115 KF 6 · 2013-14, x–xx Time for Celtiberian dialectology: Celtiberian syllabic structure and the interpretation of the bronze tablet from Torrijo del Campo, Teruel (Spain) 1 Blanca María PrósPer 1. IntroductIon. the new look of celtIberIan As claimed by Villar in a groundbreaking monograph, the alternation of <s> vs. <z> in Celtiberian is not random (as had been previously believed, mostly on the authority of A. Tovar) nor is it absence due to ‘graphemic neutraliza- tions’ that would explain the virtual non-existence of <z> in one or two con- texts, especially in absolute initial position, but little else. 2 As a matter of fact, I believe Villar has succeeded in demonstrating that <s> and <z> render the context-bound Celtiberian results of different Indo-European phonemes and clusters. A sign <z> was employed for: 1 This work has been inanced by the Spanish Government (Project MINECO FFI2012- 03657: La antroponimia indígena indoeuropea de Hispania: Estudio comparativo). It has largely beneited from the knowledge and kindness of my colleagues Federico Panchón Cabañeros and Julián V. Méndez Dosuna and a number of comments by two anonymous reviewers. 2 The notation used here is the same as established in VIllar (1997), where the traditional distinction <ś> vs. <s>, inherited from the traditional transcription of the corresponding Iberian graphs, is replaced by <s> vs. <z>. Untermann’s alternative distinction of <s> vs. <ð>, largely but not exclusively based on Villar’s phonetic assumptions, is obviously biased in favour of a certain phonetic content, privileges his own etymologies for both graphs, and thus strongly conditions further research. For epigraphical forms in the Latin alphabet the upper case is used. The Celtiberian texts are quoted following MLH when possible.