----- Original Message -----
From: <waluk@...>
To: <Nostratica@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, February 21, 2003 9:55 PM
Subject: [Nostratica] Proto-Celtic



> Is Proto-Celtic and Nostratic one and the same?

'Course not. Proto-Celtic is the common ancestor of the Celtic languages (a subset of IE). Proto-Celtic was one of the descendants of PIE, which in turn was possibly derived from Proto-Nostratic. If the Nostratic hypothesis is correct, Proto-Nostratic is a distant ancestor of Proto-Celtic, older by several thousand years.

> If not, is there another term by which Proto-Celtic is known?

Some folks use the spelling (Proto-)Keltic for their own private satisfaction; there are no alternative English names in current use.

> IOW, what language did a Proto-Celt speak?

Proto-Celtic, ex definitione.

Piotr