Old English in contact with Celtic

Abstract

Abstract A survey is given of the (small) number of generally accepted Celtic loanwords in Old English. The evidence for distinct inputs from different Celtic languages is considered briefly. The evidence for Celtic input in Old English personal names and in English place names is also summarized. In order to provide further context for the limited number of loanwords found in Old English, the Celtic loanwords found in French are compared and contrasted. The so-called Celtic hypothesis, that there may have been considerable substratal structural influence from Celtic on English, is summarized, and the reasons why this is not necessarily incompatible with a small number of loanwords are investigated. Finally, a brief survey is given of loanwords from Celtic languages in the later history of English.