-Basque
History
History and classification
The
ancestors of
the Basques
are among the oldest inhabitants of
Europe,
and their origins are still unknown,
as are the origins of their language
itself. Most scholars see Basque as
a
language
isolate.
Latin
inscriptions in
Aquitania
preserve a number of words with
cognates in proto-Basque, for
instance the personal name Nescato (neskato
means "young girl" in modern
Basque). This proposed language is
called "Aquitanian" and was
presumably spoken before the
Romans
brought Latin to the western
Pyrenees. Roman neglect of this
hinterland allowed Aquitanian Basque
to survive while the Iberian and
Tartessian
languages
died out. Basque did come to acquire
some Latin vocabulary, both before
and after the Latin of the area
developed into Gascon (a branch of
Occitan) and
Navarrese
Romance.
Given that the border between Basque
and Gascon country is more diffuse
than that of Basque and Castilian
country, it is commonly assumed that
the Basques' origin was in Aquitaine
and that they migrated southward.
Theories on connections with other
languages
Many scholars
have tried to link Basque to
Etruscan,
African
languages,
Caucasian
languages
and so on. A connection with the
Iberian
language
gave some hope, but it is unclear
whether similarities are due to
genetic relations or
mere vicinity.
The Caucasian
hypothesis is widespread in
Georgia
as a link between Basques and
Georgians; but there is little
evidence to support it. (See "Caucasian
Iberia".)
One of the few practical
consequences is that the former
mayor of
Bilbao
José María
Gorordo made the city and the
Georgian capital
Tbilisi
twin cities, and
Euskal
Telebista
(Basque Television) co-produced a
version of
Don Quixote
with the
Georgian Television.
Some adherents
of the theory that Basque and the
Caucasian languages are akin go so
far as to propose a
superfamily,
the
Dene-Caucasian
languages.
This superfamily would also include
the North American family of
Na-Dené
languages.
It has also
been suggested that there is a
genetic relationship between the
Basque people and the
Ainu,
the aboriginal inhabitants of Japan.
This theory also argues for a
linguistic relationship with the
Eskimo-Aleut
family.
Geographic distribution
The region in
which Basque is spoken is smaller
than what is known as the
Basque Country,
or Euskal Herria in Basque.
Basque toponyms show that Basque was
spoken further along the Pyrenees
than today. For example, the name of
the
Aran Valley
(now a
Gascon-speaking
part of
Catalonia)
suggests Basque haran,
meaning "valley". However, the
growing influence of
Latin
began to drive Basque out from less
mountainous areas of this region.
The
Reconquista
temporarily counteracted this
tendency, when the Christian lords
called on northern peoples —
Basques,
Asturians
and
Franks
— to colonize the new conquests.
Later the Basque language came to be
used mainly by peasants, while
people in the cities preferred
Castilian,
Gascon,
Navarrese Romance,
French
or
Latin
for high education.
Basque
experienced a rapid decline in
Navarre during the 1800's. However,
after
Basque
nationalism
took the language as an identity
sign, and with the establishment of
autonomous governments, it has made
a comeback. Basque-language schools
have taken the language to areas
like
Encartaciones
or the
Navarrese Ribera where it may
have never been natively spoken in
historic times.
-The
Basque Country
The Basque Country or Euskal Herria
(land of the Basque language), as
the three million Basques call their
nation straddles the French-Spanish
border along the western Pyrenees.
Through the centuries, waves of
Romans, Visigoths, Arabs, French and
Spanish overran their country. But
the Basques endured, often taking
their traditions to the hills and
forests for safekeeping. The same
Pyrenees that separate Spain from
the rest of Europe united the
Basques.
In 1980 the three Spanish provinces
of Bizkaia, Araba and Gipuzkoa were
officially joined as the Basque
Autonomous Community.
But the Basque Country spills beyond
the official borders. Basques call
their nation Euskal Herria, or "land
of the Basque language". And it is
their ancient mother tongue that
truly unites them. It was spoken
here 5.000 years ago, before the
Indo-Europeans arrived and spread
out across the continent. And it is
spoken today in cities and among the
shepherds in the hills.
-Language
Language
spoken by an estimated 1,000,000
Basque people living in the
Basque Country
of north-central Spain and
southwestern France. About 200,000
Basques live in other parts of the
world. The only remnant of the
languages spoken in western Europe
before incursions by
Indo-European-speaking
peoples, Basque has no known
linguistic relatives; linguists call
it a language isolate. Its grammar
is markedly distinct from that of
all other western European
languages. Basque is sparsely
attested before the 16th century,
when the first book in the language
was printed (1545), though it has
maintained a continuous literary
tradition since then.
Some important Basque words are
found
here.
(answers.com)
If you would like to learn a lot
more about the Basque Language or
Learn it read below.
 |
Boga is an internet
based software
application, used to
learn the Basque
language Euskara, and is
available for use for
any member of a NABO
club. When the student
subscribes himself to
BOGA, she/he is given a
user name and a
password, with which
she/he is registered in
the system. The student
must use the user name
and the password to
identify her/himself
every time she/he wants
to use this application.
The activities of the
course are organized in
several levels with an
established order, but
the student is free to
choose another order, if
she/he wish. The system
is structured in five
courses (levels), from
elementary to advanced.
These courses are
divided into strata,
that are divided into
sessions. After each
session and stratum the
student has to pass a
quiz.
There is also a local
teacher who assists the
student and tracks their
progress. This teacher
evaluates the activities
that the computer can
not evaluate (for
example the writing
exercises), suggests the
student additional
activities and
supervises the learning
process. |
|
To Get more Information,
say if you'd like to
learn the Basque
language sign up this
online form under the
basque club of North
Queensland, If you are
NOT in the club
or you are outside of
the North Queensland
area visit this page to
find a club close to you
that's using the program
|
|
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Phrases
Basic phrases
-
Bai = Yes
-
Ez = No
-
Kaixo!, Agur! =
Hello
-
Agur!, Adio! =
Goodbye!
-
Ikusi arte = See you!
-
Eskerrik asko! = Thank
you!
-
Egun on = Good morning
(literally: Good day)
-
Egun on, bai = Standard
reply to Egun on
-
Arratsalde on = Good
evening
-
Gabon = Good night
-
Mesedez = Please
-
Barkatu = Excuse (me)
-
Aizu! = Listen! (To get
someone's attention, not very
polite, to be used with friends)
-
Kafe hutsa nahi nuke =
Can I have a coffee?
-
Kafe ebakia nahi nuke =
Can I have a macchiato?
-
Kafesnea nahi nuke = Can
I have a café latte?
-
Garagardoa nahi nuke =
Can I have a beer?
-
Komunak = Toilets
-
Komuna, non dago? = Where
are the toilets?
-
Non dago tren-geltokia? =
Where is the train station?
-
Non dago autobus-geltokia?
= Where is the bus station?
-
Ba al da hotelik hemen
inguruan? = Where is the
(nearest, only) hotel?
-
Zorionak = Happy holidays
(During Christmas and new
year's), congratulations
Sources:
http://www.answers.com/topic/basque-language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_language
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/
http://concise.britannica.com/
For more information email
