P-Celtic and Q-Celtic languages

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 *k^w, 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

The ancient Italic languages had a similar division, with Latino-Faliscan as "Q-Italic" and Osco-Umbrian as "P-Italic".

Alternative theories

A competing scheme was defended for example by McCone (1996), links Goidelic and Brythonic together as an Insular Celtic branch, as opposed to Continental Celtic languages including Gaulish and Celtiberian.

References

• Lockwood, William Burley (1972). A panorama of Indo-European languages. Hutchinson university library 173. Hutchinson. pp. 74–80. ISBN 0-09-111020-3.