The Acquisition of Celtic Languages

The first volume to bring together state-of-the-art studies on language development in Scottish Gaelic, Irish and Welsh.

Vicky Chondrogianni (Edited by), Ciara O'Toole (Edited by), Enlli Thomas (Edited by)

9781009284936, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 10 July 2025

286 pages
23.5 x 16 x 2 cm, 0.55 kg

In recent times, there has been a growing interest in how Celtic languages are acquired, due to ongoing efforts for minority language revitalisation through immersion education. With contributions from a team of leading scholars, this is the first volume to bring together state-of-the-art studies on language development in both children and adults learning the three most prominent Celtic languages spoken in the UK and Ireland: Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, and Irish. It focuses on how core language areas – phonology, lexicon, morphology and syntax – are acquired by different groups of learners, providing key insights into theoretical and empirical debates around bilingual language development and linguistic change more generally. The volume also covers the socio-cultural and educational context within which these languages are learnt, highlighting how these factors affect linguistic outcomes in a minority language context. It is essential reading for academic researchers and students in developmental linguistics, sociolinguistics, bilingualism, and Celtic languages.

Introduction
The acquisition of Celtic languages as a paradigm for addressing current issues in bilingualism and (minority) language development Vicky Chondrogianni, Ciara O'Toole and Enlli Thomas
Part I. The Socio-Educational Context: 1. The acquisition of Scottish Gaelic: sociolinguistic and policy dimensions Wilson McLeod
2. Sociocultural and educational aspects of Irish language acquisition Padraig Ó Duibhir and Aisling Ní Dhiorbháin
3. Sociolinguistic aspects of children's Welsh Peredur Webb-Davies
Part II. Acquisition of Phonology and Phonetics: 4. The acquisition of Scottish Gaelic phonology Claire Nance
5. Acquisition of Irish phonology Nicole Müller and Martin J. Ball
6. Acquisition of Welsh phonology Robert Mayr, Ronwen Lewis and Jonathan Morri
Part III. Acquisition of Vocabulary: 7. The acquisition and processing of Scottish Gaelic vocabulary Vicky Chondrogianni
8. The acquisition of Irish vocabulary Ciara O'Toole
9. The count and beyond: vocabulary knowledge in Welsh bilinguals Virginia C. Mueller Gathercole
Part IV. Acquisition of Morphology and Syntax: 10. The acquisition of Scottish Gaelic morphology and syntax Vicky Chondrogianni and Morag Donaldson
11. The acquisition of Irish morphosyntax Tina M. Hickey and Thea Cameron-Faulkner
12. The acquisition of Welsh morphosyntax Enlli Thomas, Hanna Binks and Siân Lloyd-Williams
13. Concluding remarks on the acquisition of Celtic languages: implications and future directions Vicky Chondrogianni, Ciara O'Toole and Enlli Thomas
Index.

Subject Areas: Linguistics [CF]