Tartessos
Tartessian
Disputed (Indo-European Celtic per Koch 2009; non-IE per Untermann 1997) · historical / hidden variety
Tartessian (or "Southwestern Iberian") is the language of ~95 stelae inscriptions found in the Algarve, Alentejo, and southwestern Spain (~7-5c. BCE). The Tartessian script is largely deciphered but the language is partially understood. Decipherment is contested: John Koch (2009) argues for a Celtic affiliation; Jürgen Untermann (1997) treats it as non-Indo-European. Most basic vocabulary cells are unattested as inscriptions are dominated by personal names and funerary formulae.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Tartessian
Water
—
/—/
Fire
—
/—/
Sun
—
/—/
Moon
—
/—/
Star
—
/—/
Mother
—
/—/
Father
—
/—/
I
—
/—/
You
—
/—/
Name
—
/—/
Eye
—
/—/
Hand
—
/—/
Heart
—
/—/
Love
—
/—/
Tree
—
/—/
House
—
/—/
Dog
—
/—/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
—
/—/
Drink
—
/—/
One
—
/—/
Two
—
/—/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
—
/—/
Sources
- Koch (2009) — Tartessian: Celtic in the South-west at the Dawn of History
- Untermann (1997) — Monumenta Linguarum Hispanicarum IV
Words compared
Compared with related Disputed (Indo-European Celtic per Koch 2009; non-IE per Untermann 1997) languages
| Meaning | Tartessian | Nicaraguan Sign Language | Liburnian | Goguryeo | Messapic | Proto-Hmong-Mien | Meroitic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | 買 /*mai/ | — /—/ | *ʔuwm /ʔuwm/ | 𐦠𐦶 /ato/ |
| Fire | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Sun | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | 𐦨𐦯 /ˈmasa/ |
| Moon | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Star | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Mother | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Father | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | ana /ˈana/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| I | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| You | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Name | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eye | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Heart | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| House | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Dog | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Drink | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| One | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Two | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | *ʔwei /ʔwei/ | — /—/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
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