Celtic or Celtic

[BrummieDave]

Why is 'Celtic' pronounced 'Keltic' when relating to 'Celtic nations or language', but pronounced 'Seltic' when referring to sport (football in Glasgow, Basketball in Boston etc.)...?

Same word, same basic root, consistently different pronunciation between its use in sport or not...

[tjh290633]

In Welsh, for example, C always is hard while S provides the soft sound. I suspect that Seltic comes from the pronunciation rules in other languages, like Italian or English.

TJH

[Urbandreamer]

I don't know if there IS an answer. However you might like this link.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-a ... -or-seltic

It probably depends upon if you think it should be pronounced the Roman way or the Greek way.

[BrummieDave]

I don't know if there IS an answer. However you might like this link.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-a ... -or-seltic

It probably depends upon if you think it should be pronounced the Roman way or the Greek way.

Interesting link, thank you.

[bungeejumper]

It probably depends upon if you think it should be pronounced the Roman way or the Greek way.

Well I think we should tell these pushy Europeans to stop telling us how to pronounce our own language. Our Kelts was different from their Selts, wasn't they? Tell 'em to mind their own business.

BJ

[servodude]

It probably depends upon if you think it should be pronounced the Roman way or the Greek way.

Well I think we should tell these pushy Europeans to stop telling us how to pronounce our own language. Our Kelts was different from their Selts, wasn't they? Tell 'em to mind their own business.

BJ

Calm doon an' dinnae be a daft sunt!

-sd

[UncleEbenezer]

In Welsh, for example, C always is hard while S provides the soft sound. I suspect that Seltic comes from the pronunciation rules in other languages, like Italian or English.

TJH

The Italian "c" is not hard, it's english "ch" as in "check".

Italian "ch" is a hard sound we might write as a K.

[mc2fool]

In Welsh, for example, C always is hard while S provides the soft sound. I suspect that Seltic comes from the pronunciation rules in other languages, like Italian or English.

TJH

The Italian "c" is not hard, it's english "ch" as in "check".

Italian "ch" is a hard sound we might write as a K.

The Italian "c" is only the soft "ch" as in "check" if it is followed by an "e" or "i", e.g. ciao, Vicenza, Lecce, etc.

In all other cases it's hard, as "k" in English. Capri, Ancona, Cremona, Marche, Siracusa.

This is actually the same as the (originally) latin derived parts of English, where we generally pronounce a "c" followed by an e, i or y as an "s" and otherwise as a "k" ... but there are plenty of exceptions 'cos English has so many influences: nordic, germanic, latin, greek .... celtic.