The English and the Celts - no genocide?

[authun]

Anyway, it seems that the Germanic tribes neighbouring the Volcae
then adopted their name as the generic description for any Celtic tribe

Hi Ambrosius,

It's the most widely quoted etymology, though some others are claimed. The argument is:

Latin/Gaulish V is really a W
Gaulish O is equivalent to Germanic A (the Gaulish nominative singular masculine ending is -os, the Gothic ditto is -az)
L is unchanged
C (=K) becomes H in Germanic, due to the Germanic Sound Shift (GSS)
(aka Grimm's Law) cf. Cimmerland and Himmerland.

So

V W
O A
L L
C H

As you know, the placename 'Walton' is an Old English one meaning 'Welsh settlement'. Interestingly, there is a Walton Castle which is the Saxon Shore Fort near to Felixtowe in Suffolk.

Care has to be taken with 'wal' names because germanic also uses the same for wall. A 'Walton' may be a settlement with a wall or even a settlement in a forest 'w(e)ald'.


best

Harry Amphlett