Re: CHAT: Essentialist Explanation

From: Howlsedhes Services [mailto:kam@CARROT.CLARA.NET]

> > Gáibhtheacháin
>
> Wouldn't <bhth> come out as [f] ??
I've never heard it pronounced that way to be honest. Everytime I've
heard it pronounced, it's been pronounced as either [w] or, less
commonly, [v].

> Incidentally, as another Keith I've often puzzeled over the origin of
> that name. It's supposed to be quite recent as a personal name, from
> the Scots place name (perhaps via a surname, the Scots seem quite
> willing to use surnames as first names). The Keith in place names
> (Keith, Dalkeith etc) is supposed to mean "wood" so it looks like a
> Gaelic equivalent of W. coed B. koad < keitos. This would give in
> Gaelic spelling *ceith or *ciath (or possibly *cao(i)th < *kaitos).
> However I've never found anything like this in the standard Scots
> and Irish dictionaries.
Nor I, which has always puzzled me when I've looked up it's origin.

> Could be Pictish of course which would mean that P. lenited
> /t/ > /T/ like Gaelic not /t/ > /d/ like British. So if you take
> proto-Welsh and apply Irish lenition ...
>
> Keith Mylchreest
>
> PS Be warned, Conlangers appear to be persona non grata on certain UCD
> hosted lists. See recent posts to the Yahoo Celticonlang list.
UCD? As in the university?

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