-Type to P-Type??) I would really like to hear some discussion on this from those more knowledgeable than I.
Linguistic Field(s):
Historical Linguistics
Language Family(ies): Celtic
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