Focal an Lae #63
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: ceann (KYAWN)
Meaning: ceann = head; one (thing); end; roof
Usage:
- Tá mo cheann tinn. (TAW muh HYAWN CHEEN) = I have a headache. (lit., is my head sore/sick)
- Tá ceann faoi air. (TAW KYAWN FWEE ehr) = He’s ashamed, downcast, put down. (lit., is head under-him on-him)
- an chéad cheann eile (uh HYAYD HYAWN EH-luh) = the next one (lit., the first one other)
- ar cheann téide (ehr HYAWN CHAY-juh) = in tow (lit., on end of rope)
History: Old Irish “cenn” is from Common Celtic *kwenno-, which also gives Gaulish “Penno-”, Welsh “pen” and Breton “penn”.
This is probably the most commonly cited example of the distinction between “P-Celtic” aka Brittonic (= Gaulish, Welsh, Cornish, Breton)
and “Q-Celtic” aka Goidelic (= Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Manx). Common Celtic had the sound ‘b’ but not its unvoiced counterpart, ‘p’.
The P-Celtic group filled this gap early on by converting ‘kw’ to ‘p’. The Q-Celtic branch kept the ‘kw’, which later bacame simply ‘k’
(written “c”) and did not acquire the sound ‘p’ until it finally accepted it from Latin along with a flood of borrowings.
Scottish Gaelic: ceann