Index Dutch bronze age
Index first farmers in the Netherlands

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Gaulish-English: grammar ^JM

Gaulish-English (A - B)
Gaulish-English (C - G)
Gaulish-English (H - L)
Gaulish-English (M - P)
Gaulish-English (R - W)

I've done extensive research; each word in this list has its source in at least one of the books in the literature list . But there still can be some misinterpretations in this list. Please mail me your comments !

• Tips:
• Pronounce `c` mostly as `k`.
• eg=for example
• ? =spelling unsure, perhaps depending on dialect, case or place in the text.
• the "U" can also indicate a "V" and vice versa.
• the ^notes refer to remarks at the end of this dictionary or to a source in the literature list.

Comments on this list can be viewed here

Some information on the A-Declension, or feminine, of Gaulish nouns: 

 Some information on the noun declension for masculine Gaulish nouns

Some information on the noun declension for Gaulish words ending in "X"

Some examples of declensions of Gaulish words

Rules for compound words

Gaulish compound words dropped the final consonant of the first word before combining the two words together. If the first word ended in a vowel, then it was simply added to the second.
E.g: Catus (battle) and riges (kings) became caturiges (battle-kings).
Rules of declension would apply to the last word.

Rules for the use of the dual number

This is based on Irish Gaelic, but perhaps it is appropriate for Gaulish.
"Irish is peculiar in having a special form for the dual, that is for pairs of things. It occurs only with the numeral da "two", and is the same as the dative singular. Therefore, it is the same as the nominative singular for masculine nouns, but not always for feminines. It is commonest with the names of things that go in pairs, arms, legs, eyes, ears, shoes, etc.: mo dha chois "my two legs"; a dha shuil "his two eyes"; a dha bhroig "his two shoes"; mo dha laimh "my two hands". The numeral da aspirates, and is itself usually aspirated unless preceded by the article, which has the singular form. "Two" of a number of objects is expressed as dha cheann (contrast tri cinn "three"): tabhair dom an da cheann san "give me those two". If the feminine possessive a "her" is used, the numeral usually remains aspirated, but the following noun is unaspirated: a dha broig "her two shoes". The genitive dual is the same as the genitive plural. A dual noun takes the plural form of the adjective: an da chloich mhora "the two big stones", an da lachain bhana "the two white ducks".

This is quoted from: Dillon, Myles and Donncha O Croinin.Irish. Hodder and Stoughton Ltd., London, 1977.

Gaulish probably did not aspirate words, like Irish, but used specific case endings. Following Irish rules, a dual number noun would be preceeded by a nominative singular "two", dau. So, two magistrates would be dau vercobreto, or two foremen would be dau cassidanno.

Two Gaulish inscriptions

1. 'eniorosei uta tigino tiatunei trecaias to luguei araianom comeimu eniorosei equeisuique
   ogris olocas togias sistat luguei tiaso togias'
   'We, Ennius, son of Rosius, and Tiginus, son of (A)tiatunnos, convene the three
   sites of the god Lug of the Areanos (or of Ares?). Ennius, son
   of Rosius and grandson/descendant of Ecuaesius, establishes Ogris,
   Olocas and Togias for the rite of Lug, at Togias."
   
2. 'lubos alisokum aualoske kontebias belaiskas'
   'Lubos of the Aliso family, son of Aualos, from Contrebia Belaisca'.
   

The inscriptions came from Cremin, Aedeen. The Celts in Europe.

^JM : I hereby wish to thank mr. J. Mascitelli for his contribution to this site.

More info about the writer / editor

Index Dutch bronze age
Index first farmers in the Netherlands

November 1999