Editing Noric language

{{Short description|Extinct Celtic language of Central Europe}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Noric
| image            = Grafenstein inscription & facsimile.png
| imagecaption     = The Grafenstein inscription
| states           = [[Austria]], [[Slovenia]]
| ethnicity        = [[Taurisci]]
| familycolor      = Indo-European
| fam2             = [[Celtic languages|Celtic]]
| fam3             = [[Nuclear Celtic languages|Nuclear Celtic]]
| era              = attested 2nd century AD
| iso3             = nrc
| glotto           = nori1240
| glottorefname    = Noric
| linglist         = nrc
| script           = [[Old Italic scripts|Old Italic]]
}}
The '''Noric''' or '''Eastern Celtic''' language was likely an unclassified [[Continental Celtic language]]. Its existence is inferred from only two fragmentary inscriptions from the area of the former [[Roman Empire|Roman]] province of [[Noricum]] (one in [[Grafenstein]], [[Carinthia]], [[Austria]], the other in [[Ptuj]], [[Slovenia]]). These do not provide enough information to draw conclusions about the language. Nonetheless, it is assumed to have been similar to other [[Celtic languages]] near to it, such as [[Gaulish language|Gaulish]]. No evidence yet shows when it became extinct.

== Ptuj inscription ==
[[File:Ptuj inscription-facsimile.png|thumb|{{Transliteration|nrc|ARTEBUDZBROGDUI}} (a facsimile of the original inscription, written right to left)]]
The Ptuj inscription, discovered in 1894, is written right to left in a [[Old Italic alphabet|northern Italic alphabet]]<ref name=Stifter /> and reads:
{{Verse translation|𐌀𐌓𐌕𐌄𐌁𐌖𐌈𐌆𐌁𐌓𐌏𐌙𐌈𐌖𐌉|ARTEBUDZBROGDUI|italicsoff=true|lang1=nrc-Ital-SI|lang2=nrc-Latn}}
This is interpreted as two personal names: {{Transliteration|nrc|Artebudz}} [son] of {{Transliteration|nrc|Brogduos}}.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopédie de l'arbre celtique |url=http://www.arbre-celtique.com/encyclopedie/vase-de-ptuj-4454.htm |title=Vase de Ptuj |language=fr |access-date=9 January 2008}}</ref> The name {{Transliteration|nrc|Artebudz}} may mean "[[bear penis]]"<ref>{{cite book|title=Il Vocabolario Celtico |url=http://www.melegnano.net/celti/francel01a087.htm |language=it |trans-title=The Celtic Vocabulary |pages=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070908185954/http://www.melegnano.net/celti/francel01a087.htm p. 87], [https://web.archive.org/web/20060217201235/http://www.melegnano.net/celti/francel01b089.htm p. 89] |access-date=9 January 2008}}</ref> (compare Welsh {{lang|cy|arth}} "bear" and Irish {{lang|ga|bod}} "penis"), while {{Transliteration|nrc|Brogduos}} may contain the element ''brog-, mrog-'' "country"<ref>{{cite book |first=A. |last=Falileyev |url=http://cadair.aber.ac.uk/dspace/bitstream/2160/282/6/IntroAndElements.pdf |title=Dictionary of Continental Celtic Place-Names |access-date=9 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219053217/http://cadair.aber.ac.uk/dspace/bitstream/2160/282/6/IntroAndElements.pdf |archive-date=19 December 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> (compare Welsh {{lang|cy|bro}} "region, country"). Alternatively, the inscription may be interpreted as {{Transliteration|nrc|Artebudz}} [made this] for {{Transliteration|nrc|Brogdos}}, with the second name in the [[dative case]].<ref>{{cite web|website=Indogermanistik Wien, [[University of Vienna]] |url=http://www.univie.ac.at/indogermanistik/quellentexte.cgi?49 |title=Quellentexte: Ptuj |language=de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504161616/http://www.univie.ac.at/indogermanistik/quellentexte.cgi?49 |archive-date=4 May 2007 |access-date=9 January 2008}}</ref>

== Grafenstein inscription ==
The Grafenstein inscription, on a [[tile]] from the 2nd century AD that was discovered in a gravel pit in 1977, is incomplete, but the extant part has been transcribed as follows:<ref name=Stifter>{{cite web|first=David |last=Stifter |date=12 October 2007 |url=http://homepage.univie.ac.at/ilja.steffelbauer/stifter.zip |title=Keltisch in Österreich (Powerpoint) |language=de |trans-title=Celtic in Austria (Powerpoint) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531200059/http://homepage.univie.ac.at/ilja.steffelbauer/stifter.zip |archive-date=31 May 2011 |access-date=9 January 2008}} {{cite web|first=David |last=Stifter |date=12 October 2007 |url=http://homepage.univie.ac.at/ilja.steffelbauer/stifter.pdf |title=Keltisch in Österreich (PDF of lecture) |language=de |trans-title=Celtic in Austria (PDF of lecture) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100508202714/http://homepage.univie.ac.at/ilja.steffelbauer/stifter.pdf |archive-date=8 May 2010 |access-date=9 January 2008}}</ref>

{{cquote|{{lang|nrc-AT|MOGE · ES[	<br />
P· II- LAV · EX[ <br />
ṆE · SAḌỊÍES[ <br />
OLLO · SO · VILO[ <br />
ỌNẠ    C[…] <br />
 
OLLO · S<u>O</u> · ? [ <br />
P LṾGNṾ · SI <br />}}
}}
Here, {{lang|nrc-AT|Moge}} seems to be a personal name or an abbreviation of one, {{lang|la|P· II- lav}} a Latin abbreviation indicating a weight, {{lang|nrc-AT|ne sadiíes}} a verbal form possibly meaning "you (singular) do not set", {{lang|nrc-AT|ollo so}} perhaps "this amount", and {{lang|nrc-AT|Lugnu}} another personal name. The text may therefore be a record of some sort of financial transaction.<ref name=Stifter />

Other readings of the inscription have also been proposed, including:
{{cquote|{{lang|nrc-AT|MOGE · ES+[---] <br />
PET(?) LAV · EX[---] <br />
NE · SAMES[---] <br />
OLLO · SO · VILO ·[---] <br />
ONA O(?) + ++ <br />
 
OLLO · SO ·+ <br />
+ LVGNI · SI}}<ref>{{cite web|website=Indogermanistik Wien, [[University of Vienna]] |url=http://www.univie.ac.at/indogermanistik/quellentexte.cgi?3 |title=Quellentexte: Grafenstein |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504162317/http://www.univie.ac.at/indogermanistik/quellentexte.cgi?3 |archive-date=4 May 2007 |access-date=9 January 2008}}</ref>}}

and
{{cquote|{{lang|nrc-AT|MOGV · CISS [--- <br />
PETILAV · IEX[--- <br />
NE · SADIIES[--- <br />
OLLO · SO · VILO ·[--- <br />
ONA DOM...OC[ <br />
 
OLLO · SO · VIA .[ <br />
ILVGNV.SI[}}<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Encyclopédie de l'arbre celtique |url=http://www.arbre-celtique.com/encyclopedie/tuile-de-grafenstein-4455.htm |title=Tuile de Grafenstein |language=fr |access-date=9 January 2008}}</ref>}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Celtic languages}}
{{Celts}}

[[Category:Continental Celtic languages]]
[[Category:Extinct Celtic languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Austria]]
[[Category:Languages of Slovenia]]
[[Category:Extinct languages of Europe]]
[[Category:Languages attested from the 2nd century]]