LL-L: "Language politics" LOWLANDS-L, 20.JAN.2000 (01) [E]

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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at fleimin.demon.co.uk]
Subject: "Language politics"

> From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
> Subject: Language politics
>
> Celtic) known to be spoken in Scotland, and they ought to be
> promoting Welsh
> in Strathclyde.  Are the Celtic-rooted placenames in the Lowlands
> really all
> of Gaelic origin, or could they be Pictish in origin?

Non-Germanic place names in Scotland are Welsh (e.g. Tranent, Pencait[land],
Aberlady, Glasgow) up to the Firth of Forth (the "waistline" of the country)
after which Gaelic placenames are found (Inverness, Aviemore, Kinrymont [old
name for St Andrews] &c).

However, while south of the Forth Gaelic placenames are restricted to a
narrow coastal band that reaches only just into East Lothian, (Inveresk
inside it, Aberlady outside), north of the Forth Welsh placenames, sometimes
combined with Gaelic, persist (Inchkeith, Inverkeithing, Perth, Aberfeldy,
Aberdeen).

Historically the Welsh are only known up as far as the Firth of Forth - the
old Welsh kingdom of Lothian based in Edinburgh being conquered by Germanic
invaders to form the kingdom of Northumbria brought the end of Welsh in the
south east of Scotland. This leaves the abundance of
Brythonic(Welsh)-looking names (as well as a few oddities such as "Pit"
[Pittenweem] and "Pet" [Petty]) to the north of the Forth as in need of an
historical people to identify with this Brythonic. But then the Picts are an
historical people in need of an identifiable language! The conclusion seems
to be that Pictish was a form of Brythonic. It seems to clear up everything.

See "The Uses of Placenames", ed. Simon Taylor, Scottish Cultural Press,
ISBN 1-898218-98-6.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org
http://www.fleimin.demon.co.uk

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From: john feather [johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk]
Subject: Language politics

Robin wrote

>>Even in the early 1600's tartans usually were more identified with the
local weaver
than with a particular family. It was whatever colors and dyes he liked or
was
even able to get his hands on at the time. <<

I thought it was a Victorian Lancashire mill-owner who created the modern
clan tartans, or is that a fable as well? The red of the Royal Stuart must
surely postdate Perkins' discovery of the aniline dyes.

John Feather johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk

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