Celtic Studies

Talat's academic and teaching work is in the field of Celtic Studies, specialising in historical linguistics and the Brythonic languages within wider Indo-European linguistics.

• Research
• Teaching
• Supervision & Funding
• Doctorate & Other Degrees

Research

His research is particularly focussed on the origin and early development of the Brythonic languages, particularly the morphology of the nominal, prepositional and verbal systems. He also works on a number of other areas of the historical phonology, morphology and syntax of Welsh, Cornish and Breton. He retains a broad interest in history, particularly the post-Roman period. Within Celtic Studies, this overlaps with his research in areas such as onomastics.

Teaching

He has taught historical linguistics, Old Welsh and Modern Breton in an academic context. He has also taught Modern Welsh and Modern Breton to adults in a non-academic environment, and professional Welsh to university staff. He can also teach Middle Welsh, Old Breton, Middle Breton and all periods of Cornish. He has wide experience in areas such as language acquisition and education, minority languages, translation, and editorial work.

Supervision & Funding

He has guided successful postgraduate and doctoral research funding applications and has provided informal supervision and editorial support for postgraduate dissertations. For information on larger successful funding applications, see his work in Information Science.

Doctorate & Other Degrees

Talat holds his PhD (2007) from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth (now Aberystwyth University), which was carried out in the Welsh Department under the supervision of Prof. Patrick Sims-Williams on the historical phonology of Cornish, focussing on the development of a number of aspects of the consonantal system.

He received his MA (2001) in Welsh Language and Literature in the same department in Aberystwyth, where he also studied comparative historical linguistics, Old Irish, Modern Irish and Modern Breton.

He previously studied Ancient and Modern History at the college of Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford.

Last updated: 21 Mar 2019