Words for what? which? who? where? and related things in Celtic languages.
What?
Words marked with a * are reconstructions.
| Proto-Celtic | *kʷid? = what? |
|---|---|
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | cid? = what? cote, cate, catte [ˈko.d̠ʲe] = of what sort is …? what is …? |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | cote, coteeet, codde, cate, cati, cáte = what (is)? |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | cad? [kad̪ˠ] = what? where? (in Munster) cad é? [kəd̪ˠˈeː] = what? (in Connacht & Ulster) cad é mar (atá tú)? = how (are you)? (in Ulster) céard? [ceːɾˠd̪ˠ] = what? (in Connacht) goidé? [ɡəˈtʲeː] = what? (in Connacht & Ulster) cad chuige? [kɑt̪ˠ ˈxɪɟɪ / kəˈt̪ˠiɟə] = why? (in Mayo,& Ulster) cad ina thaobh? [ˌkɑn̪ˠəˈheːvˠ] = why? (in Munster) |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | ciod? [kʲid] = what? ciod air bith = whichever, whatever ciod e? = what? ciod thuige? [kʲid hugʲə] = why? dè? [dʲeː] = what? who? dè man? dè mar? [deː man / dʲeː mar] = how? |
| Manx (Gaelg) | cre? = what? cre fa? = why? cre wooad? = how much? quoid? = how many? how much? |
| Old Welsh (Kembraec) | pa? = what? which? |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | pa? py? = what? which? paham? pam? = why? reason, cause, question |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | pa? [paː] = what? which? paham? pam? = why? reason, cause, question pa bryd? = when? at what time? pa un? p’un? = who(m)? which (one)? |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) | pe? pa? py? = what? which? where? pa le? = where place? where? pahan = what perag? prâg? = for what? wherefore? why? pattel? patla? fattel? fatla? = how? by what means? pe? pa? py? = |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | py? pe? = what? which? py lies? = how many? pyth? = what?, that which ple? = where? prag? = why? what for? fatla? = how? |
| Old Breton | pe? = what? |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | pe? pé? = what? peguement? pe quement? = how much? how many? pe en lech? = where? penaus? penos? = how? perac? pe-rac? = why? petra? = who? what? |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | pe? [peː] = which one? pegeit? [peˈɡɛjt] = how long? how far? pegement? [pe.ˈɡẽ.mːɛnt] = how much? how many? pegoulz? [pe.ˈɡuls] = when? pehini? [peˈ(h)ĩːni] = which one? pelec’h? [peˈlɛːx] = where? penaos? [pẽ.ˈnɔːs] = how? perak? [pe.ˈrɑːk] = why? peseurt? [peˈsøʁt] = what? what kind? petra? [ˈpe.tʁa] = who? what? |
Etymology: from Proto-Indo-European *kʷid (what? which?) [source]. Words from the same PIE roots include çë (what?) in Albanian, kas (that, which, who) in Latvian, что (što – that, what, which) in Russian, che (what, which) in Italian, ¿qué? (what? which?) in Spainish [source].
| Proto-Celtic | *kʷei? = who? |
|---|---|
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | cía = what? where? who? how? if, although cía airet? = how long? cía airm? cairm? airm? = where? cía chruth? = how? cía méit? = how many? how much? |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | cía? ce? ci? = who? what? how? where? |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | cá? = what? how? where? cá hait? = (at) what place? where? cá huair? = at what hour? when? cá fhad? = how long? cá mhéad? = how much? how much? cé? = who? cén? = what? which? |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | cò? [koː] = who(m)? where? cò idir = whoever cò ann? = wherein? cò as? [ko as] = where from? |
| Manx (Gaelg) | quoi? [kwəi] = who? whom? which? whichever, who? quoi erbee = who(so)ever, whom(so)ever quoi jeu? = which one? quoid? c’wooad? = how many? how much? |
| Proto-Brythonic | *puɨ? = who? |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | pwy? = who(m)? what? pwy bynnac, pwybynnag = whoever |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | pwy? [puːɨ̯ / pʊi̯] = who(m)? what? pwy bynnag = whoever |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) | pew? pyw? p(y)u? piwa? = who? pywpenag, piwha bennac, piwa bennac, pyu penagh = who(s)ever |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | piw? [piˑʊ] = who? piw penag, piw pynag = whoever piw? = who? |
| Old Breton (Brethonoc) | piu? = who? |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | piu? piou? = who? piupennac, piu pennac, piou bennac = whoever |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | piv? [piw] = who? piv bennak = whoever pivelezh = identity |
Etymology: from Proto-Indo-European *kʷís (who? what? which, that) [source]. Words from the same PIE roots include ca (than, as) in Romanian, hve (how, like, as) in Icelandic, how and when in English, and hoe (how) in Dutch [source].
Sources: Wiktionary, Etymological Dictionary Of Proto Celtic, In Dúil Bélrai English – Old Irish glossary, eDIL – Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language, Teanglann.ie, Am Faclair Beag, An etymological dictionary of the Gaelic language, Fockleyreen: Manx – English Dictionary, Online Manx Dictionary, Gaelg Corpus, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, Lexicon cornu-britannicum : a dictionary of the ancient Celtic language of Cornwall, Gerlyver Kernewek, Devri : Le dictionaire diachronique du breton, Geriafurch, TermOfis
In Gaelg (Manx Gaelic), ‘what?’ is indeed cre?, but also c’red?, whose pronunciation is quite close to that of ‘céard?’ in the Gaeilge of Connacht. It is an abbreviated form of cre red? – ‘what thing?’.
‘Why?’ is more usually cre’n fa? – literally, ‘what (is) the reason?’.