Expert: Fabio Anderle - 2/25/2010

Question
R they an Irish Team, or Scottish. (Husband says Scottish, I say Irish), and pronounced Keltics or Seltics?

Answer
CJ,

the Celtic Glasgow is a scottish soccer team, but of course it is not related to the Boston Celtics. The Boston Celtics were born in 1946 when Walter Brown, the first owner of the Boston-based team, picked the name because the city was full of Irishmen and because of the tradition of the New York Original Celtics, a great barnstorming team of the 1920's.
The word "Celts" is derived from ancient Greek "Keltoi" which meant to name the barbarian tribes living between the Danube and the Rhone rivers. The Romans took the word as "Celtae" (pronounced Keltae, as in "Kelly") which later suffered a semantic phenomenon called "palatalization": the K became a C and in english was pronounced like an european S (check ancient latin "kellarium" - german "keller" but english "cell"; or ancient latin "Kaesar" - german "Kaiser" but english "Caesar"). So, to me, both "Keltic" and Celtic are ok. It is just a matter of what kind of.... word you decide to use: the arcaic form, or the "current" one. "Keltic" may be more historically accurate, but languages are "alive" and they keep changing each and every day....."
So, to preserve the peace in your family, I would say that your husband is right when he says that Celtic is also a scottish team, but you are right when you say that the word used to name irish people.
I hope it helps


Fabio