Celtic languages
| Celtic | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: | Formerly widespread in Europe; today British Isles, Brittany, Patagonia and Nova Scotia |
| Linguistic classification: | Indo-European
|
| Proto-language: | Proto-Celtic |
| Subdivisions: | |
| ISO 639-2 and 639-5: | cel |
The Celtic Languages are a language family In the Indo-European languages. There are six Celtic languages still spoken in the world today, in north-western Europe. They are divided into two groups, the Goidelic (or Gaelic) languages and the Brythonic (or British) languages.
The three Goidelic languages still spoken are Irish, Scottish, and Manx. Scottish is the main language spoken in parts of north-western Scotland. Irish is the main language spoken in the Gaeltacht, in Ireland. Manx is spoken mainly by people interested in the language but used to be spoken on the Isle of Man.
The three Brythonic languages are Welsh, Cornish, and Breton. Cornish became extinct in the 18th century, but some people have started to speak it again now. Welsh is spoken everywhere throughout Wales, but it is the first language for people mainly in the North and the west of Wales, in the area that some people call the Bro Gymraeg. Breton is spoken mainly in western Brittany and is the only Celtic Language that is not spoken mainly on the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. Because Brittany is part of France, the language is in danger of becoming extinct, just like Cornish, and there are ongoing efforts to prevent that from happening.
Scottish Gaelic also has a native community of speakers in Canada, where it was once widely spoken, and there are Welsh-speakers in Patagonia, Argentina.