Words for talkative, to speak, to sing and related things in Celtic languages.
Words marked with a * are reconstructions.
| Proto-Celtic |
*ɸlabros = talkative
*amɸlabros = dumb, mute |
| Gaulish |
lab(a)ro- = talkative, eloquent, sonorous, speaker – appears in the names Labarus and Labrios |
| Old Irish (Goídelc) |
labar = talkative, boastful
labraithir = to talk, speak
amlabar = dumb, mute |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) |
labar = talkative, arrogant, boastful
labraithir = to talk, speak
labarthach = talkative, noisy
labra = gift of speech, talkativeness, utterance, sound, speaking
labraithir = to speak, talk, utter, say
amlabar = dumb, mute |
| Irish (Gaeilge) |
labhair = to speak, hail
labhairt = speaking, speech, utterance, voice, call
labharthacch = talkative, vociferous, noisy
labharthacht = talkativeness
labhra = speech, utterance
amhlabhra = inarticulateness, bad delivery
amhlabhrach = crude of speech, inarticulate |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) |
labhair [l̪ˠau.ɪrʲ] = to speak, say, talk, speak!, utter!
labhar = speaking loudly, loquacious, boastful
labhairt = speaking, uttering, utterance
labhairteach = loquacious, oral
labhairte = said, spoken
amhlabhair = mute, dumb, speechless (obsolete)
co-labhairt = conference, symposium
neach-labhairt = speaker, spokesperson
ro-labhairt = prologue |
| Manx (Gaelg) |
loayr = to speak, extemporise
loayreyder = mouthpiece, speaker, talker
loayrt = to speak, talk, utter, express
loayrit = oral, spoken
amloayrtagh = dumb, mute |
| Proto-Brythonic |
*laβar [laβaːr] = prone to talking, eloquent
*aβ̃laβar = dumb, mute |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) |
llawar, llavar, llauar = loud, clear, vociferous
lleueir, llauarei, llafaraf = to speak, say, tell
aflauar = mute, dumb, speechless, silent |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) |
llafar [ˈɬa(ː)var] = loud, clear, vociferous, resounding, resonant, sonorous; pertaining to the voice, vocal (of music, in contrast with instrumental); talkative, loquacious; spoken (language), oral, verbal
llafarder = talkativeness, loquaciousness
llafaredig = spoken, uttered, oral, verbal, articulate
llafareiddio = to make more colloquial, speak naturally
llafariad = vowel
llefaru = to speak, say, tell, declare
lleferydd = speech, voice, expression, uttereance, pronunciation
aflafar [avˈlavar] = mute, dumb, speechless, silent |
| Old Cornish |
lauar = talkative
aflauar = dumb, mute |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) |
lavar = utterance, speech, voice, a saying, word, proverb
lavary = to speak, say, tell, pronounce, declare
avlavar, afavar = speechless, dumb, mute |
| Cornish (Kernewek) |
lavar = expression, idiom, utterance, sentence
lavaren = phrase
amlavar = dumb, mute
leverel, lawl = to pronounce, say, tell
leveryans = pronunciation
avlavar = dumb |
| Old Breton |
labar = talkative |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) |
lauaret = to say, promise |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) |
lavar [ˈlɑːvar] = to say, word, language
lavaradenn – to tell
lavarenn [laˈvɑːrɛn] = proposal
lavaret = to say, promise
lavariant = communicative
lavariantiz = communication
amlavar = dumb, mute |
Etymology: possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥b-ró-s, from *pleb- (to babble), which is also the root of words such as barbarian in English, pleurer (to cry) in French, and llorar (to cry, weep) in Spanish [Wiktionary].
| Old Irish (Goídelc) |
asbeir [asˈbʲerʲ] = to say, utter, mention, speak |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) |
atbeir = to say, speak |
| Irish (Gaeilge) |
abair [ˈabˠəɾʲ] = to say, utter, speak, express, state, allege, give opinion, suppose, assume, mean, direct, report
abairt sentence, phrase
abartha given to repartee |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) |
abair [abɪrʲ] = to say, speak, utter, tell
abairt [abər̪ˠʃdʲ] expression, phrase, collocation, saying, comment
abartach [abər̪ˠʃdəx] talkative, bold. impudent |
| Manx (Gaelg) |
abbyr = to say, state, assume
abbyrt = sentence, dialect, phrase, expression, period |
Etymology: from the Proto-Celtic *ess (ex-, out) and *beirid (to carry, bring, bear, give) [source].
| Proto-Celtic |
*kaneti = to sing
*kantlom = singing
*toɸareuɸokaneti = to prophesize |
| Old Irish (Goídelc) |
canaid = to chant, praise, recite, sing, speak
cainnt [kan͈ʲtʲ] = speech, talk, conversation; act of speaking |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) |
canaid = to sing, recite, chant
canamain = singing, chanting
cantain = singing, reciting, chanting, uttering
cainnt = speach, talk, conversation, act of speaking
cainntech = talkative, loquacious |
| Irish (Gaeilge) |
can [kan̪ˠ/kanˠ] = to chant, sing, speak, talk, call, name
canadh [kan̪ˠə/ˈkanˠuː] = singing, chanting
cantaire = chanter, chorister
caint [kan̠ʲtʲ / kəin̠ʲtʲ] = speech, talking
cainteach = talkative, chatty
cainteoir = speaker, talker
caintigh = to speak, address, accost |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) |
can [kan] = (to) say
cainnt [kãĩn̠ʲdʲ] = to speak, talk, commune
cainnteach [kãĩn̠ʲdʲəx] = loquacious, talkative
cainnteanas [kãĩn̠ʲdʲənəs] = speech
cainntear [kãĩn̠ʲdʲər] = orator, speaker
cainntearachd [kãĩn̠ʲdʲərəxg] = eloquence, rhetorical expression
cainnteas [kãĩn̠ʲdʲəs] = attractive speech
cànan [kaːnan] = language
cànanachas = linguistics
cànanaiche = linguist |
| Manx (Gaelg) |
caaynt = spoken language, spoken word, talk
caayntagh = loquacious |
| Proto-Brythonic |
*kėnɨd [ke̝ˈnɨːd] = to sing |
| Old Welsh |
canam = to sing |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) |
kan, cân = song
kanu, canu = to sing
kantor, kantoryeit = singer, songster, vocalist, musician, cantor
kanwr, kantoryeit = singer, vocalist
ynganv = to speak, talk, say |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) |
cân [kaːn] = song
canaf, canu [ˈkanɨ̞/ˈka(ː)ni] to sing; to intone, chant, to state, say, to produce musical sounds, to play (the harp, piano, etc), to compose poetry, to celebrate in song
cantor, cantores = singer, vocalist, musician, cantor
canwr = singer, vocalist
ynganu = to speak, talk, say, tell, declare, express, pronounce |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) |
can = song
canas = song
cane, cana = to sing (a song), to sing as birds, to crow
canor, canores = singer |
| Cornish (Kernewek) |
kan = poem, song
kana [‘kana / ‘kɒnɐ] = to sing
kaner, kanores = singer
kanik = ditty, jingle |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) |
can = song
canaff = to sing
caner = singer |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) |
kan [ˈkãːn] = song
kanadeg = concert, cantata
kanañ [ˈkãː.nã] = to sing
kanaouenn [kã.ˈnɔ.wːɛn] = song
kaner [ˈkãː.nɛr] = singer |
Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n- (to sing) [source]. The English words accent, cant, chant, charm, enchant, hen and incantation come from the same root, as does the Breton word kentel (lesson, moral), the French word chanter (to sing), and the Spanish word cantar (to sing) [source].
| Proto-Celtic |
*kom-wep-s- = conversation |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) |
comio = to talk converse
ymgom = (subject of) chat or conversation
ymgomiad = chat, conversatoin, talk, dispute, debate
ymgomio, ymgoniaf = to chat, converse, mention, discuss, dispute, debate
ymgomiol = chatty, conversational, colloquial
ymgomiwr = conversationalist, talker, speaker |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) |
cews, cowms, cows = speech, discourse, talk
cewsel, cowsa = to speak, say, tell, relate
cows = to speak, say, tell
cowses = a speech, discourse |
| Cornish (Kernewek) |
kows [kɔʊz] = to speak, talk
kewsel [ˈkɛʊzɛl] = to speak, talk |
| Middle Breton |
comps = speech, to say, tell, pronounce |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) |
komz [ˈkɔ̃ms] = to speak, talk, express oneself
komzapl = expressible
komzer = speaker
komzerzh = expression
komzidigezh = speech
komzus = expressive |
Etymology: from Proto-Celtic *kom- (with) and *wepos (speech, voice), from Proto-Indo-European *wekʷ- (to speak), which is also the root of epic, vocal, voice and vowel in English [source].
| Proto-Celtic |
*kom-wep-s- = conversation |
| Old Irish (Goídelc) |
comrád = conversation, dialogue, talking |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) |
comrád. comrad = conversing, talking, dialogue, speech, utterance, saying
comráidid = to converse
comráitech = chatty, talkative |
| Irish (Gaeilge) |
comhrá [ˈkoːɾˠɑː/ˈkõːɾˠɑ̃] = conversation
comhráiteach = conversationalist, conversational |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) |
còmhradh [kɔ̃ːrəɣ] = conversing, conversatoin, dialogue, discussion, negotiation |
| Manx (Gaelg) |
cowag = babble, chat |
Etymology: from Old Irish com- (mutual, joint, co-) and rád (speech, talk, conversation), from Proto-Celtic *kom- (with) and *rādīti, from *rādī (to talk) [source].
Sources: Wiktionary, Am Faclair Beag, Online Manx Dictionary, Teanglann.ie, eDIL – Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language, In Dúil Bélrai English – Old Irish glossary, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, Gerlyver Kernewek, Dictionaire Favereau, TermOfis, English – ProtoCeltic WordList (PDF), Etymological Dictionary Of Proto Celtic
