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divides into two subgroups, Continental and Insular. Continental Celtic is attested
to only around the first century BCE, after the Celtic population had become somewhat
Romanized, and attestations of Insular Celtic are even later. The relatively late
date for Continental Celtic can be attributed to the Celtic view that important
information had to be preserved orally (by a group of specially trained individuals).
Continental Celtic comprised four groups: Gaulish , spoken in the ancient province
of Gaul; Lepontic , spoken in the Alpine region of northwestern Italy; Celto-Iberian
(or Hispano-Celtic) spoken in a large portion of the Iberian peninsula; and, Eastern
Celtic, spoken in Eastern Europe. Little evidence remains (or perhaps ever existed)
for this last group. Insular
Celtic subdivides into Goidelic and Brythonic , also known respectively as Q-Celtic
and P-Celtic (because cognates have a "k"-like sound in the former,
whereas the latter have "p" sound). ) Brythonic comprises Welsh, Cornish,
British, and Breton. Goidelic comprises Irish (or Gaelic ), Scots Gaelic (still
spoken in the Highlands; inhabitants of the Lowlands spoke a Brythonic language
closely similar to Welsh.), Manx, and probably Pictish. (Pictish also shows certain
unusual characteristics that may be attributable to an indigenous, non-Indo-European
language.
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