How closely related are English and Welsh?

Welsh is less closely related to English than are languages like French and German and the Scandinavian languages. English is a language which developed from the confluence of various influences in the Indo-European family, but has surprisingly few signs of direct influence from Welsh.

Are Welsh genetically different from English?

Research suggests the Welsh are genetically distinct from the rest of mainland Britain. Professor Peter Donnelly, of Oxford University, said the Welsh carry DNA which could be traced back to the last Ice Age, 10,000 years ago. The project surveyed 2,000 people in rural areas across Britain.

Are Welsh and Scottish related?

Welsh developed from the Celtic language known as Brythonic or Brittonic. The two most closely related languages are Cornish and Breton. Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx are also Celtic languages but are more distantly related.

Are people from Cornwall and South Wales genetically different?

“Although people from Cornwall have a Celtic heritage, genetically they are much, much more similar to the people elsewhere in England than they are to the Welsh for example,” said Prof Donnelly. “People in South Wales are also quite different genetically to people in north Wales, who are both different in turn to the Scots.

Are Cornish people genetically similar to other English people?

For example, the Cornish are much more similar genetically to other English groups than they are to the Welsh or the Scots. There are separate genetic groups in Cornwall and Devon, with a division almost exactly along the modern county boundary.

Are You genetically similar to people in the north of England?

The Wellcome Trust-funded study, which is part of the People of the British Isles Research Project, also found that people in the north of England are genetically more similar to people in Scotland than they are to those in the south of England.

Are the British and Irish genetically much alike?

There is no significant genetic difference between the people of Northern Ireland, yet they have been fighting with each other for 400 years, he said. As for his thesis that the British and Irish are genetically much alike, “It would be wonderful if it improved relations, but I somehow think it won’t.”