Peter Schrijver
Utrecht University, Celtic Languages and Culture, Faculty Member
A thoroughly finished miniature cup, found in a waste pit at Nijmegen-Lent, is a special find because of the character-like signs all around it. Despite the fact that far-reaching southern contacts with the Lower Rhine area existed in the... more
A thoroughly finished miniature cup, found in a waste pit at Nijmegen-Lent, is a special find because of the character-like signs all around it. Despite the fact that far-reaching southern contacts with the Lower Rhine area existed in the Hallstatt C period (Oss, Wijchen), and although some of the signs match those in early southern European scripts, the early date of the cup (c. 750-675 BC) hampers any sound identification. The enigmatic character of the cup is augmented further by its apparent local origin.
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De bestudering van de Keltische talen en culturen is om verschillende redenen geen alledaags vak. De Utrechtse leerstoel is de enige in Nederland, en naast de leerstoel in Oxford is er in heel Europa zelfs geen enkele andere leerstoel te... more
De bestudering van de Keltische talen en culturen is om verschillende redenen geen alledaags vak. De Utrechtse leerstoel is de enige in Nederland, en naast de leerstoel in Oxford is er in heel Europa zelfs geen enkele andere leerstoel te vinden die volledig aan de bestude-ring ...
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The way in which languages usually expand their geographical range is at the expenseof other languages: a community acquires a second language and in the course of time the second language may become the first and only language in the... more
The way in which languages usually expand their geographical range is at the expenseof other languages: a community acquires a second language and in the course of time the second language may become the first and only language in the community. This language shift is usually driven by socio-political change. Language shift may leave distinct linguistic traces in the form of an ‘accent’: features of the language that has disappeared survive in the language that replaced it (e.g. a Welsh accent in the English of Wales). This paper addresses the question of whether the Frisian language contains traces of an accent that can be ascribed to a language that preceded it. It turns out that there is some evidence in favour of the hypothesis that the Frisian language arose when a population that spoke a Celtic language switched to speaking Germanic. That evidence is mainly based on changes in the vowel system which occurred at the earliest stages of the Frisian language.
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Chechen, Ingush and Batsbi together form the Nakh subgroup of the East Caucasian language family. Chechen and Ingush, and to a lesser degree Batsbi, underwent regressive vowel assimilation (umlaut). The sound laws that govern umlaut have... more
Chechen, Ingush and Batsbi together form the Nakh subgroup of the East Caucasian language family. Chechen and Ingush, and to a lesser degree Batsbi, underwent regressive vowel assimilation (umlaut). The sound laws that govern umlaut have already been established to some degree. The article focuses on two issues: umlaut rules for the Chechen dialects are worked out in detail on the basis of the Chechen dialectal material provided by Imnajshvili 1977, and the different umlaut effects caused by the mid vowels *e and *o on the one hand and the close vowels *i and *u on the other are highlighted, for both Chechen and Ingush. The conclusions are applied to the reconstruction of the verbal endings of the present tense, Proto-Nakh *-u, *-o, *-i and *-e, and the endings of the recent past tense, Proto-Nax *-iᶰ and *-eᶰ. Building on work by Handel 2003, the many different inflectional classes of the Chechen and Ingush verb are reconstructed as a relatively simple Proto-Nakh system, where morphological complexity resides almost exclusively in the choice of the aforementioned allomorphs. Finally, following on from Nichols 2003, an attempt is made to reconstruct the Proto-Nakh vowel system beyond Proto-Nakh, by comparing nominal ablaut in Nakh with a very similar phenomenon in Avar-Andic-Dido, which allows us to reconstruct the vowel alternation in detail for Proto-East Caucasian and, specifically, to reconstruct the Proto-Nakh alternation *i ~ *a as Proto-East Caucasian *ɨ in (reconstructed) stressed and unstressed position, respectively.
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L'emploi de lettres géminées, dans le cas de -cc-, -pp-, -tt-(qui ont, à l'intervocalique, la valeur d'une sonore, /g/, /b/, /d/), est une particularité du corpus des gloses en vieux-gallois à Martianus Capella.... more
L'emploi de lettres géminées, dans le cas de -cc-, -pp-, -tt-(qui ont, à l'intervocalique, la valeur d'une sonore, /g/, /b/, /d/), est une particularité du corpus des gloses en vieux-gallois à Martianus Capella. L'auteur étudie la distribution de ces géminées et arrive à poser une règle, selon ...
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There is much controversy over the question of the syntactic alignment of Hattian. A resolution is complicated by the fact that Hattian has a poor case morphology. This investigation into the functions of the prefixes waa= and eš= (with... more
There is much controversy over the question of the syntactic alignment of Hattian. A resolution is complicated by the fact that Hattian has a poor case morphology. This investigation into the functions of the prefixes waa= and eš= (with various allomorphs), which occur both as plural prefixes to nouns and as verbal prefixes expressing third person plural actants, attempts to resolve the issue on the basis of a detailed study of the relevant material. As it turns out, Hattian has a split system, with an accusative base in verbal forms that do not contain the prefix tu= and an ergative base in verbal forms that do contain that prefix. Intransitive subject, transitive subject and object are all morphosyntactically distinguished, so that it can be argued that Hattian has a split three-way system of alignment. This complicated system is typologically similar to alignment in Sumerian.
The aim of this paper is to make a case for the considerable influence British Latin has had on Brittonic and on Old English around the middle of the first millennium AD, and to contribute to our knowledge of the way in which British... more
The aim of this paper is to make a case for the considerable influence British Latin has had on Brittonic and on Old English around the middle of the first millennium AD, and to contribute to our knowledge of the way in which British Latin itself relates to prehistoric Old French and how both were influenced by a Celtic substratum of the Brittonic type
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Here, dtac provides two of the required six syllables of the line. Since there is no opposition between long and short vowels in hiatus, -e-in deec is not distinctively long. Approximately at the end of the Old Irish period, deac was... more
Here, dtac provides two of the required six syllables of the line. Since there is no opposition between long and short vowels in hiatus, -e-in deec is not distinctively long. Approximately at the end of the Old Irish period, deac was contracted to dec. In a poem consisting of lines of seven ...
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1. INTRODUCTION It is a well-known fact that a number of Old Irish words which normally appear to have a word-initial vowel occasionally show h-. Thus one finds, for example, huisse beside uisse 'just', hicc beside icc... more
1. INTRODUCTION It is a well-known fact that a number of Old Irish words which normally appear to have a word-initial vowel occasionally show h-. Thus one finds, for example, huisse beside uisse 'just', hicc beside icc 'salvation', etc. Opinions differ as to the interpretation of this h-. ...
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1. OLD IRISH MACC GOR, MACC INGOR1 In Old Irish legal terminology, the macc gor is the son who fulfils his filial duties by maintaining his parents, most importantly his father, in old age. The macc ingor is the son who fails to do so.... more
1. OLD IRISH MACC GOR, MACC INGOR1 In Old Irish legal terminology, the macc gor is the son who fulfils his filial duties by maintaining his parents, most importantly his father, in old age. The macc ingor is the son who fails to do so. The abstract noun goire (f. ia-) refers to ...
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1. In his lecture for the VIII. Fachtagung of the Indogermanische Gesellschaft in Leiden, Kim McCone, largely following Cowgill apud Hamp 1965, 225, note 2, has convincingly established the development of the PIE vocalic nasals in Celtic... more
1. In his lecture for the VIII. Fachtagung of the Indogermanische Gesellschaft in Leiden, Kim McCone, largely following Cowgill apud Hamp 1965, 225, note 2, has convincingly established the development of the PIE vocalic nasals in Celtic (forthcoming). He has thereby refuted ...
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My note on the possibility that a non-Indo-European language survived in Ireland at least until around the middle of the first millennium AD (Schrijver 2000) has been critically evaluated by Graham Isaac (Isaac 2003). As I feel that there... more
My note on the possibility that a non-Indo-European language survived in Ireland at least until around the middle of the first millennium AD (Schrijver 2000) has been critically evaluated by Graham Isaac (Isaac 2003). As I feel that there have been some misunderstandings ...
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The variety of reflexes of Proto-Celtic (henceforth PC) short vowels before tautosyllabic nasals in Old Irish bears witness to the complex developments which these sequences underwent. The aim of the present article is to tackle the... more
The variety of reflexes of Proto-Celtic (henceforth PC) short vowels before tautosyllabic nasals in Old Irish bears witness to the complex developments which these sequences underwent. The aim of the present article is to tackle the developments in the frame of a relative ...
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In the present-day Goidelic languages there is an etymon meaning 'crab', which has the form partidn in Modern Irish and partan in Scots Gaelic. There is a variant with o: MoIr. portdn, ScG. portan. In view of MoIr. partdn... more
In the present-day Goidelic languages there is an etymon meaning 'crab', which has the form partidn in Modern Irish and partan in Scots Gaelic. There is a variant with o: MoIr. portdn, ScG. portan. In view of MoIr. partdn (Ir.Gl. 374) and Moir. partlach 'crab' (Alex. 730, BB ...
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Page 1. THE CELTIC ADVERBS FOR 'AGAINST' AND 'WITH' AND THE EARLY APOCOPE OF *-I' PETER SCHRIJVER Department of Comparative Linguistics, Rijksuniversiteit Leiden 1. THE ORIGINS OF OIR. ... Royal Irish Academy Page... more
Page 1. THE CELTIC ADVERBS FOR 'AGAINST' AND 'WITH' AND THE EARLY APOCOPE OF *-I' PETER SCHRIJVER Department of Comparative Linguistics, Rijksuniversiteit Leiden 1. THE ORIGINS OF OIR. ... Royal Irish Academy Page 2. 152 PETER SCHRIJVER ...
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Examen des particularités linguistiques du nouveau texte gaulois de Châteaubleau. Ce texte ne partage pas, avec le gaulois du sud, certaines innovations communes avec le brittonique, comme l'évolution -nm-> -nw-, mais... more
Examen des particularités linguistiques du nouveau texte gaulois de Châteaubleau. Ce texte ne partage pas, avec le gaulois du sud, certaines innovations communes avec le brittonique, comme l'évolution -nm-> -nw-, mais d'autres traits le rattachent au brittonique, ...
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It is argued here that the Minoan language of second-millennium B.C. Crete stands a good chance of being descended from the language that was imported into Crete by the earliest farmers that colonized the Island in the 7th millennium B.C.... more
It is argued here that the Minoan language of second-millennium B.C. Crete stands a good chance of being descended from the language that was imported into Crete by the earliest farmers that colonized the Island in the 7th millennium B.C. Evidence is presented that links Minoan to the Hattic language of second-millennium B.C. northern Anatolia. An
analysis of the Hattic verbal system supports the hypothesis that in turn Hattic is related to Sumerian. The existence of a Hatto-Sumero-Minoan language family is posited, which predates the expansions of Semitic and Indo-European in the Near East and which is implicated in the spread of migrant farmers into Europe. A word for 'pig' is reconstructed
for that language family.
analysis of the Hattic verbal system supports the hypothesis that in turn Hattic is related to Sumerian. The existence of a Hatto-Sumero-Minoan language family is posited, which predates the expansions of Semitic and Indo-European in the Near East and which is implicated in the spread of migrant farmers into Europe. A word for 'pig' is reconstructed
for that language family.
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This is a draft version of the published article
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This is a draft version of the published article
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The vowel alternation of the type Tsez absolutive buci, oblique stem bece- 'moon', which is observed frequently in nouns in the Dido languages, can be reconstructed as a Proto-Dido alternation of rounded vowel (in the absolutive) and and... more
The vowel alternation of the type Tsez absolutive buci, oblique stem bece- 'moon', which is observed frequently in nouns in the Dido languages, can be reconstructed as a Proto-Dido alternation of rounded vowel (in the absolutive) and and *ɨ (in the oblique stem). A similar phenomenon can be reconstructed for Avar and the Andian languages, which allows us to push back vowel alternation to Proto-Avar-Andi-Dido. There are indications that the vowel alternation reflects an ancient sound law according to which rounded vowels in pretonic position lose rounding to a following consonant.
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The purpose of this article is to show how the history of the Celtic languages can be presented as a series of shocks caused by contact with non-Celtic languages followed by phases of adaptation to the consequences of those shocks
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It has generally been assumed that Celtic linguistic influence on Old English is limited to a few marginal loanwords. If a language shift had taken place from Celtic to Old English, however, one would expect to find traces of that in Old... more
It has generally been assumed that Celtic linguistic influence on Old English is limited to a few marginal loanwords. If a language shift had taken place from Celtic to Old English, however, one would expect to find traces of that in Old English phonology and (morpho)syntax. In ...
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The aim of this paper is to make a case for the considerable influence British Latin has had on Brittonic and on Old English around the middle of the first millennium AD, and to contribute to our knowledge of the way in which British... more
The aim of this paper is to make a case for the considerable influence British Latin has had on Brittonic and on Old English around the middle of the first millennium AD, and to contribute to our knowledge of the way in which British Latin itself relates to prehistoric Old French and how both were influenced by a Celtic substratum of the Brittonic type
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Page 1. PETER SCHRIJVER STUDIES IN BRITISH CELTIC HISTORICAL PHONOLOGY Page 2. Page 3. ... Page 5. PETER SCHRIJVER STUDIES IN BRITISH CELTIC HISTORICAL PHONOLOGY Amsterdam - Atlanta, GA l995 Page 6. ...
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There is much controversy over the question of the syntactic alignment of Hattian. A resolution is complicated by the fact that Hattian has a poor case morphology. This investigation into the functions of the prefixes waa= and eš= (with... more
There is much controversy over the question of the syntactic alignment of Hattian. A resolution is complicated by the fact that Hattian has a poor case morphology. This investigation into the functions of the prefixes waa= and eš= (with various allomorphs), which occur both as plural prefixes to nouns and as verbal prefixes expressing third person
plural actants, attempts to resolve the issue on the basis of a detailed study of the relevant material. As it turns out, Hattian has a split system, with an accusative base in verbal forms that do not contain the prefix tu= and an ergative base in verbal forms that do contain that
prefix. Intransitive subject, transitive subject and object are all morphosyntactically distinguished, so that it can be argued that Hattian has a split three-way system of alignment. This complicated system is typologically similar to alignment in Sumerian.
plural actants, attempts to resolve the issue on the basis of a detailed study of the relevant material. As it turns out, Hattian has a split system, with an accusative base in verbal forms that do not contain the prefix tu= and an ergative base in verbal forms that do contain that
prefix. Intransitive subject, transitive subject and object are all morphosyntactically distinguished, so that it can be argued that Hattian has a split three-way system of alignment. This complicated system is typologically similar to alignment in Sumerian.