Thanks David, we need some postulating to keep the site alive and healthy. It has been pretty quiet for a while.

I hear what you say and it does make sense that the oral tradition is stronger the further back into history we go.

I think that allegiance and nationality were very much distinct although neighbouring cultural groups most likely could understand one another to a point.

Human beings - especially in less cultured societies - are very intolerant of those of different culture, religion and colour. Consequently it was hard enough for neighbouring "tribes" of the same ethnic background to get along peacefully let alone those whose cultures varied significantly. There was always the oppressor and the oppressed. Strangely when the oppressors were small in numbers they were eventually usually absorbed into the culture that theoretically they had subsumed.

Welsh and the other Celtic languages are very different from the Germanic variations and it is a tribute to the underlying strength and individuality of the Celtish traditions that they have stood up to the onslaught of the later Germanic/Scandinavian invaders.

But you are right - proper names such as family names and place names seem to survive the change of masters and the new everyday language adopted may change spelling but the place name pronunciation would be handed down from generation to generation by the locals.