Q-Celtic Hypothesis

Q-Celtic Hypothesis

The P-Celtic/Q-Celtic hypothesis is a categorization for the Celtic languages. The theory links Gaulish with Brythonic as P-Celtic and links Goidelic with Celtiberian as Q-Celtic. The difference between P and Q languages is the treatment of Proto-Celtic *kw, which became *p in the P-Celtic languages but *k in Goidelic. For example the word for head is pen in Brythonic languages but ceann in Goidelic; the word for son is mab (earlier map) in Brythonic but mac in Goidelic – maqq on the Primitive Irish Ogham inscriptions.

P-Celtic incorporates the following:

• Gallic
  • Gaulish
  • Lepontic
  • Noric
  • Galatian
• Pritennic
  • Pictish
• Brythonic (British)
  • West Brythonic
    • Old Welsh
      • Middle Welsh
        • Welsh
    • Cumbric
  • Southwestern Brythonic
    • Old Breton
      • Middle Breton
        • Breton
    • Old Cornish
      • Middle Cornish
        • Cornish

Q-Celtic incorporates the following:

• Goidelic
  • Primitive Irish
    • Old Irish
      • Middle Irish
        • Irish
        • Scottish Gaelic
        • Manx
• Celtiberian languages
  • Celtiberian
  • Northwestern Hispano-Celtic