Introduction
Origin and general history
§ 1. i. The Welsh language is a member of the Keltic branch of the Aryan (also called the Indo-European or Indo-Germanic) family of languages.
The languages of this great family are classified as follows, names of branches and groups being printed in spaced type:
(1) Indian, comprising (a) Sanskrit; (b) Prākrit dialects, from which are descended numerous modern languages in India.
(2) Iranian: (a) Avestic (East Iranian, also called Zend or Old Bactrian); (b) Old Persian (West Iranian), later Pehlevi; (c) Modern Persian.
(3) Armenian.
(4) Greek, which comprises many dialects, the most important being (a) Ionic-Attic; (b) Doric; (c) Aeolic: Lesbian, Thessalian, Boeotian; (d) Arcadian and Cyprian; (e) Pamphylian.
(5) Albanian.
(6) Italic: (a) Latin, from which are derived the modern Romance languages; (b) Oscan, Umbrian.
(7) Keltic: (a) the Q division, consisting of dialects in Gaul and Spain, and the Goidelic group, comprising Irish, Scotch Gaelic and Manx; (b) the P division, consisting of Gaulish, and the British group, comprising Welsh, Cornish and Breton.
(8) Germanic: (a) Gothic; (b) the Norse group, including 1. Swedish, Gutnish, Danish; 2. Norwegian, Icelandic; (c) the West-Germanic group, including 1. Old English (or Anglo-Saxon), now English; Frisian; Old Saxon, now Low German; Dutch, Flemish; 2. Old High German, now German.
(9) Baltic-Slavonic: (a) the Baltic group: Old Prussian, Lithuanian, Lettish; (b) the Slavonic group: Old Bulgarian; Russian, Bulgarian, Illyrian; Czech, Sorabian, Polish, Polabian.
(10) Tocharish, recently discovered in East Turkestan.
