Southwestern Brittonic languages


The Southwestern Brittonic languages are the Brittonic Celtic tongues spoken in South West England and Brittany since the Early Middle Ages. During the period of their earliest attestation, the languages appear to be indistinguishable, but they gradually evolved into the Cornish and Breton languages. Both languages evolved from the Common Brittonic formerly spoken across most of Britain and were thus related to the Welsh and Cumbric varieties spoken in Wales and Hen Ogledd, respectively.
The earliest stage of the languages, Primitive Cornish/Primitive Breton, is unattested. Written sources are extant from the Old Cornish/Breton period, roughly 800–1100, in which phase the languages are indistinguishable. As such, some linguists such as Peter Schrijver use the term Southwest British to describe the language when "Old Cornish" and "Old Breton" were indistinguishable and only separated by geography rather than linguistically.

Description

Some of the sound changes that distinguish Southwestern Brythonic from Welsh include:
Other significant differences are found in Welsh innovations in which Southwestern Brythonic did not participate, such as the development of the voiceless alveolar lateral fricative

Footnotes