FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75  
76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   >>  
nciples of English Etymology, Series I_, pp. 443-452, to which I may refer the reader; and a list of words of (probably) Celtic origin is given in my larger _Etymological Dictionary_, ed. 1910, p. 765. It is also explained, in my _Primer of English Etymology_ that, in the fifth century, the time of Hengist's invasion, "the common language of the more educated classes among the British was Latin, which was in use as a literary language and as the language of the British Christian Church. Hence, the Low German tribes [of invaders] found no great necessity for learning ancient British; and this explains the fact, which would otherwise be extraordinary, that modern English contains but a very small Celtic element." Of the Celts that remained within the English pale, it is certain that, in a very short time, they accepted the necessity of learning Anglian or Saxon, and lost their previous language altogether. Hence, in many dialects, as for example, in the East Midland district, the amount of words of "British" origin is practically _nil_. For further remarks on this subject, see Chapter V of _Anglo-Saxon Britain_, by Grant Allen, London, n.d. I here give a tentative list of some Celtic words found in dialects. Their etymologies are discussed in my _Etymological Dictionary_ (1910), as they are also found in literary use; and the words are fully explained in the _English Dialect Dictionary_, which gives all their senses, and enumerates the counties in which they are found. It is doubtless imperfect, as I give only words that are mostly well known, and can be found, indeed, in the _New English Dictionary_. I give only one sense of each, and mark it as N., M., or S. (Northern, Midland, or Southern), as the case may be. The symbol "gen." means "in general use"; and "Sc." means Lowland Scotch. _Art_, or _airt_, Sc., a direction of the wind; _banshee_, Irish, a female spirit who warns families of a death; _beltane_, N., the first of May; _bin_, M., a receptacle; _boggart_, _bogle_, N., M., a hobgoblin; _bragget_, N., M., a drink made of honey and ale; _brat_, N., M., a cloth, clout; _brock_, gen., a badger; _bug_, N., a bogy; _bugaboo_, N., M., a hobgoblin; _capercailyie_, Sc., a bird; _cateran_, Sc., a Highland robber; _char_, N., a fish; _clachan_, Sc., a hamlet; _clan_, N., M., a class, set of people; _claymore_, Sc., a two-handed sword; _colleen_, Irish, a young girl; _combe_, gen., the head of a valley; _coracle_, M., a w
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75  
76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   >>  



Top keywords:

English

 

language

 

British

 

Dictionary

 

Celtic

 

Midland

 

literary

 

learning

 

dialects

 
hobgoblin

necessity
 
explained
 

origin

 
Etymological
 

Etymology

 
Lowland
 
Scotch
 

symbol

 

doubtless

 

general


colleen

 

senses

 
enumerates
 
counties
 

direction

 

coracle

 

Northern

 

Southern

 

imperfect

 

banshee


valley

 

spirit

 

badger

 

cateran

 

Highland

 

capercailyie

 

hamlet

 
bugaboo
 

clachan

 

families


beltane

 

female

 
robber
 

claymore

 

bragget

 

people

 
receptacle
 
boggart
 

handed

 
remarks