Data collected by portalingua, the Latin Union’s website.

Data on Basque:

Alternative names: Euskera, Vascuence, Roncales, Zubelera, Erronkariera, Suletino, Lapurtera, Nafarrera Garaia, Nafarrera Behera, Gipuzkera, Vizcaíno, High Navarrian, Low Navarrian, Biscayan, Guipúzcoan, Lapurdian

Classification: Language isolate

Area:

• Spain (Araba / Alava, autonomous community of the Basque Country)

• Spain (Bizkaia / Vizcaya, autonomous community of the Basque Country)

• Spain (Charetered Community of Navarre)

• Spain (Gipuzkoa / Guipúzcoa, autonomous community of the Basque Country),

• France (Lower Navarre)

• France (Labourd)

• France (Soule)

Number of speakers: 700 000

Leclerc (2002) estimates a total of 700 000 speakers, 600 000 of whom live in Spain and 67 267 of whom live in France. Campbell (2000) estimates 100 000 speakers in France. Calvet (1993) estimates 700 000 speakers in the Spanish zone of the Basque Country. Walter (1994) estimates 400 000 speakers in the Spanish zone. The website www.proel.org estimates close to one million speakers. Verguin (1968) estimated 85 000 speakers in France.

Language status:

• Spain (Araba / Alava, autonomous community of the Basque): co-official (alongside Castilian)

• Spain (Bizkaia / Vizcaya, autonomous community of the Basque Country): co-official (alongside Castilian)

• Spain (Chartered Community of Navarre): unofficial, used for communication

• Spain (Gipuzkoa / Guipúzcoa, autonomous community of the Basque Country): co-official (alongside Castilian)

• France (Lower Navarre): unofficial, used for communication

• France (Labourd): unofficial, used for communication

• France (Soule): unofficial, used for communication

Media:

Radio:

Arrasate Telebista broadcasts three hours a day in Basque

Bilbo Herri Irratia broadcasts in both Spanish and Basque

Bizkaia Irratia broadcasts in Basque

Egin Irratia broadcasts 24/7 in Basque

Euskadi Gaztea broadcasts 24/7 in Basque

Euskadi Irratia broadcasts 24/7 in Basque

Euskalerria Irratia broadcasts 24/7 in Basque

Gure Irratia – Entzun-Ikus broadcasts in Basque

Irulegiko Irratia broadcasts in Basque

Segura Irratia broadcasts 16 hours a week in Spanish and Basque

Xiberoko Botza broadcasts in Basque

Xorroxin Irrati i Euskadi Irrati, Basque radio station

Television:

Euskal Telebista 1, television station broadcasting in Basque since 1982

«Euskal Herri» broadcasted on France 3 in the Aquitaine region

Publications:

Aizu!, bimonthly publication in Basque

Argia, weekly publication in Basque

Arrasate Press, weekly publication

Egunkaria, daily publication in Basque since 1990

Enbata, weekly publication

Euskararen Berripapera, monthly publication in English, Spanish and Basque

Gara, daily publication in Spanish and Basque

Habe, magazine published by the government of the autonomous community

Herria, weekly publication on the French of Basque territory

Jakin, bimonthly publication

Llengües Vives – l6, Acció Pro-Llengües, bimonthly publication in Catalan, Basque and Occitan

Education: Primary & secondary school.

Historical observations:

• 5^th century: Area inhabited by the Vascones

• 6^th c.: The Vascones defeat the Wisigoths.

• End of 6^th c.: A group of Vascones cross over the Pyrenees and settle in Aquitaine (“Gascony”).

• 830: Establishment of the Basque Kingdom of Pamplona.

• 9^th c.: Basque is consolidated as official language, despite not having a written form.
• 10^th c.: Appearance of the first ever written Basque (the phrases “izioqui dugu” and “guec ajutu ez dugu”) in the Glosas Emilianenses.
• Late 10^th c.: Establishment of the Kingdom of Navarre.

• 12^th c.: Basque lexicon, spoken in villages along the road to Compostelle, is mentioned in the Códice Calixtino.

• 1200: Guipúzcoa province is integrated into the Kingdom of Castile.

• 12^th-14^th c.: The Northern provinces (in France) are under British rule.

• 1331: Álava province is integrated into the Kingdom of Castile.

• 1370: Vizcaya province is integrated into the Kingdom of Castile.

• 1512: Ferdinand of Aragon annexes the Kingdom of Navarre to the Kingdom of Castile.

• 16^th c.: Basque begins appearing in printed texts.

• 1545: Publication of the first book in Basque, Linguae Vasconum Primitiae, by Bernard Dechepare.

• 1571: Translation of the New Testament in Basque by Juan de Lizarraga, which introduces a standard form for the linguae navarrorum.

• 1876: The special rights accorded to the Basque provinces (the “fueros”) are abolished.

• 1918: The Academy of the Basque language (Euskaltzaindia) is created.

• 1951: In France, introduction of the Deixonne Law on 11 January 1951, which privileges the teaching of “languages and local dialects in the regions where they are used”, i.e. at that stage, Breton, Basque, Catalan and Occitan.

• 1964: The definition of a unified language is encouraged.

• 1968: The Euskaltzaindia begins its efforts towards standardizing the Basque language.

• 1969: Creation of France’s first bilingual kindergarten class.

• 1975: In France, article 12 of the Haby Law of 11 July 1975 states: “Regional languages and cultures can be taught throughout all years of schooling.”

• 1982: Navarra becomes the Chartered Community of Navarre.

The Basque government’s 5/1982 decree of 11 January establishes the creation of a Consejo Asesor (”Assessment Board”) for Basque.

Opening of a bilingual kindergarten section, under the responsibility of the French Government.

• 1983: The French state subsidizes the Seaska Association, which teaches by total immersion.

• 1984: The Euzkaltzaindia Congress groups the standardization of different Basque dialects under the umbrella of a single language, which is named “batua”.

• 1986 : In Navarre, the Ley del Vascuence is passed, which grants certain rights to speakers of Basque. The law goes as far as condoning “positive discrimination towards Basque” (Loyer 2002), with certain positions demanding competency in Basque.

• 1987: Creation of the Navarre Public University.

• 1991: In Navarre, the right-wing regionalist party, UPN, is elected, and further reinforces the measures in favor of Basque speakers.

• 1994: The UPN party encourages ikastolas.

• 1995: In Navarre, the UPN switches up its leadership and its politics: the extremely pro-Basque measures are revised to avoid penalizing non-Basque speakers.

• 2001: In Navarre, the UPN, supported by the Socialist party, further modifies the aforementioned laws to obtain a better social balance..

Sociolinguistic observations:

All linguistic issuess regarding Basque are difficult to extricate from the political and nationalist claims of various, in France as well as in Spain. The Basque language is used as an argument for a separate Basque territory (for more information, see Loyer 2002).

Sample text and video

Extrait d’une courte description de la langue basque :

«Iberiar Penintsulan bizirik dirauen erromatarren aurreko hizkuntza bakarra da euskara. Gutxitze prozesu gogorra jasan du, etenik gabe lurraldeak eta hiztunak galduz. Nafarroa Garaian bereziki, prozesu hori nabarmena da. XIX. mendearen bukaeran eta XX. mendearen hasieran, hainbat intelektual eta politikariren eraginez (Arturo Kanpion, Sabino Arana…) nolabait biziberritu zen, abertzaletasunari estuki loturik. Frankismoan (1936-1977) jazarpen latza pairatu ondoren, XX. mendearen erdialdetik aurrera hasi da indartzen, idatzizko estandarizazioari dagokionean, batez ere.» (Source)

Extrait audio :

Sources & additional bibliography:

ALLIERES, J. (1977), Les Basques, PUF, Que sais-je?
ALLIERES, J. (1979), Manuel pratique de basque, Picard.
ARREGI, Joseba (2002), “Langue, territoire et Etat-nation dans le cas du Pays basque”, in Hérodote, revue de géographie et de géopolitique, n° 105, pp. 129-134.
BIDART, Pierre (2002), “Construction et devenir de la bipolarité culturelle, basque et français”, in Hérodote, revue de géographie et de géopolitique, n° 105, pp. 123-128.
CAMPBELL, George L. (2000), Compendium of the World’s Languages, Routledge, London / New York.
LECLERC, Jacques (2002), “Navarre”, in L’aménagement linguistique dans le monde, Québec, TLFQ, Université Laval,
(http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/europe/espagnenavarre.htm)
LOYER, Barbara (2002), “Langues nationales et régionales: une relation géopolitique”, in Hérodote, revue de géographie et de géopolitique, n° 105, pp. 15-37.
ORPUSTAN, J.-B. (1996), Précis d’histoire littéraire basque, Izpegi, Baigorri.
PEILLEN, T. (1995), Parlons Euskara, la langue des Basques, L’Harmattan.
VERGUIN, Joseph (1968), “La situation linguistique dans le monde”, in Le Langage, A. Martinet (ed.), Encyclopédie de la Pléiade, pp. 1093-1143.
WALTER, Henriette (1994), L’aventure des langues en Occident, Laffont.

PROEL (Promotora Española de Linguistica) www.proel.org