Manx language: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 01:03, 7 April 2025

Revision as of 02:37, 2 May 2025

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The basis of the modern Manx language is [[Primitive Irish]] (like modern Irish and Scottish Gaelic). The island either lends its name to or takes its name from ''[[Manannán mac Lir|Manannán]]'', the Brythonic and Gaelic sea god who is said in myth to have once ruled the island. [[Primitive Irish]] is first attested in [[Ogham]] inscriptions from the 4th century AD. These writings have been found throughout Ireland and the west coast of [[Great Britain]]. Primitive Irish transitioned into [[Old Irish]] through the 5th century. Old Irish, dating from the 6th century, used the [[Latin script]] and is attested primarily in [[marginalia]] to Latin manuscripts, but there are no extant examples from the Isle of Man.

Latin was used for ecclesiastical records from the establishment of Christianity in the Isle of Man in the 5th century AD. Many lexical itemswords concerning religion, writing and record keeping entered Manx at this time.

The Isle of Man was conquered by [[Vikings|Norse Vikings]] in the 9th century. Although there is some evidence in the form of [[runic inscriptions]] that [[Old Norse|Norse]] was used by some of these settlers, the Vikings who settled around the [[Irish Sea]] and West Coast of Scotland soon became Gaelic speaking [[Norse–Gaels]]. During the 9th century AD, the Gaelic of the inhabitants of the Isle of Man, like those of Scotland and the North of Ireland, may have been significantly influenced by Norse speakers. While Norse had very little impact on the Manx language overall,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=Language death in the Isle of Man : an investigation into the decline and extinction of Manx Gaelic as a community language in the Isle of Man |last=Broderick |first=George |date=1999 |publisher=Niemeyer |isbn=9783110911411 |oclc=300505991}}</ref> a small number of modern place names on the Isle of Man are Norse in origin, e.g. [[Laxey]] (Laksaa) and [[Ramsey, Isle of Man|Ramsey]] (Rhumsaa). Other Norse legacies in Manx include [[loanword]]s and [[personal name]]s.