Some contributors have seen it right: The name Keltoi was imposed by the greeks.
The Latin alphabet has no sign for the sound k, initially not even for g. You see this by the abbreviation for one the personal names: Gaius is abbreviated C.
The Emperor Claudius invented the "hooked C" for the sound g which survived to our times as G. His efforts to introduce the sign K failed; it only survived in the word Kalendae (first day of the month).
The pronounciation of the letter C is manifold:
- That it must have been pronounced k in the times of Augustus and his successors is seen by the fact that Latin Caesar is written in Greek Kaisar. Hence the German "Kaiser".
- On the contrary the same word was incorporated in Russian as Tsar. In these times the Latin pronounciation must have changed; Greek loanwoards reaching German via Latin are pronounced like Zylinder = Greek kylindros = Latin cylinder with ts .
- The French and their noncontinental allies changed the pronounciation to s.
- The Bishop of Rome reading mass in Latin today pronounces C in the modern Italian way: ch as in cheese.
- The Spaniards pronounce it th (unvoiced).
So don't despair, ye friends: however you pronounce it, whether Seltic Glasgow, Keltic Glasgow, Tseltic Glasgow, Cheltic Glasgow, or Theltic Glasgow - anybody interested in soccer will recognize the team immediately.


Wilfried