Home Linguistics & Semiotics Chapter 11: Celtic and Celtic Englishes
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Chapter 11: Celtic and Celtic Englishes

  • Markku Filppula and Juhani Klemola
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
Explore this Subject How to publish with us
Volume 5 Varieties of English
This chapter is in the book Volume 5 Varieties of English

Abstract

It has generally been assumed that Celtic influences in English grammar over the centuries have been minimal. The last couple of decades, however, have witnessed a continuing rise of interest in the ‘Celtic Hypothesis’, which argues for a need to reassess the role of the Celtic languages in the development of English. In this chapter we explicate the Celtic Hypothesis through a discussion of two syntactic features which in our view are likely to have arisen as a result of either direct or indirect (reinforcing) Celtic influence, leaving its mark on English grammar in two waves: first in the early medieval period, and later in the modern contact periods. These features are the progressive or ‘expanded’ form of verbs and the it-cleft construction. We argue that the commonalities between the histories and later developments of these features are such that they provide evidence for continued contact influences between Celtic and English.

Abstract

It has generally been assumed that Celtic influences in English grammar over the centuries have been minimal. The last couple of decades, however, have witnessed a continuing rise of interest in the ‘Celtic Hypothesis’, which argues for a need to reassess the role of the Celtic languages in the development of English. In this chapter we explicate the Celtic Hypothesis through a discussion of two syntactic features which in our view are likely to have arisen as a result of either direct or indirect (reinforcing) Celtic influence, leaving its mark on English grammar in two waves: first in the early medieval period, and later in the modern contact periods. These features are the progressive or ‘expanded’ form of verbs and the it-cleft construction. We argue that the commonalities between the histories and later developments of these features are such that they provide evidence for continued contact influences between Celtic and English.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Table of Contents V
  3. Abbreviations VII
  4. Chapter 1: Introduction 1
  5. Chapter 2: Standard American English 9
  6. Chapter 3: Regional varieties of American English 31
  7. Chapter 4: Canadian English in real-time perspective 53
  8. Chapter 5: Re-viewing the origins and history of African American Language 80
  9. Chapter 6: Standard British English 96
  10. Chapter 7: Regional varieties of British English 121
  11. Chapter 8: Received Pronunciation 151
  12. Chapter 9: Estuary English 169
  13. Chapter 10: Cockney 187
  14. Chapter 11: Celtic and Celtic Englishes 210
  15. Chapter 12: Scots 231
  16. Chapter 13: English in Ireland 244
  17. Chapter 14: English in Wales 265
  18. Chapter 15: Australian/New Zealand English 289
  19. Chapter 16: English in India 311
  20. Chapter 17: English in Africa – a diachronic typology 330
  21. Chapter 18: Diffusion 349
  22. Chapter 19: Supraregionalization 365
  23. Chapter 20: Pidgins and creoles 385
  24. Index 403
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110525045-011

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Table of Contents V
  3. Abbreviations VII
  4. Chapter 1: Introduction 1
  5. Chapter 2: Standard American English 9
  6. Chapter 3: Regional varieties of American English 31
  7. Chapter 4: Canadian English in real-time perspective 53
  8. Chapter 5: Re-viewing the origins and history of African American Language 80
  9. Chapter 6: Standard British English 96
  10. Chapter 7: Regional varieties of British English 121
  11. Chapter 8: Received Pronunciation 151
  12. Chapter 9: Estuary English 169
  13. Chapter 10: Cockney 187
  14. Chapter 11: Celtic and Celtic Englishes 210
  15. Chapter 12: Scots 231
  16. Chapter 13: English in Ireland 244
  17. Chapter 14: English in Wales 265
  18. Chapter 15: Australian/New Zealand English 289
  19. Chapter 16: English in India 311
  20. Chapter 17: English in Africa – a diachronic typology 330
  21. Chapter 18: Diffusion 349
  22. Chapter 19: Supraregionalization 365
  23. Chapter 20: Pidgins and creoles 385
  24. Index 403
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 4.12.2025 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110525045-011/html
Scroll to top button