Insular Celtic languages facts for kids

Insular Celtic languages are the six Celtic languages that originated in the British Isles. All surviving Celtic languages are from the Insular Celtic group; the Continental Celtic languages (the other group) are now extinct. The six Insular Celtic languages of modern times can be divided into 2 groups:

• The Goidelic languages: Irish, Manx, and Scottish Gaelic They are also called "Q-Celtic" because of the use of a Q sound (spelled with a C or a K).
• The Brittonic languages: Breton, Cornish, and Welsh (another language, Cumbric, is extinct). Brittonic Celtic is also called "P-Celtic" because of the use of the letter P.

By the 4th century BC most people in the British Isles spoke a Celtic language. When the Irish abbot and missionary Columba met the Pictish king Bruide they needed a translator. Columba spoke Q-Celtic while the Picts spoke P-Celtic.

See also

In Spanish: Lenguas celtas insulares para niños