The Death of the Gaulish Language, a lesson for Welsh?

[@TheVinceLyons]

This history channel is seriously underrated. I like how you communicate information in a relatable way and highlight facts that truly shift my perspective. Liked and shared 👍

[@BenLlywelyn]

Thank you for sharing. It boosts the channel, and it is appreciated. Merci.

[@abelstropicalfruit8647]

As a Frisian this scares me. Because I can make 1 to 1 comparisons with Gaulish. Thank you for the great video!

[@Kinotaurus]

Frisian is a much cooler and pleasanter sounding language than Dutch. Would be a shame if it disappears.

[@ChorltonBrook]

Noticed the sad statue of The Dying Gaul at the end.

[@CanaleAV]

Extremely intersting take - as expected from Ben - but there is a crucial factor in the death of Gaulish which hasn't been mentioned in this video. Pre-Christian Celtic religious cultures were actively against the use of writing except for very practical purposes - which is where they also tended to use Greek or Latin, as Ben correctly brings up here. As Caesar and other observers reported, the druids favoured oral tradition over written one, to the point that this became an actual taboo, something very powerful in traditional Celtic societies. It is no coincidence that, in the Roman empire, the languages other than Latin which managed to outlive the empire were those with a strong written literature such as Coptic/ancient Egyptian, Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac and of course Greek. It is also no coincidence that Irish and Welsh literatures emerged after Christianisation, when old taboos where lifted and monasteries in the areas became centres of high literary culture alongside oral poetry. Keep up the good work, and may Welsh thrive for many centuries to come.

[@BenLlywelyn]

Thank you. It looks like Gaulish tried to build a written tradition under Roman rule here, and that this almost caused Gaulish to survive. However, like Etruscan, which also wrote, Roman rule simply lasted too long and they had a bit of bad luck.

[@CanaleAV]

@@BenLlywelyn Absolutely. Having a written tradition didn't automatically ensure a language's survival. Etruscan is a good example of it, although we have to take into account that the number of its speakers was always relatively low since the very beginning, thus making it vulnerable to Gaulish from the north and Latin and Greek from the south. Also, you are totally right when you say that there was some attempt at a written Gaulish tradition under Roman rule. Ironically, this partially happened thanks to the Romans, as they did oppose the druids and their influence since Cesar's time, thus weakening the taboo on Gaulish writing.

[@AndreKamera]

Interesting video, congratulations! Before the beginning of Rome's conquests, there were also several Gallic populations in northern Italy, one of which founded the city of Milan. The languages and the culture ​​of all these tribes disappeared and Latin was imposed. However, today the dialects of Northern Italy are called "Gallo-Italic", since they have some derivation from that ancient language combined with Vulgar Latin. Subsequently, some Germanic people in the Middle Ages brought a linguistic contribution that further enriched the dialects.

[@BenLlywelyn]

Thank you. Yes, the Alpine romance dialects have a clear Celtic substrate and many speakers of them find French easier to learn than others do further south.

[@AnonUser1977]

Will you do a video on Iberian QCeltic? How do we know the Iberians spoke "QCeltic"?

[@BenLlywelyn]

At some point I will need to do a video on this and explain it.

[@Edarnon_Brodie]

We know this from inscriptions simply. Despite in some words Celtiberian is more like P-Celtic, it is mostly Q-Celtic, or, as I prefer to say, it's "K-Celtic", since some sounds turned into "k" sound mostly, not "c", like in Irish.

[@user-ks2uo3qh7i]

Thank you, as always, for the time you take to educate and share your knowledge. Appreciated.

[@BenLlywelyn]

Thank for taking the time to watch

[@dafyddhugheslewis7187]

A captivating analysis, Ben. Thank you.

[@BenLlywelyn]

Croeso. Welcome.

[@morvil73]

*Kernewek is the reconstructed spelling for “Cornish” cognate with Welsh “Cernyweg” and Breton “Kerneweg”, however the historical Cornish (standardised) spelling is “Kernowek”. The diphthong in the stressed syllable was /ow/ rather than /ew/, as the attested forms show.

[@tchop6839]

Tragically the same process is happening again in Gaul, strongly threatening regional gallo-roman languages, as well as Breton Corsican and Basque (and even a few Germanic tongues). Not only has the government suppressed all of these, and ensured that everyone is at most bilingual with their local language and French, but immigration also brings in large communities which speak only French and maybe their own foreign language. These communities see French as the only local language, further erasing regional languages

[@BenLlywelyn]

La révolution française.

[@BenLlywelyn]

Help support this channel with Patreon: www.patreon.com/c/BenLlywelyn

[@matf5593]

Un autre très bon vidéo et une autre tres bonne analyse de l'histoire, du passé et d'aujourd'hui.... Merci

[@BenLlywelyn]

Merci beaucoup pour le regarde.

[@TheHoveHeretic]

S'mae Ben. 'Gaulish Revival' .... was what I plumbed in to Google after watching this video for the first time. Want to guess what popped up? Modern Gaulish? Seriously ... it's a thing!

[@BenLlywelyn]

A steep climb!

[@d.c.8828]

Fascinating topic !

[@celtofcanaanesurix2245]

Don't let the Celtic Languages die! Britain must not let itself become Late Rome!

[@henkvandervossen6616]

A video on Galatian ?

[@BenLlywelyn]

Eventually. Yes.

[@Edarnon_Brodie]

To little information to talk about, but I think this will be interesting.

[@1964_AMU]

Thank Ben for this reportage. You should do a search about a druid called Divitiac in Autun and the Eduans tribe. The latinisation of Gauls began in the 2nd Century BC. The weakness of the Empire revived the Celtic culture but it was too late.

[@TheCelticlion]

I'm just working on a few articles to see if I can get published in Nation Cymru. They cross over a little to your videos. if I cite your work in later ones I'll forward you a copy first.

[@BenLlywelyn]

Cool with me. Any publicity for the channel is good.

[@lawriecoombs6876]

Some research was done in the 50s about a southern Breton dialect which, it was theorised 'could' have been an amalgum of lingering 4th/5th century Gaulish and the very similar incoming Brittonic language. Can't recall much more however this specific dialect had peculiar features etc etc.

[@BenLlywelyn]

Long live les bretons.

[@D0GGy333]

Listen to the metal band "Eluveitie" if you want to hear some Gaulish, friends !

[@Edarnon_Brodie]

We actually do not know were the Gaulish a single language at all lol. We know that some tribes of Slovakia and other Illyrian Celtic tribes were able to survive right till 6-7 century AD, which is really enormous, and we don't know did these tribe spoke Gaulish or an other Celtic language. The Noric language isn't a language at all, Noric is a mystification created by Balkan Celtic nationalisists for some not really known reason. So the time and the unity of Gaulish is a really big question, and we cannot answer it until we get a time machine.

[@BenLlywelyn]

Mystification is a fine word.

[@AeliusCaesar]

The Same stages of decline can be applied to The amazigh languages and we now at the stage of 'Sprachinseln' I've started learning the language so it won't die Tanmirt ic Diolch yn fawr Thanks for the video

[@BenLlywelyn]

Glad you are helping Amazigh. A noble thing. Thank you.

[@ezzovonachalm9815]

What does P and Q gaulish signify ? That the letter P was unknown or not written or not pronounced on the continent ? And what's with the Q ???

[@BenLlywelyn]

Initial sounds Cah / Pah for certain words.

[@jboss1073]

John Koch and, independently, the Max Planck Institute, along with the president of the International Congress for Celtic Studies, Dr. Patrick Sims-Williams, all acknowledge Celtic languages came from Bell Beaker groups, not La Tene culture.

[@BenLlywelyn]

I was not discussing before La Tène in this video.

[@jboss1073]

@@BenLlywelyn Nevertheless, Celtic languages did not spread with La Tene, so it is still incorrect. It spread earlier with Bell Beakers.

[@RizzOhio-p4k]

Why does gaulish sound like a mix of ancient greek and latin? The nominative cases are the same as the ancient greek 2nd declension.

[@BenLlywelyn]

To the fair, we don't quite know what Gaulish sounded like.

[@d.c.8828]

Greeks and "Phoenicians"/Carthaginians had traded with and later occupied/colonized what later became "Gaul" (at least sparsely, and for relatively brief periods) streching all the way to the Iberian peninsula (which is why Portugal 🇵🇹 = "Port of the Gauls").

[@Doogydoog]

Its likely that any indigenous minority language community can see some parallels and draw a lesson from this.

[@e-deternaldatabase4721]

What happened to Gallati is the same that happened to aromanians ... to specialised craftsmen is easy to assimilate because they tend to extinguis the low class ... so no low class no serfs anymore basically no low standars workers ,, only elites ... you did an episode about vlach but if you see the specifity of the Egnatia road aromanian citadels you wil se the same esthetics as the italo-celtic Ie culture

[@musicandfanart5787]

I don’t knwo if the situation which the Muslims in Wales is that similar. Latin had several reasons that it became the main language, but I wouldn’t say there’s a threat of Arabic replacing Welsh. If anything, I’d guess English is the threat and not Arabic.

[@BenLlywelyn]

Wait 50 years.

[@steelcrown7130]

Is this Q Celtic and P Celtic thing what I used to call Brythonic and Goidelic?

[@etherospike3936]

Q stands for Goidelic , like Iris and Scottish, and P for Brittonic like Pictish(in Scotland/Alba, now extinct.), Welsh/Cymric, and Breton/Breizh in Bretagne .

[@AnBreadanFeasa]

Yes... with Brythonic being Welsh, Cornish & Breton; Goidelic being Irish, Manx and Scottish Gaelic.

[@steelcrown7130]

Thanks to both of you!

[@lancersharpe]

Good observations, the decline in Christianity in Wales has not helped the Welsh language either. The Welsh speaking chapels and even the bilingual Church in Wales had a preserving effect. Agnosticism and atheism do not build culture they leave a vacuum which Islam will readily fill and why not. We enjoy freedom of religion and assembly and Muslims freely and rightly take advantage. If we want to preserve Welsh culture, for me as a Church in Wales priest then a revival of Christianity is the best way. People may struggle with the faith and the church, but it has gifted a culture we see passing away and we grieve for it. Christian culture dies without the church & chapel. Nature abhors the vacuum secularism leaves. Support your local church, chapel and church school if you want but a remnant of what we had for your kids.

[@BenLlywelyn]

Apart from my following Judaism and your following Christianity, I think we would agree on a lot.

[@belstar1128]

i am not sure if region is that important but its part of the modern attitude in Wales that is very anti traditional. and they all just want to speak English and live in an utopia without countries or region or different languages not realising that is not what everyone wants and its a rare view in most of the world

[@shyamalkrishna2667]

So Asterix and Obelix failed after all.

[@morvil73]

Oi! What about Austria?! ;-)

[@BenLlywelyn]

Austria has a long history. What about Austria specifically?

[@rsfaeges5298]

Interesting

[@Bjorn_Algiz]

❤🙏

[@molecatcher3383]

New immigrants mostly want to use standard English not Welsh, Gaelic or Scots. In Scotland their minority languages were already struggling but the recent massive increase in immigration numbers will, I fear, hasten their end.

[@BenLlywelyn]

Yes.

[@molecatcher3383]

@BenLlywelyn A very good video.

[@seustaceRotterdam]

Diolch!

[@BenLlywelyn]

Croeso.

[@AnBreadanFeasa]

Strange detour into "woke" without defining it. I'd posit that it's the non-woke reactionaries have done most damage to the Welsh language over the centuries.

[@BenLlywelyn]

We will disagree.

[@martinhartecfc]

Uffff, get your tin hat on, mate.

[@BenLlywelyn]

In reference to what?

[@little-wytch]

I thought this was fascinating. The only thing that annoyed me about it was listing "woke" as a faith lol. I mean, come on, what? There are no prayers to some spooky incompetent invisible father figure in the sky with "woke." At most, it's a cultural idea of being sensitive to people different from oneself. Though I have to admit, I've seen very few of your videos so far, so I don't know if you meant the modern definition or something else entirely lol. If you meant it in the modern sense, though, keep in mind that plenty of "woke" people want to help preserve the Welsh language as an important part of Welsh culture.

[@TheMokaKiller]

If "woke" isn't a cult, why are they trying so hard to take christianity's place?

[@BenLlywelyn]

Woke is a sect of Marxism, which is a faith that believes Utopia is trapped within us and that history ends with infinite social progressivism and eternal equality. The Woke sect make historically marginalised groups into sacred categories to be worshiped through communal activism that operates like faith dance rituals.

[@little-wytch]

​@@BenLlywelyn Well, that's cute. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree since it's well-known that Marxism is not a faith but a political/social system. Its only remote connection to the concept of "faith" is that it rejects the idea of any higher power at all, which might be the one good idea to come out of that system. Aside from that little side tangent, I still found the video quite interesting and informative. I like to keep an open mind so I can still learn some things even from people I disagree with, but worry not, I'll not be asking any more questions unless I'm 1000% sure it can't be turned into a political or religious tangent lol. I'm just so burnt out on that with a psycho/traitor trying to take over and destroy my country. Back to language: what are your thoughts on reviving dead languages? I know there is a not-tiny community of people online trying to revive Latin. Do you think something similar could be done for Gaulish? Do you think it would be worth the effort, or just a waste of time?

[@MixerRenegade95]

@@BenLlywelyn I hope that's not your Take, seems woefully out of tune with Reason, even for You. Being ''Woke'' is to be aware of Social Ills, If You aren't that then You would and I'm sorry to say be fine with Non-universal suffrage, Women not being able to vote or receive fair Treatment under the Law, Ethnic Minorities taking undue suffering for difference in Race or Creed and Corporations that are both tied to yet in Practice raise themselves above the Nation and its People. But apparently it's ''Woke'' to fight for the Causes of the Everyman.

[@TheEggmaniac]

Interesting video but I dont understand how 'woke,' is a threat to the Welsh language, in Wales. 'Woke' is not a faith either.

[@BenLlywelyn]

Marxism is a religion that believes in a dialectic that unlocks Utopia / G-d from within us, and Woke is a sect of that religion which makes historically marginalised groups into sacred things to be worshiped. This sect is primarily constructed in the Anglo culture and in English today.

[@belstar1128]

they are taking it way too far its causing a lot of problems with human rights and indirectly leads to poverty and high crime

[@TheMokaKiller]

@@belstar1128 And as long as they are treated as political groups instead of religious cults, the problem will never be solved.

[@TheEggmaniac]

@@BenLlywelyn Marxism is not religion. Religions require believing in and adhering to a higher power. Marxism is a political philosophy. As a belief system it may have features in common with a religion. What exactly is meant by 'woke' is still up for debate, and seems to be changing constantly. A lot of different ideas are often all lumped together under the term 'woke.' For example women's right to abortion, which has been debated for at least the last 60 years, and transgender rights all placed under this umbrella term of 'woke.' Even your definition of woke is true then surely the Welsh language and culture would come under the 'historically marginalised groups into sacred things to be worshiped.' So therefore it benefit Welsh.

[@AnBreadanFeasa]

@@TheEggmaniac Took the words out of my keyboard. Those who have not paid any attention to political philosophies believe Marxism, Leninism, Communism, Stalinism and Maoism are identical. They're not. Equally, the intellectually lazy look at "woke" and think it's the dangerous path to "socialism" without defining either.

[@christopherellis2663]

Fœderati Indeed, Woke a cult