Pechts

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The term Pechts (Inglis: Picts, modern Scots Gaelic: Cruithnich, Laitin: Picti) refers tae the tribes that Mediterranean clessical-era writers pit in Caledonie, whit itsel comprises the pairt o praisent-day Scotland north o the Forth an Clyde.

Pecht first kythes in a panegyric written bi Eumenius in AD 297. Tho Picti is for ordinar taen tae mean 'pentit' or 'tattoo'd' in Laitin, the term micht hae a Celtic oreegin. The Goidelic Celts micht hae cried the Pechts cruithne (e.g. Auld Erse cru(i)then-túath, foondit on the auld Erse ruit cruth Early Welsh *kwriteno-teutā) or the mair modren pryd or prydyn as the Brythonic Celts were kent. Geoffrey o Monmouth cried tham Huns.

In Scots fowklore, the Scots leid is frae the Pechts, no frae Ingls. Pecht leid, the predecessor to the Scots leid, wis a Germanic leid allied tae Auld Ingls. This theory, advancit in 1710 bi Sir Robbert Sibbald remains lore amang muckle Scots speakers.[1]

References[eedit | eedit soorce]

  1. "According to this theory Pictish, the supposed ancestor of Scots, was not simply a 'Gothic' or Germanic language, but one of Scandinavian origin akin to Norwegian, Danish and Swedish." Review of Scottish Culture, Issue 9, page 32