A recent publication by Professor Dai ap Llysfoor of the University of Cardiff, Wales, presents a controversial but convincing argument that the Welsh discovered America in 1170, long before Amerigo Vespuci laid claim to the honor in 1492. The article, published in the prestigious English Journal of Sociolinguistics, defends the “Madoc Theory” which claims that linguistic analysis of the languages spoken by indigenous tribes of American Indians, ranging from what are now the states of Alabama to Ohio, provides incontrovertible proof of Welsh influence long before Amerigo’s so-called discovery.
The author bases his claims on recent documentation and supposed validation of the historically pervasive legend that the Welsh Prince Madog ap Owain Gwynedd sailed to America in 1170, as well as on the fact that many expressions in indigenous “Welsh Indian” dialects of New World natives contain phrases identical to those used in Welsh as spoken in the Middle Ages. “The probability of such historical and linguistic similarities being coincidental is remote,” according to the article. The author goes on to point out that, “The range, impact, and ontology of Celtic languages are well defined, and the linguistic singularity of the Celtic languages makes it improbable that they could be geographically replicated by chance.”
The most pervasive and recurring Welsh phrase discovered in the Welsh Indian dialects that is cited by the author as evidence of his assertions is “twll din pob sais.” While there are slight variations between the lexicography of the old and modern Welsh versions of this expression, this is a well-known reference to Europeans of Saxon (English) origin that roughly translates as “the English are wholesome.” Go figure.
Editor’s note: For more on this subject, click here.
Article by Bill Norrington
