Typological passport of Basque as a minority language
https://doi.org/10.24833/2410-2423-2023-4-37-26-41
Abstract
The aim of the research is to make an inventory of the most salient typological traits of Basque as one of the extant minority languages, whose origin and typological status have been debated ever since the 16th century. Despite the well-meaning attempts to compile a unified standard of Basque, the majority of its speakers communicate using one of its numerous dialects. Apart from that, most of the contemporary coursebooks of Basque convey contradictory messages about its main grammatical features. This lack of uniformity acts as an impediment on the way to learning Basque or forming a well-defined concept of its typology. To enhance and spread knowledge about Basque typology, the present research adopts the methodology of contrastive-typological studies, namely, the method of typological passport developed by Professor V.D. Arakin. The empirical data for the research were drawn from the courseand textbooks recommended by The Royal Academy of the Basque Language. Research results revealed a number of universal typological traits shared by Basque with well-studied languages of the world, such as the presence of articles, cases, assimilation, post-modifying adjectives, etc. However, from the perspective of contrastive typology, it is the unique typological features that are most typologically and conceptually salient, such as voiced and devoiced aspiration, variations in the pronunciation of diaphonic sounds, non-systematic (non-pleonastic) marking of number, conceptual salience of specific numerals (2, 4, and 11), neutral and emphatic world-building patterns as well the absence of some models altogether (blending, shortening, back-formation). Research results show that the typological passport of Basque can be defined as an agglutinative language with suffixes, syntactic agreement and fusions at morphemic junctures. One of the avenues for further research is a multifactorial analysis with a view to obtaining statistical data about typologically significant categories of Basque.
About the Author
N. A. LavrovaRussian Federation
Natalya A. Lavrova, Doctor of Philology, is Associate Professor, Department of English № 3
76, Prospekt Vernadskogo, Moscow, 119454
References
1. Arakin, V.D. Tipologiia iazykov i problema metodicheskogo prognozirovaniia [Language typology and the problem of methodological prognosis] / V.D. Arakin. M.: Vysshaia shkola, 1989. 158 s.
2. Dronova, S.Iu. Baskskii iazyk v ispanskom gazetnom diskurse kak instrument podderzhaniia politicheskoi identichnosti // Gumanitarnye Nauki. Vestnik Finasovogo Universiteta [Basque in the Spanish newspaper discourse as an instrument for maintaining political identity // Humanities and Social Sciences. Bulletin of the Financial University] / S.Iu. Dronova. 2020, S. 118124.
3. Ivanov, V.V. Izbrannye trudy po semiotike i istorii kul’tury. Tom V. Mifologiia i fol’klor [Selected works on the semiotics and history of culture. Volume V. Mythology and folklore] / V.V. Ivanov. M.: Znak, 2009. 376 s.
4. Lavrova, N.A. K voprosu o fonologicheskich osobennostiach baskskogo iazyka [Towards the phonological system of modern Basque // Topical issues in English linguistics and linguodidactics: traditions and innovations] / N.A. Lavrova, 2019. S. 33-40
5. Chesnokova, O.S. Baskskii iazyk i baskskaia toponimiia: mezhkul’turnye kontakty i standartizatsiia // Vestnik Rossiiskogo universiteta druzhby narodov. Seriia: Teoriia iazyka. Semiotika. Semantika, 8 (4) [Basque language and Basque toponymy: intercultural contacts and standardisation // RUDN Journal of Language Studies, Semiotics and Semantics] / O.S. Chesnokova, L.M. Dzhishkariani, 2017. S. 1074-1083.
6. Amorrortu, E. Basque sociolinguistics: language, society and culture / E. Amorrortu. Reno: Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada. 1969. 231 p.
7. Apodaka, E. The governance of Basque language revitalisation in the Basque Autonomous Community: from confrontation toward collaboration // Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development / E. Apodaka, A. Basurto, A. Galarraga, J. Morales-i-Gras, 2022. P. 1-14.
8. Augustyniak, A. Migrant Learners of Basque as New Speakers: Language Authenticity and Belonging // Languages, 6(3), 2021. P. 1-19.
9. Azkue, R.M. Evolucíon de la lengue vasca // Euskera, 16, 1935. P. 57-133.
10. Bengtson, J.D. Macro-Caucasian: a historical linguistic hypothesis // Dene-Sino-Caucasian languages / Bengtson J.D. Bochum, 1991. P. 162-170.
11. Bengtson, J.D. The Basque Language: History and Origin // International Journal of Modern Anthropology, Vol. 1 No. 4, 2011. P. 43-59.
12. Bonaparte, L.L. Le verbe basque en tableaux / L.L. Bonaparte. Paris: Hachette Livre BnF, 2018. 246 p.
13. Gorter, D. Multilingual education for European minority languages: The Basque Country and Friesland // International Review of Education, Volume 57 / D. Gorter, J. Cenoz, 2011. P. 651-666.
14. Haddican, B. Suburbanization and language change in Basque // Language in Society, 36 (5), 2007. P. 677-706.
15. Hualde, J.I. The standardization of the Basque language // Language Problems & Language Planning, 31 (2) / J.I. Hualde, K. Zuazo, 2007. P. 142-168.
16. Humboldt, V. von Primitivos pobladores de Espanña y lengua vasca / Translated from German by Francisco Echebarria. Madrid, 1959.
17. Cots, J.M. Linguistic Identities in a Basque-speaking School: Teachers’ and Students’ Discourses of Multilingualism // Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 2(3) / J.M. Cots, X. Martin-Rubió, 2008. P. 224-237.
18. Laka, I. The Basque language in the minds of native and non-native bilinguals // The Challenge of a Bilingual Society in the Basque Country / Laka I., Santesteban M., Erdocia K., Zawiszewski A. Nevada: University of Nevada, 2012. P. 157-172.
19. Libarona, I.U. The Basque language in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC) // The legal status of the Basque language today: one language, three administrations, seven different geographies and a diaspora / Libarona I.U., Irujo X. San Sebastian. 2008. P. 165-196.
20. Michelena, L. Notas sobre compuestos verbales vascos // Revista de Dialectología y Tradiciones Populares XXXIII, 1977. P. 245271.
21. Ostrowski, M. History of the Basque Language // Basque Linguistics. Basque History. https://www.academia.edu/3196852/ History_of_the_Basque_Language (Accessed 1 October 2022).
22. Ray, N.M. Basque studies: commerce, Heritage, and a language less commonly taught, but whole-heartedly celebrated // Global Business Languages. Volume 12. Security and Business Languages / N.M. Ray, N. Lete, 2010. P. 117-131.
23. Saussure, F. de Course in General Linguistics / translated from French by W. Baskin. New York: Philosophical library, 1959. 240 p.
24. Schuchardt, H. Das Baskisch und die Sprachwissenschaft / H. Schuchardt. Vienna: Hölder-Pichler-Tempsky, 1925. 34 S.
25. Trask, R.L. The history of Basque / R.L. Trask. London, New York: Routledge, 1996. 428 p.
26. Uhlenbeck, C.C. La langue basque et la linguistique générale // Lingua № 1 / С.С. Uhlenbeck, 1947. P. 59-67
27. Valadez, C. Language revitalization and the normalization of Basque: a study of teacher perceptions and expectations in the Basque Country // Current Issues in Language Planning, 16 (1-2) / C. Valadez, F. Etxeberria, N. Intxausti, 2014. P. 60-79.
28. Vennemann, Th. Linguistic reconstruction in the context of European prehistory // Transactions of the Philological Society, 92(2), 1994. P. 215-184.
Review
For citations:
Lavrova N.A. Typological passport of Basque as a minority language. Linguistics & Polyglot Studies. 2023;9(4):26-41. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24833/2410-2423-2023-4-37-26-41