Studia Celtica Posnaniensia

The paper version of Volumes 7 & 8 is now out! And it's priceless! You cannot buy it anywhere but you can get a copy at events organised by the Centre of Celtic Studies AMU.

Volume 8, Article 3: Anthony Harvey "Language and Religion in Tudor Cornwall: The Testimony of Sacrament an Alter"

Abstract:
This article is centred around a detailed review of D.H. Frost’s new (2023) critical edition and translation of the Cornish and Latin text Sacrament an Alter, in both its theological/historical and its philological/linguistic aspects. First, Dr Frost’s exposition of his text’s remarkable background is placed against the constantly changing character of official Tudor ideology, and the ecclesiological lens through which he views his material discussed. Points from his linguistic analysis (including revivalist reconstructions) are then examined and, prompted by Frost’s portrayal of the state of Cornish-language literacy in the last quarter of the sixteenth century, similarities are adduced with the known situation of near-contemporary Manx Gaelic. Traditional Cornish went into ultimately terminal decline, but Manx went on to receive both the Prayer Book and the Bible in translation; Cornwall’s disadvantage in not constituting a diocese in its own right is suggested as a significant factor in the contrasting fates of the two small Celtic languages in question. Finally, attention is drawn to the potentially striking efficacy of small networks of dedicated scholars, whatever their time and place.

Full text available here:

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Volume 8, Article 2: Martine Mussies "“ᚁ Is Beith and Means Birch” – An Exploration of Ogham in Online Fanfiction Featuring King Alfred the Great"

Abstract:
Through an analysis of three selected case studies, this study unveils how Ogham’s integration into contemporary narratives generates fresh layers of meaning and revitalises this ancient alphabet. The chosen focus on Alfredian fanfiction offers a contextualised exploration of the role of this ancient Irish script in shaping novel interpretations, bridging historical languages with the digital age, and shedding light on how fan communities reconfigure cultural heritage across temporal and geographical boundaries within the dynamic landscape of internet culture. By employing a comprehensive approach, this research elucidates the intricate interplay between Ogham, historical narratives, and contemporary fan creativity, providing valuable insights into how this ancient script sparks innovative meanings and propels narratives within the digital realms of fan culture.

Full text:

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Volume 8, Article 1: Erin McNulty "Manx speakers, language and identity".

Abstract
Manx, the Goidelic language of the Isle of Man, has no extant traditional native speakers. However, thanks to the efforts of language activists and others involved in language revival, there exists a community of around 2200 people who claim competence in the language (Isle of Man Government 2021), of which a smaller portion will have advanced competence in Manx. All members of the Manx speaker community could be described as ‘new speakers’, having acquired this revitalized minority language primarily through means other than first language transmission in the home(O’Rourke, Pujolar, and Ramallo 2015: 1). The members of the Manx new speaker community, despite many having acquired “a socially and communicatively consequential level of competence” (Jaffe 2015: 25) in the traditional language of the Isle of Man, vary in terms of their national, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. Postmodern approaches to sociolinguistics challenge the assumption of a straightforward link between identity, especially national identity, and linguistic practice. The complexity of the relationship between language and identity is especially evident in cases of multilingual minority language communities – such as the extant Celtic-speaking communities. The present paper explores the relationship between identity and language use among Manxnew speakers. It discusses the following specific question: How do new speakers of Manx understand and identify with ‘Manxness’? The paper uses a corpus of sociolinguistic interview and ethnographic observation data gathered from fieldwork among the Manx new speaker community as part of the author’s PhD thesis. The researcher, a Manx new speaker herself, spent six months gathering data, both through traditional sociolinguistic methods, such as interviews and questionnaires, and through ethnographic methods, namely participant observation in various contexts. The analysis of this novel spoken corpus offers a much-needed view into identity and language use in a 21st-century Celtic language community that lacks extant native speakers.

Full text available here:

Manx Speakers, Language, and Identity Abstract Manx, the Goidelic language of the Isle of Man, has no extant traditional native speakers. However, thanks to the efforts of language activists and others involved in language revival, there exists a community of around 2200 people who claim competence in the language (Isle of Man Governmen...

Studia Celtica Posnaniensia is soliciting proposals from prospective guest editors for the 2024 special issue. Studia Celtica Posnaniensia is an international review of Celtic Studies appearing once a year in paper and electronic format and published by the Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. The journal publishes original articles on all aspects of the linguistics, literatures, cultures and history of the Celtic countries, discussion papers, review articles, reply articles and book reviews. The language of the journal is English.
Studia Celtica Posnaniensia is an Open Access journal. The journal does not have article processing charges (APCs) nor article submission charges. Contributions are subject to a double-blind peer review process supervised by the editorial board and the advisory board.
The special issue will comprise four to eight original contributions of standard article length (7000 words including references, tables and figures). Guest editors are expected to directly invite their contributors or put out a ‘rapid-response’ open call to invite researchers, scholars, and experts in the field to contribute their original research articles, reviews, and critical essays that align with the theme of the special issue. Guest editors are also responsible for the review process.
Proposals should be sent to [email protected] and include:
• Proposed title of the thematic issue
• Guest Editor(s), affiliation(s), contact information
• A general description of the theme of the issue and its potential contribution to the field (max. 700 words)
• A list of contributors and article abstracts (250-300 words each + 5 keywords)
• Proposed timeline for Autumn 2024 publication
Please submit your proposals by December 12, 2023. For any inquiries related to the Special Issue, please contact the Editor-in-Chief at [email protected]
We look forward to receiving your proposals on the important themes in Celtic Studies. We believe that your research will contribute significantly to the academic discourse in our field.

We are still accepting submissions to Volume 8 (2023) of the journal! SCP offers immediate publication online upon completion of the publishing process. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us at [email protected] if you have a manuscript to offer.

The latest book review published in SCP is Sylfeini Cyfieithu Testun: Cyflwyniad i Gyfieithu Proffesiynol by Ben Screen, Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru 2021, 266 pp. and written by Marta Listewnik

Review: by Ben Screen, Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru 2021, 266 pp Sciendo provides publishing services and solutions to academic and professional organizations and individual authors. We publish journals, books, conference proceedings and a variety of other publications.

https://sciendo.com/article/10.14746/scp.2022.7.2
Article 2, Volume 7: WELSH LANGUAGE FANFICTION IN LIGHT OF WELSH CULTURAL AND NATIONAL IDENTITY AND LANGUAGE REVITALISATION by Nikola Zduńczyk, Marta Rogulska & Daniel Sokulski.

The authors are all undergraduate students of the English-Celtic Philology at AMU! We are very proud!

Welsh Language Fanfiction in Light of Welsh Cultural and National Identity and Language Revitalisation Abstract While the field of fan studies is constantly growing, it has been scarcely researched in relation to minority languages and language revitalisation. In this paper we have undertaken to explore the small and previously unexplored realm of Welsh-language fanfiction, focusing on the motivation...

Studia Celtica Posnaniensia ACCEPTS SUBMISSIONS CONTINUOUSLY and offers immediate publication online when it's finished with the publishing process. Contributions are subject to a double-blind peer review process supervised by the editorial board and the advisory board. What are AUTHOR BENEFITS?
• Studia Celtica Posnanienia is an Open Access journal with no publication charges.
• immediate publication online upon completion of the publishing process
• all articles are permanently available to everyone to read and download
• all articles undergo rigorous and objective double-blind peer review by experts in the field
• promotion of articles' presence on the Internet and on the social media

Volume 7, Article 1
DUANE LONG "‘Bhí,’ Arsa Mise, ‘Agus Tá Go Fóill’: Fiannaíocht in the Writings of the Mac Grianna Family"

Abstract
Clann Mhic Grianna (the Greene family) are a famous family of writers, poets, storytellers, composers, and performers of traditional songs from Rann na Feirste in northwest Donegal.2 Their works are widely studied and discussed to this day. Saturated in Gaelic culture, their works draw from a well of language and heritage and they frequently refer to history, pseudohistory, myth, and legends. Among that discussed are traditions around saints and references to the mythological cycles of Ireland. This paper looks at how various members of the family used the tales and poetry of one such cycle, Fiannaíocht (translated as Fenian, Ossianic, or Finn-Cycle tales), in their novels, short stories, and autobiographies. They also spoke about the folklore of their area on various occasions and some tales have been recorded by Roinn Bhéaloidis Éireann. Some of this material was later published, Amhráin Hiúdaí Fheilímí agus Laoithe Fianaíochta as Rann na Feirste (Ó Baoighill 2001) for one example. The multi-faceted nature of their legacy results in several Ossianic tales being discussed in different genres by various combinations of the siblings and these varied viewpoints allow us to raise and discuss a number of questions regarding Fiannaíocht. This paper compares sources from a number of these siblings and question what their works tell us about when and why people told Fiannaíocht tales.

https://sciendo.com/issue/SCP/7/1

We invite submissions of high-quality original articles and book reviews to be published in Volumes 7 & 8. Manuscripts should be sent to [email protected] More info about the journal:https://sciendo.com/journal/SCP

We're excited to welcome Dr. John Walsh to the Editorial Board! His expertise includes ‘new speakers’ of minority languages (Irish), minority language media, language policy, multilingualism, language and sexuality, and language and socioeconomic development. You can read more about John's work here: https://www.nuigalway.ie/our-research/people/languages-literatures-and-cultures/johnwalsh/
Welcome aboard!

Languages, Literatures, & Cultures - NUI Galway Choosing a course is one of the most important decisions you'll ever make! View our courses and see what our students and lecturers have to say about the courses you are interested in at the links below.

Volume 5 & 6 of Studia Celtica Posnaniensia is here!

Volume 6, Article 3: Review of “Minority Language Writers in the Wake of World War One. A Case Study of Four European Authors” by Jelle Krol, Palgrave Studies in Minority Languages and Communities. Palgrave Macmillan 2020, 346 pp by Dr Marta Listewnik https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/scp-2021-0003

Review by Dr Maggie Glass: O’Rourke, Bernadette and John Walsh. 2020. New Speakers of Irish in the Global Context: New Revival? New York: Routledge. 212 pages. ISBN: 978-1032173634 https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/scp-2021-0004

Volume 6, Article 2: "Economic Disruption and Language Shift – Some Ethnographic Data from Ireland After the 2008 Crash" by
Ben Ó Ceallaigh

Abstract:
This paper discusses some of the ways in which the “Great Recession” which followed the 2008 economic crash affected the vitality of Irish-speaking (“Gaeltacht”) areas. In addition to a brief discussion of the nature of neoliberalism – the cause of the 2008 crash – and some of the ways in which this ideology stands in contradiction to the requirements of language revitalisation, examples are given to illustrate the way in which the recession affected state language policy. Various microlevel consequences of these macro-level economic and policy developments are then discussed by reference to ethnographic data gathered in the Gaeltacht. Issues such as deindustrialisation, unemployment and the problematic nature of tourism in minoritised language communities are discussed, as is language use amongst young people and the way in which technology can contribute to language shift. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential for anti-systemic movements and policy proposals such as the “Green New Deal” to create, coincidentally, a macroeconomic regime that would be more favourable to linguistic minorities than that of neoliberalism.

Keywords
Language shift, neoliberalism, minority languages, Irish, language policy
https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/scp-2021-0002

Economic Disruption and Language Shift – Some Ethnographic Data from Ireland After the 2008 Crash Abstract This paper discusses some of the ways in which the “Great Recession” which followed the 2008 economic crash affected the vitality of Irish-speaking (“Gaeltacht”) areas. In addition to a brief discussion of the nature of neoliberalism – the cause of the 2008 crash – and some of t...

Volume 6, Article 1: Stephen Miller Rbv
"W.Y. Evans Wentz the Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries (1911) Letters from Evans Wentz to Sophia Morrison (1910-12)"

Abstract:
Walter Yeeling Evans Wentz (1878-1965), is known for The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries published by Oxford University Press in 1911. Wentz’s personally gathered fairy beliefs in each of the six Celtic lands and the selections that appeared in The Fairy-Faith were introduced by a prominent figure in the Celtic Revival. In the case of the Isle of Man, it was Sophia Morrison (1859-1917), a leading light in the Manx Language Revival. Wentz had visited the Island late in 1909 during December. Discarded by Wentz at some stage were the letters, drafts, and proofs of The Fairy-Faith. That said, ten letters are extant from Wentz to Morrison and they are presented here in full following an introduction to set them in context and with a brief description of their salient content. They show the work that went into Morrison’s introduction, the editorial to-ing and fro-ing involved, and also the progress of The Fairy- Faith itself through Wentz’s own comments to Morrison.

https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/scp-2021-0001

Volume 5, Article 5: Roberts, Simon Gwyn. 2020. From the Welsh Border to the World: Travels in Minority Languages. Chester: University of Chester Press. 228 pages. ISBN 978-1-908258-37-3, Review by Antony Hoyte-West
https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/scp-2020-0005

Review Sciendo provides publishing services and solutions to academic and professional organizations and individual authors. We publish journals, books, conference proceedings and a variety of other publications.

Eisteddfod UAM festiwal kultury walijskiej

Volume 5, Article 4: Flint F. Johnson "Dux Bellorum".

Abstract:
This paper will explore the accuracy and intent of the term dux bellorum, leader of war, as used in the Historia Brittonum with regards to Arthur. A discussion of Post-Roman archaeology, supplemented with contemporary historical documents, will establish that no Roman commands, such as the dux Britanniarum or comes Britanniarum, survived into the “Arthurian” period of the late fifth or early sixth centuries. A broader search of historical records will indicate that a linguistic cognate of dux bellorum was twice conferred on Celtic kings when leading a coalition of tribes in times of mutual threat according to the historical record; one was known to the author of the Historia Brittonum. A review of Historia Brittonum scholarship will show it came to its present form in c. 829 Gwynedd, ruled at the time by Merfyn Frych. The contemporary historical context was that the British kingdoms had been pressured for decades by the English and were specifically invaded by Wessex at around this time. This will be followed by a discussion of several biases in the history including a focus on Gwynedd’s dynasties and Merfyn in particular and British success against the English when united and failure when they were divided. Arthur was the best example of the latter agenda and because of this the most likely example of what Merfyn hoped to create. A summary of Merfyn’s political career in this context can be used to explain Arthur’s entire description in the work.

Keywords
King ArthurHistoria BrittonumMerfyn FrychDux BellorumPost-Roman Britain

https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/scp-2020-0004

Dux Bellorum Abstract This paper will explore the accuracy and intent of the term dux bellorum, leader of war, as used in the Historia Brittonum with regards to Arthur. A discussion of Post-Roman archaeology, supplemented with contemporary historical documents, will establish that no Roman commands, such as the....

4th Poznań Conference of Celtic Studies & Celtic Sociolinguistics Symposium IV ***Abstract submission deadline extended to 17th March*** New conference dates: 5-7 July 2022. The Centre for Celtic Studies at the Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland is pleased to invite established scholars and early career researchers to submit abstracts for themati...

Volume 5, Article 3: Christopher Lewin "‘An English Monstrosity’? Evolution and Reception of Manx Orthography"

Abstract:
This article evaluates perceptions of Manx orthography within Celtic scholarship. The predominant view is well summarized by Jackson (1955: 108): ‘Manx orthography is an English monstrosity which obscures both pronunciation and etymology’. Similarly, O’Rahilly dismisses Manx spelling as ‘an abominable system, neither historic nor phonetic, and based mainly on English’ (O’Rahilly 1932: 20). The article sets these perceptions in the sociohistorical context in which the system was developed by the Manx clergy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It is argued that the system is neither so directly dependent on English conventions, nor so unsystematic and inconsistent, as has been often claimed. Such weaknesses as do exist from the perspective of contemporary scholars and students of the language should not necessarily be viewed as such in the light of the needs, priorities and assumptions of those who practised Manx writing in its original context. It is shown that there was in fact an increase in the phonological transparency of certain elements of the system during the standardization of the mid-eighteenth century represented by the publication of translations of the Book of Common Prayer (1765) and the Bible (1771-72). On the other hand, countervailing pressures towards phonological ambiguity, iconicity and idiosyncrasy are discussed, including the utility of distinguishing homophones; real or presumed etymologies; the influence of non-standard or regional English spelling conventions; tensions between Manx and English norms; and an apparent preference in certain cases for more ambiguous spellings as a compromise between variant forms. Negative outcomes of the received view for scholarship on Manx are also examined, with a case study of the neglect of orthographic evidence for the historical phonology of the language. The wider context of English-based orthographies for Gaelic is also briefly considered.

https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/scp-2020-0003

‘An English Monstrosity’? Evolution and Reception of Manx Orthography Abstract This article evaluates perceptions of Manx orthography within Celtic scholarship. The predominant view is well summarized by Jackson (1955: 108): ‘Manx orthography is an English monstrosity which obscures both pronunciation and etymology’. Similarly, O’Rahilly dismisses Manx spelling ...

We are very happy to welcome Dr Marta Listewnik to the editorial team! She will be co-editing SCP starting with Volume 5 (2021). You can read more about Dr Listewnik here: http://wa.amu.edu.pl/wa/listewnik_marta

Marta Listewnik | Wydział Anglistyki UAM :: AMU Faculty of English Office: Collegium Heliodori, room 219 Phone: (+48) 61 829 3528 E-mail: [email protected] Duty hours: link Non-teaching duties (in Polish): link

Volume 5, Article 2: Gabriela Czernecka "“Exile from Ireland Left Him a Stranger Everywhere“: Representation of Dublin in Selected Louis Macneice’s Poetry and Some of the Stories from James Joyce’s Dubliners”

Abstract:
This paper discusses the representation of Dublin in the selected poetry of Louis MacNeice and some of the stories from James Joyce’s collection Dubliners. A close investigation of the city as a representative of urban space is interlinked with an examination of its role from the perspective of psychogeography. Both techniques are applied to show why and how two Irish authors portray the multi-dimensional decay of life in the city. In order to paint a whole picture of the relation between ‘space’ and ‘human’, I will also review the biographies of MacNeice and Joyce. For MacNeice, who was tormented by the experiences of domestic Belfast, going to the South was a promising escape. Yet, the change of urban setting did not bring him the expected result. MacNeice quickly became aware of the dirty, paralysed face of Dublin. Similarly, the childhood and day-to-day reality of the lower-middle-class profoundly shaped Joyce’s perspective of Dublin and, eventually, prompted him to go into deliberate exile in Europe. In his writings, however, Dublin constitutes the focal point of the structure, becoming an active participant in the events. Therefore, Dublin for MacNeice and Joyce is a place characterized by blandness, powerlessness in the face of foreign influences, and suffering caused by inertia.

https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/scp-2020-0002

“Exile from Ireland Left Him a Stranger Everywhere“: Representation of Dublin in Selected Louis Macneice’s Poetry and Some of the Stories from James Joyce’s ” Abstract This paper discusses the representation of Dublin in the selected poetry of Louis MacNeice and some of the stories from James Joyce’s collection Dubliners. A close investigation of the city as a representative of urban space is interlinked with an examination of its role from the perspect...

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Less ‘prestigious’ journals can contain more diverse research, by citing them we can shape a more just politics of citation. Drawing on their recent analysis of journals in the field of Higher Education Studies, which shows that journals with lower impact rankings are more likely to feature research from diverse geograph…