LANGUAGE IN BRITAIN DURING THE CELTIC INVASION PERIOD

Abstract

The Celtic period represents an important stage in the linguistic history of Britain. Before the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons and the formation of the English language, much of Britain was inhabited by Celtic-speaking peoples. Their languages belonged to the Indo-European language family and played an important role in shaping the early linguistic landscape of the British Isles. Although the direct influence of Celtic languages on Old English vocabulary was relatively limited, Celtic elements survived particularly in geographical names, river names, and certain lexical items. This article examines the historical background of Celtic settlement in Britain, the main Celtic languages spoken during the period, their linguistic characteristics, and their later influence on the development of English.