On Sun, 2009-02-15 at 10:47 +0000, Rhisiart Gwilym wrote:... the old language which has been in continuous use here in Britain longer than any other still extant tongue (Cymraeg),Not taking sides, Rhisiart, but what makes you think Cymraeg has been spoken longer in Britain than Gaelic? (Unless we decide that Ireland is not part of Britain AND that Gaelic was first introduced to Scotland in the Dark Ages.)
Hi George,Yes that's my understanding: Gaelige in Eire, then travelling across to much of Caledon at the time of the establishment of Dal-Riada by the Ulaidh Scoti. And before that, both Celtic languages -- Gaelige and Brythoneg -- getting into their respective areas of The Isles and becoming established, presumably by conquest of peoples speaking earlier languages now lost, about 700 BCE.
This is just remembering stuff learned in school decades ago. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that modern scholarship has refined, and maybe revised, that story though. Always open to correction.
Cofion gorau, RhG ============================================================ This is the Python Mailinglist //www.freelists.org/list/python Listmaster: Jürgen Mages jmages@xxxxxxTo unsubscribe send an empty mail to python-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with 'unsubscribe' in the subject field. ============================================================
