11 April 2016

How do you pronounce "Celtic" ?

"Celtic pronounced “Keltic” is an outlier in English phonology. Nearly every other English word beginning ce- has a soft-c sound: cedar, ceiling, cell, cement, cent, cereal, certain, cesspit, and so on (cello, with its “ch-” onset, is another anomaly). So it shouldn’t surprise us that “Seltic” was once overwhelmingly the norm. The now-dominant pronunciation “Keltic” is a modern innovation...

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage, “the closer you get to circles substantively concerned with Celtic lore and languages, the more likely you are to hear \'kel-tik\”—though “Seltic” may be heard “at times from very well-educated speakers.”..

English is a hotchpotch of languages and lexicons, originally Germanic but with strong Scandinavian, French, and Latin influences. This can lead to specious arguments based on supposedly self-evident logic: It must be “Seltic” because phonology; It must be “Keltic” because etymology. But neither phonology nor etymology dictates usage—that’s down to us, and we’re a contrary bunch.

Claims about correctness in language can’t override the facts of usage, and the important fact here is that both pronunciations are standard and correct. Don’t believe me? Scroll up and consult the dictionaries. Critics are entitled to dislike “Seltic” or “Keltic,” but they have no business saying either pronunciation is wrong. Because they’re both right."

12 comments:

  1. My mom plays fiddle in a Celtic band and I've always heard the hard K pronunciation in those circles. Though the basketball team seems to prefer the soft C? It's interesting to know both are considered correct.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I learned that the tribe was called the Kelts and so Keltic derives from the name of the people.

    On the other hand, the football team is called Seltic.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi,
    As Anonymous at 12:36, the tribe is The Celts which I pronounce Kelts, and the football team is Celtic which I pronounce Seltic.
    I'm in the UK.

    best wishes another phil

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's indeed strange, I never thought of this before; being a soccer fan I would say Seltic as well, although the tribe I would call Kelts. Now I'm wondering how to pronounce Ceasar, why is everybody saying Seasar? The Romans (and the Celts) would probably have used a hard K so the soft C is a modern invention?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would guess the Germanic tribesmen (and maybe the Celts) would have said "KY-ser" to evolve into Kaiser?

      Delete
    2. The Romans would have said "Kai-sar". The C before the a of Caesar is hard.

      Delete
    3. The linguistic term is palatalization, a very common process in many languages. Basically: K becomes CH (as in choose) becomes SH (as in ship) becomes S.

      Delete
  5. The Romans said 'kaiser' as well as a far as I know.

    ReplyDelete
  6. And that English is Germanic is also controversial, it may be Norse at core.

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121127094111.htm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Umm, Norse is a Germanic language.

      Delete
    2. I think Zhoen meant to say that English may be of North Germanic (verb in the middle) rather than West Germanic (verb at the end) derivation.

      Delete
  7. Coming from Ireland, I have always heard "Keltic" used for everything.. Except for the Scottish football team Glasgow Celtic (pronounced "Seltic"), that is the only time I have ever noticed it used that way myself.

    You can hear it mentioned a few times near the start of this documentary (just something I found on Youtube looking for an example): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEhr_eAJQ4k

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...