Expert: Fabio Anderle - 7/13/2004

Question
Fabio,

The word "Celtic" is pronounced, "Kel tic", so how come when people are talking about Celtic music (like Enya's music) or referring to anything about the Indo-European people of pre Roman times, its prounced with a hard "K" but when people are talking about the basketball team,its always with a "S" sound?

Thanks,

Carole

Answer
Hi, Carole,

well, I think we are... "out of bounds" with this one, since I usually answer only basketball related questions, but thanks to the fact my university years touched the semantic topic, I'll try to give you an answer....
The word "Celts" is derived from ancient Greek "Keltoi" which meant to define the barbarian tribes living between the Danube and the Rhone rivers. The Romans took the word as "Celtae" (pronounced Keltae) and later suffered a semantic phenomenon called "palatalization": the K became a C and in english was pronounced like an european S (confront with latin "kellarium" - german "keller" but english "cell"; or 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 never idle, they keep changing each and every day.....
I hope it helps

Fabio

P.S. Your name is interesting too, by the way... I think you should have some Tirol (sothern Austria - north Italy area) blood in your veins, Carol... am I right?

Fabio