Batua
Encyclopedia
Standard language
A standard language is a language variety used by a group of people in their public discourse. Alternatively, varieties become standard by undergoing a process of standardization, during which it is organized for description in grammars and dictionaries and encoded in such reference works...
of the Basque language
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
, developed by the Basque Language Academy
Euskaltzaindia
Euskaltzaindia is the official academic language regulatory institution which watches over the Basque language. It carries out research on the language, seeks to protect it, and establishes standards of use...
in the late 1960s, which nowadays is the most widely and commonly spoken Basque-language version throughout the Basque Country. Heavily based on the central Basque dialect
Gipuzkoan
Gipuzkoan is a dialect of the Basque language spoken mainly in the province of Gipuzkoa in Basque Country but also in a small part of Navarre. It is a central dialect, spoken in the central and eastern part of Gipuzkoa...
, this is the version of the language commonly used in education at all levels—from elementary school to the university—, on television and radio, and in the vast majority of all written production in Basque.
It is also used in common parlance by new speakers that haven't learnt any local dialect, especially in the cities, whereas in the countryside, with more elderly speakers, people remain attached to the natural dialects to a higher degree, especially in informal situations; i.e. Basque traditional dialects are still used in the situations where they always were used (native Basque speakers speaking in informal situations), while the Euskara Batua has conquered new fields for the Basque language: the formal situations (where Basque was seldom used, apart from religion) and a lot of new speakers that otherwise wouldn't have learned Basque.
Euskara Batua enjoys official language
Official language
An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a...
status in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(in the whole Basque Autonomous Community and in sections of Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
), but remains unrecognised as an official language in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the only language officially recognised by this country being French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
History
The standard version of Basque was created in the 1970s by the EuskaltzaindiaEuskaltzaindia
Euskaltzaindia is the official academic language regulatory institution which watches over the Basque language. It carries out research on the language, seeks to protect it, and establishes standards of use...
(Royal Academy of the Basque Language), mainly based on the central Basque dialect and on the written tradition. Having been for centuries pressured by acculturation from both Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and particularly under the rule of Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
in which the Basque language was prohibited and came closer to extinction in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the Academy felt the need to create a unified dialect of Basque, so that the language had a greater chance of survival.
The 1968 Arantzazu Congress laid down the basic guidelines for achieving that objective in a systematic way (lexicon, morphology, declension and spelling). A further step was taken in 1973 with a proposal to establish a standard conjugation.
The debate arising from this new set of standard language rules (1968 - 1976) did not prevent Euskara Batua from becoming increasingly accepted as the Basque standard language in teaching, the media, and administration (1976 - 1983), within the context of burgeoning regional government (Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country
Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country
The Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country is the legal document organizing the political system of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country' which includes the historical territories of Alava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa. It forms the region into one of the autonomous communities envisioned in...
, 1979; Improvement of the Charter of Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
, 1982).
Reasons for basing on the central dialect
These are the reasons for basing the standardised Basque on the central dialect, the GipuzkoanGipuzkoan
Gipuzkoan is a dialect of the Basque language spoken mainly in the province of Gipuzkoa in Basque Country but also in a small part of Navarre. It is a central dialect, spoken in the central and eastern part of Gipuzkoa...
, according to Koldo Zuazo
Koldo Zuazo
Koldo Zuazo is a Basque linguist, professor at the University of the Basque Country, specialist in Basque language dialectology and sociolinguistics....
:
- Linguistic reasons: the central dialect is the meeting point of all Basque-language speakers. The westernmost dialect – BiscayanBiscayanBiscayan, sometimes Bizkaian , is a dialect of the Basque language spoken mainly in Biscay, one of the provinces of the Basque Country of Spain....
—is strange for the speakers from other dialects; and the same occurs with the easternmost dialect—ZuberoanZuberoanSouletin , is the Basque dialect spoken in Soule, France.-Name:In English sources, the Basque-based term Zuberoan is sometimes encountered. In Standard Basque, the dialect is known as Zuberera , locally variously as Üskara, Xiberera or Xiberotarra...
. - Demolinguistic reasons: the central area and the western area were in 1968—and still are—the zones where most Basque-language speakers live. Moreover, it was—and it is—in Gipuzkoa and the surrounding areas where the Basque language is strongest.
- Sociolinguistic reasons: since the 18th century, the central dialect—and, more precisely, the Beterri sub-dialect—is the most prestigious one.
- Economic and cultural reasons: BilbaoBilbaoBilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
is certainly the most important Basque city, but it is not Basque-speaking. The same goes for Gasteiz, Iruñea, and BaionaBaionaBaiona can refer to at least two places:*Baiona is the Basque name for Bayonne a city of Labourd, Basque Country, France.*Baiona is a small town in Galicia, Spain....
-Angelu-BiarritzBiarritzBiarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
. So Gipuzkoa, the only Basque province with a multipolar structure—i.e. with no head city, all the province being a big city—is the main Basque-speaking city.
Koldo Zuazo (a Basque-language scholar, apologist of the use of Basque dialects, specially his own one, the Biscayan
Biscayan
Biscayan, sometimes Bizkaian , is a dialect of the Basque language spoken mainly in Biscay, one of the provinces of the Basque Country of Spain....
) says that "taking all these characteristics into account, I think that it is fair and sensible having based the Euskara Batua on the central Basque dialect, and undoubtedly that is the reason of the Batua being so successful."
Advantages of Euskara Batua
According to Koldo ZuazoKoldo Zuazo
Koldo Zuazo is a Basque linguist, professor at the University of the Basque Country, specialist in Basque language dialectology and sociolinguistics....
, six are the main advantages that Euskara Batua has brought to the Basque language:
- Basque speakers can easily understand each other by using Euskara Batua. When using historical dialects, the difficulties to understand each other are bigger, especially between speakers of non-central dialects.
- Before the creation of the Euskara Batua, Basque speakers had to turn to Spanish or French to discuss highbrow topics or work subjects—Euskara Batua gives them a suitable tool for this.
- Thanks to Euskara Batua, more adult people than ever have been able to learn the Basque language.
- Basque language has broken its ever retreating boundaries. If we look at old maps showing the area where Basque was spoken, we will see that this area was always diminishing. But now, thanks to the euskaltegiEuskaltegiAn Euskaltegi is a centre for learning the Basque language. They can be either public or private.-See also:* Alfabetatze Euskalduntze Koordinakundea* Helduen Alfabetatze eta Berreuskalduntzerako Erakundea* IKA...
s and ikastolaIkastolaAn Ikastola is a type of primary and secondary school in the Basque Autonomous Community, Navarre and the French Basque Country in which pupils are taught either entirely or predominantly in the Basque language...
s that teach Euskara Batua, the Basque-speaking area is getting bigger and bigger, Basque speakers can be found in any place of the Basque Country, or even outside it. - Euskara Batua has given prestige to the Basque language, because now it can be used in high-level usages of society.
- Basque speakers are more united: since Euskara Batua was made, the internal boundaries of the language have also been broken, and the sense of being a community is more alive. With a stronger speakers' community, Basque language becomes stronger.
All these advantages have been widely recognized—for example, they are cited by the pro-historical dialects organization Badihardugu.
Criticism
Standard Basque has been described as an artificial language by its detractors, as it is at times hardly mutually intelligible with the dialects at the extremes (namely the westernmost one or BiscayanBiscayan
Biscayan, sometimes Bizkaian , is a dialect of the Basque language spoken mainly in Biscay, one of the provinces of the Basque Country of Spain....
, and the easternmost one or Zuberoan
Zuberoan
Souletin , is the Basque dialect spoken in Soule, France.-Name:In English sources, the Basque-based term Zuberoan is sometimes encountered. In Standard Basque, the dialect is known as Zuberera , locally variously as Üskara, Xiberera or Xiberotarra...
). Then, Basque purists (such as Oskillaso and Matías Múgica) have argued that its existence and proliferation will kill the historic and genuine Basque languages. Others argue that Standard Basque has safeguarded the future of a language which is competing with French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
.
Research by the Euskaltzaindia shows that Basque is growing most in the areas where Euskara Batua has been introduced and taught in preference of local dialects. Indeed, this has permitted a revival in the speaking of Basque, since many of the current elder generations cannot speak the language in part as a result of the prohibition during most part of General Franco's dictatorship.
Another point of contention was the spelling of h
H
H .) is the eighth letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:The Semitic letter ⟨ח⟩ most likely represented the voiceless pharyngeal fricative . The form of the letter probably stood for a fence or posts....
. Northeastern dialects pronounce it as an aspiration while the rest do not use it. Standard Basque requires it in writing but allows a silent pronunciation. Opponents complained that many speakers would have to relearn their vocabulary by rote.
Federico Krutwig
Federico Krutwig
Federico Krutwig Sagredo was a Spanish Basque writer and politician, author of several books.Along with Felix Likiniano, he tried to create some resistance to the Francoist regime after the Spanish Civil War...
also promoted the creation of an alternative literary dialect, this time based on the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
Labourdine
Lapurdian
Lapurdian or Labourdin is a dialect of the Basque language spoken in the Lapurdi region of the Basque Country in France...
used by Joanes Leizarraga
Joanes Leizarraga
Joanes Leizarraga was a 16th century Basque priest. He is most famous for being the first to attempt the standardisation of the Basque language and for the translation of religious works into Basque, in particular the first Basque translation of the New Testament.-Early years:Leizarraga was born...
the first translator of the Protestant Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. It also featured an etymological
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
spelling
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
.
Anyway, Standard Basque is widely accepted in Basque society because of the benefits it has brought:
Basque dialects
The relation between the Standard Basque and the local dialects is well summarized as follows by William Haddican:The following dialects were the pre-Batua Basque and make up the colloquial or casual register
Register (sociolinguistics)
In linguistics, a register is a variety of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. For example, when speaking in a formal setting an English speaker may be more likely to adhere more closely to prescribed grammar, pronounce words ending in -ing with a velar nasal...
of Basque, the Euskara Batua being the formal one. They were created in the Middle Ages from a previously quite unified Basque language, and diverged from each other since then due to the administrative and political division that happened in the Basque Country.
They are spoken in the Spanish and French Basque regions. Standard Basque was then created using Gipuzkoan as a basis, also bringing scattered elements from the other dialects. They are typically used in the region after which they are named, but have many linguistic similarities.
Spain
- BiscayanBiscayanBiscayan, sometimes Bizkaian , is a dialect of the Basque language spoken mainly in Biscay, one of the provinces of the Basque Country of Spain....
- GipuzkoanGipuzkoanGipuzkoan is a dialect of the Basque language spoken mainly in the province of Gipuzkoa in Basque Country but also in a small part of Navarre. It is a central dialect, spoken in the central and eastern part of Gipuzkoa...
- Upper NavarreseUpper NavarreseUpper Navarrese is a dialect of the Basque language spoken in the Navarre community of Spain, as established by linguist Louis Lucien Bonaparte in his famous 1869 map. He actually distinguished two dialects: Meridional and Septentrional...
France
- Lower NavarreseLower NavarreseLower Navarrese is a dialect of the Basque language spoken in the Lower Navarre region of France. It differs somewhat from Upper Navarrese, which is more generally spoken in the Spanish Basque Country....
- LapurdianLapurdianLapurdian or Labourdin is a dialect of the Basque language spoken in the Lapurdi region of the Basque Country in France...
- ZuberoanZuberoanSouletin , is the Basque dialect spoken in Soule, France.-Name:In English sources, the Basque-based term Zuberoan is sometimes encountered. In Standard Basque, the dialect is known as Zuberera , locally variously as Üskara, Xiberera or Xiberotarra...
See also
- EgunkariaEgunkariaEgunkaria was for thirteen years the only fully Basque language newspaper in circulation, until it was closed down on February 20, 2003 by the Spanish authorities, due to allegations of an illegal association with ETA, the armed Basque separatist group. After 7 years, on 15 April 2010 the...
newspaper, and its successor BerriaBerriaBerria is the only newspaper published wholly in the Basque language and which can be read in the entirety of the Basque country. It was created after the closure of the previous Basque language newspaper, Egunkaria, by the Spanish government, after being accused of having ties with ETA...
. - EITB, Basque television and radio broadcasting corporation
- Ethnologue on languages in Spain