Basque language
1
9.5
- noun
:
idioma vasco
- Korrika is a newly instituted "ritual," the aim of which is to collect money to promote the Basque language within the present and former Basque-speaking areas, which are called by Basque nationalists Euskalerria.
Examples
-
Many students in the Basque Country learn the Basque language as part of their education.
-
While the origins of this non-Indo-European tongue are murky, the Basque language is important to the ethnic identity of the region's 2.1 million inhabitants, many of whom consider themselves more Basque than Spanish.
Academic text (2009) -
Same for the Basque language: FYI, the oldest attested evidence about the Basque language, coming from Aquitania, are some onomastic from around the 2nd century A.D.
Blog text (11) -
Same for the Basque language: FYI, the oldest attested evidence about the Basque language, coming from Aquitania, are some onomastic from around the 2nd century A.D.
Blog text (11) -
Although this aspect of the fiestas is relatively new, "Navarran identity" has long been associated with both "Basque" and "Castilian" cultures in the Spanish mind, even if Franco prohibited the use of the Basque language.
Academic text (1991) -
The Basque language is unique because it is unrelated to any other known language family.
-
Understanding the grammar of the Basque language can be challenging due to its complexity.
Synonyms
A language spoken in northern Spain and southwestern France that is not related to other languages
A language people speak in the Basque Country of Spain and France
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'Basque language' is fully compositional: 'Basque' identifies the people/ethnic group and 'language' denotes their speech system, so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the language of the Basque people. This naming pattern (adjective/national name + 'language') is regular and cross-linguistically common, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Basque language comes from the ancient people who lived in the mountains between Spain and France, and it may come from languages that were spoken there long before Spanish or French existed. Because it stayed separate for so long, the language is 'unrelated' to other languages today, which is why it still seems mysterious.