Studia Celtica Posnaniensia

10/09/2026

We're delighted to announce that Dr John Walsh (National University of Ireland, Galway) has joined our Editorial Team! Welcome aboard, John - we're excited to have you with us!

EditorsProf. UAM dr hab. Michael Hornsby, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, PolandDr Katarzyna Jędrzejewska-Pyszczak, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, PolandDr Marta Listewnik, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, PolandDr John Walsh, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

05/09/2026

We're pleased to share a new book review in our journal. This review offers a thoughtful assessment of Kensa Broadhurst's "The Cornish language in the 19th c." and its contribution to the field. Read it here: https://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/scp/issue/view/3044

30/03/2026

We would like to invite proposals for a special thematic issue to be published in 2027. The special issue should comprise five to eight original contributions of standard article length (7,000 words, including references, tables, and figures). Guest editors are expected to invite contributors directly or to issue a rapid-response open call to researchers and scholars whose work aligns with the theme of the issue. Guest editors will also oversee the peer-review process.

Proposals for thematic issues should be sent to [email protected] and should include:
• the proposed title of the thematic issue,
• the name(s) of the guest editor(s), affiliation(s), and contact information,
• a general description of the theme and its potential contribution to the field (maximum 700 words),
• a list of contributors with article abstracts (250–300 words each, plus five keywords),
• a proposed timeline for publication in Autumn 2027.
Please submit proposals by May 30, 2026.

All other submissions to our journal should be made via our website. We kindly ask authors to use the official submission system to ensure smooth processing and review. Thank you!

All submissions (maximum length: 7,000 words) must be made via the journal’s online submission system. The following file formats are accepted: .doc, .docx, .pdf, and .odt.

18/02/2026

Call for Submissions - Studia Celtica Posnaniensia (Volume 11, 2026)

We are pleased to invite researchers to submit their original work for consideration in our upcoming 2026 issue of Studia Celtica Posnaniensia. We welcome high-quality submissions that cover all aspects of Celtic linguistics, literature, culture, and history. All submissions will undergo a rigorous, double-blind peer review process.
Submission deadline: 30 May 2026.
More information about the journal and the review process is available on the website: https://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/scp

We look forward to showcasing innovative and impactful research from our global academic community. Please share this announcement with colleagues and networks who may be interested in submitting.

Studia Celtica Posnaniensia is an international, peer-reviewed journal of Celtic Studies, published annually in both print and electronic formats by the Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland.

12/02/2026

Volume 10, Article 5: "Welsh and diversity: Welsh drag queens and their perspective on the all-Welsh Rule" by Oliwier Gralak, Katarzyna Szczuczko & Kacper Szłapiński

Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the perspectives of Welsh-speaking drag performers regarding the National Eisteddfod and the All-Welsh Rule. We collected data from the participants using qualitative research methods by asking the performers about their opinion on strategies employed for linguistic revitalisation of Welsh, i.e. the National Eisteddfod of Wales and the All-Welsh Rule. The results of this study reveal that while the Eisteddfod is recognized for its role in preserving the Welsh language and culture, the All-Welsh Rule is viewed with more complexity. The participants acknowledge the Rule’s protective function, but also consider it to be too restrictive and point to a need for its reevaluation, thus providing the option for more artists to express their Welsh identity and perspectives within the Eisteddfod. This reveals a tension between preserving linguistic purity and fostering cultural diversity, particularly from the perspective of a minority within a minority. We show that the aforementioned opinions are to some extent parallel to the views of post-war period Welsh performers. We also argue that the notions of contemporary diversity and flexible bilingualism, as reflected in the opinions of modern drag performers, are at odds with the preserving function of the All-Welsh Rule. The results suggest a need for reevaluation of the All-Welsh Rule to better accommodate diverse Welsh identities and encourage broader engagement with the language.

Full article available here:

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the perspectives of Welsh-speaking drag performers regarding the National Eisteddfod and the All-Welsh Rule. We collected data from the participants using qualitative research methods by asking the performers about their opinion on strategies employed for ling...

18/12/2025

Volume 10 of Studia Celtica Posnaniensia is now available at pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/scp. We extend our sincere appreciation to all authors and reviewers for their valuable contributions. We hope you enjoy reading this issue!

23/05/2025

Volume 9, Article 9: Raphael Sackmann "Indefinite Nominal Subjects and Objects Preceding the Negative Marker in Middle Welsh"

Abstract:
While the diachronic development of negation in Welsh has been subject to extensive research (see Willis 2006, 2013, in particular), Middle Welsh negative (matrix) clauses are under-researched in a synchronic perspective (Poppe in press). There is no consensus on syntactic analyses of verb-second negative matrix clauses, especially those with subject-verb and object-verb order. In (Modern) Irish, native speakers generally interpret comparable “Narrative Fronting” constructions with scope of negation over a fronted indefinite. However, in Middle Welsh, instances of wide-scope indefinites can be found, while scope relations are potentially ambiguous in others. For object-verb clauses, matters are further complicated by the occasional presence of an additional object clitic. This chapter draws attention to such arguably challenging Middle Welsh examples and discusses possible interpretations of indefinites with respect to the notion of topicality, as well as complexities of their related syntactic analyses. With an attempt to relativize apparently conflicting views in previous research, potential syntactic structures are specified, primarily with respect to non-topical indefinites that, at least on the surface, appear to be out of scope. For these (and other phrases occurring in this construction, occasionally also definites), a syntactic derivation is formulated, which can arguably be compared with certain Focus Fronting constructions in other languages.

Full article available here:

While the diachronic development of negation in Welsh has been subject to extensive research (see Willis 2006, 2013, in particular), Middle Welsh...

15/05/2025

Volume 9, Article 8: Patricia Ronan "On the Relative Order of Adjectives in Old Irish"

Abstract

This study examines the relative order of adjectives in Early Irish and seeks to determine the preferred order of adjectives in the noun phrases in a corpus of Old and Middle Irish. To date, too little research exists on this topic in Early Irish: grammars of the language typically determine the outline of adjective use, and some recent research investigates factors determining pre- or post- modification (Linnemeier, 2024). Yet so far little is known about the distribution of adjectives in corpus data and which factors influence distribution. In particular, the question which role is played by date of composition or text category has not received enough attention.

Thus, the current study uses a corpus-linguistic approach to determine the distribution of adjectives in a tagged corpus of Old and Middle Irish, the POMIC corpus (Lash 2014). To do so, the corpus search interface CorpusSearch 2 (Randall 2009) is used to detect complex noun phrases which involve one or more adjectives. The study provides some evidence for diachronic variation in the use of adjectives in Old and Middle Irish corpus data, but larger databases are needed to determine the relative influence of genre and time of composition. There are some indications, however, that previous mention of a concept and the use of parallel structures in other languages may influence prefixed or postnominal position of adjectives.

Full article here:

This study examines the relative order of adjectives in Early Irish and seeks to determine the preferred order of adjectives in the noun phrases in...

06/05/2025

Volume 9, Article 7: Carlos Garcia-Castillero "On the Syntax of the Light-Headed Noun Phrases in the Old Irish Glosses: Dealing with Missing Data in Corpus Linguistics"

Abstract:
The Old Irish glosses in contemporary manuscripts are the most reliable evidence for Old Irish syntax. These glosses convey discontinuous utterances that depend on the Latin text to which they are attached. One of the most obvious consequences of this discontinuous and textually dependent character is that the glosses very often convey what we could consider incomplete utterances, i.e. linguistic units that do not have the status of an independent clause or sentence.

When it comes to the study of NPs and their syntax, we face cases in which a gloss consists only of a bare NP. This paper deals with these isolated NPs, in particular, with those that are introduced by the light heads intí, aní and aN, and defends the idea that these NPs constitute utterances that may be considered as complete, as against the initial impression, and therefore, that they may be considered for an inquiry on the syntax of Old Irish NPs.

This paper covers the following points: a basic quantitative description of the distribution of isolated light-headed NPs and the introduction of the notion of ‘missing data’ (cf. Osborne 2013: 128‒129); a discussion of the notion of ‘free NPs’, i.e. apparently incomplete but meaningful linguistic units; an overview of the linguistic features of isolated NPs, in particular animacy, which is a statistically significant factor explaining the difference between isolated/dislocated light-headed NPs, which are more often animate, and intraclausal light-headed NPs, which are more often neuter; an outline of a wider investigation of all OIr. NPs in order to check if the above-mentioned statistical skew is in fact more general, i.e. that animate NPs are more likely in general to appear as free NPs.

Full article:

The Old Irish glosses in contemporary manuscripts are the most reliable evidence for Old Irish syntax. These glosses convey discontinuous...

11/04/2025

Volume 9, Article 6: Aaron Griffith "Grammaticalization and the Etymology of Old Irish Ocus ‘And’"

Abstract:
This paper integrates a philological investigation of Old Irish coordination with cross-linguistic accounts of the phenomenon in order to offer an etymology Old Irish ocus ‘and’. It is suggested that Pre-Irish employed ocus in a comitative coordination strategy (i.e. ‘A with B’). This started out as a nominal and adjectival coordinator. Late in the prehistory of Irish, this coordinator grammaticalized as the all-purpose ocus ‘and’ (i.e. ‘A and B’) that is found in Old Irish texts.

Full text available here:

This paper integrates a philological investigation of Old Irish coordination with cross-linguistic accounts of the phenomenon in order to offer an...