Englishman marrying a scottish girl!

[thanmuwa]

Indeed the funny thing is that Celts as a ethnic group didn't really come across to Britain & Ireland.

You are back on your flawed idea that there ever was an ethnic group known as the Celts. They never existed. The grouping known as the Celts is specifically a language-based (with the attendant cultural links) grouping. There are certain remaining Celtic languages. Irish, Scot's Gaelic, Manx, Breton, maybe Cornish. Therefore the Irish are Celts. The Scot's Gaelic speakers are Celts. The Bretons, Welsh, Manx speakers are Celts. People who don't speak the language but share all the other aspects of the culture have some claim to being Celts. Germanic language speakers including English speakers are not Celts. Simples.

[kiltedsawyer]

You are back on your flawed idea that there ever was an ethnic group known as the Celts. They never existed. The grouping known as the Celts is specifically a language-based (with the attendant cultural links) grouping. There are certain remaining Celtic languages. Irish, Scot's Gaelic, Manx, Breton, maybe Cornish. Therefore the Irish are Celts. The Scot's Gaelic speakers are Celts. The Bretons, Welsh, Manx speakers are Celts. People who don't speak the language but share all the other aspects of the culture have some claim to being Celts. Germanic language speakers including English speakers are not Celts. Simples.

For the love of Pete! Give it a rest will ya? This thread is about a wedding. Would it be impossible for you over-educated types to miss a chance to argue about something of little importance?

Respectfully,
David

[Philip S. Tibbetts]

For the love of Pete! Give it a rest will ya? This thread is about a wedding. Would it be impossible for you over-educated types to miss a chance to argue about something of little importance?

Respectfully,
David

Oops, sorry - your post wasn't there when I hit reply!

In summary love conquers all - genetics, language & nationality included! Go for the OP!

When is the wedding btw?

[Philip S. Tibbetts]

You are back on your flawed idea that there ever was an ethnic group known as the Celts. They never existed. The grouping known as the Celts is specifically a language-based (with the attendant cultural links) grouping. There are certain remaining Celtic languages. Irish, Scot's Gaelic, Manx, Breton, maybe Cornish. Therefore the Irish are Celts. The Scot's Gaelic speakers are Celts. The Bretons, Welsh, Manx speakers are Celts. People who don't speak the language but share all the other aspects of the culture have some claim to being Celts. Germanic language speakers including English speakers are not Celts. Simples.

Yes we do tend to disagree on this point. I do hold that there was an original group/tribe/area that spawned the language and they lived some where on the continent way in the distant past. However I do believe (and on this I think we agree) they were not a large group of people and it was more their language and art that spread across Europe. (Hence my assertion that they never came to Britain holds true, I’m not advocating they were a ‘Victorian’ style mass of people even on the continent).

Am intrigued by the way why you say maybe the Cornish. No disbeliefe I’m just interest, from our previous debates I’ve learned to take great stock in what you say Thanmuwa.

However I would contend that language and culture blends very easily and I believe that this has happened both in Britain and in Europe. ‘Celtic’ culture has bled into various elements of ‘English’ language and culture both from before the Anglo-Saxons got here and then later when stuff bled back too.

Also ‘Anglo-Saxon’ traits crept into the more ‘Celtic’ nations – yes partly that was forced but there are several examples of how that happened naturally or willingly too.

Which brings me to why I’ve been putting things in inverted commas - not to be disrespectful - but to show how under any criteria things are not simple and are very blended. Anglo-Saxons when they first got off the boat probably weren’t Celts, (though it wouldn’t surprise me if we’re wrong in some way about that too!) but so much cultural (and language as apart of that) blending has happened since then. However I think that anyone now would have to admit to the ‘English’ being at least ‘Celt-ish’ if not ‘Celtic’