page_title: Celtic languages
hierarchical_section_title: Celtic languages
caption_attribution_description: English: Celtic expansion in Europe &#160;&#160; the core Hallstatt territory, expansion before 500 BC &#160;&#160; maximum Celtic expansion by the 270s BC &#160;&#160; Lusitanian, Autrigones, Varduli and Caristi areas of Iberia, "Celticity" uncertain &#160;&#160; areas that remain Celtic-speaking today Deutsch: Verbreitung keltischer Völker und Sprachen: &#160;&#160; Gebiet der Hallstatt-Kultur im 6. Jahrhundert v. Chr. &#160;&#160; Größte keltische Ausdehnung, um 275 v. Chr. &#160;&#160; Lusitania, Autrigon, Varduli und Caristi (keltische Besiedlung unsicher) &#160;&#160; Das heutige Verbreitungsgebiet keltischer Sprachen Português: Expansão dos povos e línguas celtas na Europa &#160;&#160; o território da cultura de Hallstatt, expansão anterior a 500 a.C. &#160;&#160; expansão celta máxima na década de 270 a.C. &#160;&#160; Lusitanos, Autrigões, Várdulos e Carístios, povos ibéricos cuja "celticidade" é incerta &#160;&#160; áreas em que ainda se fala línguas celtas nos dias de hoje
context_page_description: The Celtic languages are a group of related languages descended from Proto-Celtic. They form a branch of the Indo-European language family. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward Lhuyd in 1707, following Paul-Yves Pezron, who made the explicit link between the Celts described by classical writers and the Welsh and Breton languages.
  During the 1st millennium BC, Celtic languages were spoken across much of Europe and in Asia Minor. Today, they are restricted to the northwestern fringe of Europe and a few diaspora communities. There are four living languages: Welsh, Breton, Irish and Scottish Gaelic. All are minority languages in their respective countries, though there are continuing efforts at revitalisation. Welsh is an official language in Wales and Irish is an official language of Ireland and of the European Union. Welsh is the only Celtic language not classified as endangered by UNESCO. The Cornish and Manx languages went extinct in modern times. They have been the object of revivals and now each has several hundred second-language speakers.
  Irish, Scottish and Manx form the Goidelic languages, while Welsh, Cornish and Breton are Brittonic.
context_section_description: The Celtic languages (usually /ˈkɛltɪk/, but sometimes /ˈsɛltɪk/ in the US) are a group of related languages descended from Proto-Celtic. They form a branch of the Indo-European language family. The term "Celtic" was first used to describe this language group by Edward Lhuyd in 1707, following Paul-Yves Pezron, who made the explicit link between the Celts described by classical writers and the Welsh and Breton languages.
  During the 1st millennium BC, Celtic languages were spoken across much of Europe and in Asia Minor. Today, they are restricted to the northwestern fringe of Europe and a few diaspora communities. There are four living languages: Welsh, Breton, Irish and Scottish Gaelic. All are minority languages in their respective countries, though there are continuing efforts at revitalisation. Welsh is an official language in Wales and Irish is an official language of Ireland and of the European Union. Welsh is the only Celtic language not classified as endangered by UNESCO. The Cornish and Manx languages went extinct in modern times. They have been the object of revivals and now each has several hundred second-language speakers.
  Irish, Scottish and Manx form the Goidelic languages, while Welsh, Cornish and Breton are Brittonic. All of these are Insular Celtic languages, since Breton, the only living Celtic language spoken in continental Europe, is descended from the language of settlers from Britain.  There are a number of extinct but attested continental Celtic languages, such as Celtiberian, Galatian and Gaulish.  Beyond that there is no agreement on the subdivisions of the Celtic language family. They may be divided into P-Celtic and Q-Celtic.
  The Celtic languages have a rich literary tradition. The earliest specimens of written Celtic are Lepontic inscriptions from the 6th century BC in the Alps. Early Continental inscriptions used Italic and Paleohispanic scripts. Between the 4th and 8th centuries, Irish and Pictish were occasionally written in an original script, Ogham, but the Latin alphabet came to be used for all Celtic languages. Welsh has had a continuous literary tradition from the 6th century AD.
caption: Distribution of Celtic speakers: 
  
    Hallstatt culture area, 6th century BC
    Maximal Celtic expansion, c. 275 BC
    Lusitanian area; Celtic affiliation unclear
    Areas where Celtic languages are widely spoken in the 21st century
exif: {}