Standard Basque and Its Dialects

✍ Scribed by Koldo Zuazo

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 151
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The origins of Basque dialects, a highly disputed area of research in Basque studies, are examined.

The author, the foremost expert on Basque dialects, traces their emergence to medieval times, using: a) the profusion of features common to all dialects: b) the large number of innovations common to all dialects; and c) the fact that the only truly divergent dialects are the western and Souletin ones. In contrast, the three central dialects differ in far fewer and less important respects.

The main contribution of Standard Basque and Its Dialects to the scholarly debate about the formation of Basque is that it identifies the nuclei from which the current dialects almost certainly emerged. The book explains the points of view that Basque speakers have upheld concerning their dialects, the formation of provincial standards starting in the eighteenth century, and the launch of Standard Basque in the second half of the twentieth century.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
List of illustrations
Introduction
1. Basque’s survival
Geographic shrinkage
The social marginalisation of Basque
Changes in the structure of Basque
The dialectal diversification of Basque
Factors that explain the survival of Basque
Some reflections on the future
Notes
References
2. Origin of the dialects
The pre-Roman origin of the dialects
The testimony of the language
Reasons for supporting the dialects’ medieval origin
Dialectal division in medieval times
Conclusions
Notes
References
3. Centres of innovation
Iruña-Pamplona
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Central Bizkaia
Zuberoa and Lower Navarre
Beterri
Conclusions
Notes
References
4. Basque ideas about the dialects and attitudes towards them
The dialects up until 1745
The administrative fragmentation of the Basque Country
The change of discourse with Larramendi
The intervention by partisans of classic Lapurdian
Speakers’ perception of the distance between the dialects
Some reflections on the future
Notes
References
5. Literary dialects
The influence of Larramendi
The Bizkaian standard dialect
Linguistic experiments in Bizkaia
Some reflections on the future
Notes
References
6. The standardisation of Basque
The period before the twentieth century
Euskara batua, standard Basque
Standardisation: What has been achieved so far, and reflections for the future
Notes
References
Glossary
Index