Southwestern Brittonic languages


The Southwestern Brittonic languages are the Brittonic Celtic languages spoken in what is now 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. They 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 the Hen Ogledd, respectively.
The earliest stage of the languages, Primitive Cornish/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

Southwestern Brittonic is distinguished from Welsh by sound changes including:
  • the raising of to in a pretonic syllable
  • the fronting of to
  • the fronting of to before or in an old final syllable
Other significant differences are found in Welsh innovations in which Southwestern Brittonic did not participate, such as the development of the voiceless alveolar lateral fricative.