Old Breton (800-1100)

Until the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain began in earnest in the 5th century, the British people mostly spoke the same Celtic language, Old Brittonic, though the evidence of place names suggests there were some minor dialect differences. It was during the following couple of centuries of conflict and social upheaval that the Old Brittonic language underwent a major simplification of its grammar and there were important changes in pronunciation too. During the 6th and 7th centuries Old Brittonic rapidly evolved into a new language which is named according to the location. In 577 AD the Saxon victory at the Battle Of Dyrham resulted in the Britons to the north of the River Severn estuary being cut off from those to the south. From then on the speech to the north is called Old Welsh and to the south it is called Old Cornish. The Britons escaping southwards by sea and settling in western Gaul (France) are now the Bretons and their speech is called Old Breton, though in reality there was very little difference between Old Welsh, Old Cornish and Old Breton. In the early 600s the invading Anglo-Saxons drove a wedge between the Britons of North Wales and those of Cumbria and Scotland and the Cumbric language was born.

1.	brodr	brother	1.			1.
2.	guoer	sister	2.			2.
3.	map	son	3.			3.
4.			4.			4.
5.	tat	father				5.
6.			1.	sul	Sunday	6.
			2.			7.
1.			3.	morth	Tuesday
2.	ham	summer	4.	mercer	Wednesday	1.	on	I am
3.			5.			2.
4.			6.
			7.	saturn	Saturday	3.	iu	he is

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