The first suggestion Google provides when writing "Basque" in the search bar is "Basque Cheesecake". Although Basque cake is an absolute must (talking from experience), the Basque language, culture, and history have a lot more to offer than "just" a cake. For me, the most fascinating aspect is related to the origin of the Basques and their language.
In short, the origin of Basque (Euskara) is still a mystery. Mainstream theories claim that Basque has developed "naturally" in the area between South France and the Northern part of the Iberian Peninsula. One alternative theory ties Basque with Ibirean, the language of an indigenous group who lived in the eastern parts of the Iberian Peninsula. Like all Pre-Hispanic languages except Basque, Iberian was extinct around the 1st & 2nd centuries AD and was gradually replaced by Latin. Exciting alternative research tries to relate between Basque and Caucasian languages.
Before diving deep into the last theory, I want to introduce briefly how we can discover the origin and the history of a language. In general, there are four main methods to trace back the origins of a language. These 4 "historical evidence" are:
Basic vocabulary (lexicon)
Morphology (grammar)
Phonology (sound system)
Cultural vocabulary (e.g. Loanwords)
Basic vocabulary consists of the most basic lexical concepts, relevant to almost all societies and cultures on earth. In Basic vocabulary analysis, we search similarities between the most basic words of two different languages. Examples of basic lexical are pronouns, body parts, natural phenomena, domestic animals, and basic verbs.
Another method is to use the Morphology analysis, mainly grammar to find connections between one language system to another. The most reliable indicators of genetic transmission of grammar are paradigms (grammatical patterns), especially suppletive paradigms which are grammatical forms composed of word stems of different origins. A simple example is the Spanish bueno, mejor (good, better) related to the Latin bonus, melior.
The third method is comparative Phonology, which is the use of the study of sound systems and sound changes to identify if a word is genetically transmitted from one language to another. In the table below we can see the similarity between the Spanish (Castilian) "h" and the Latin "f".
John D. Bengtson (2011), The Basque Langauge: Origin and History
The last traceable evidence is the only method that can help us integrate social, cultural, and political aspects. cultural research can help us discover social-cultural contacts that influenced a language. Cultural influence can come in many layers and forms. For example, the influence of conquering forces is not the same as the influence of independent communities, fighting to keep their autonomy.
After developing the right tools, we can now examine a possible connection between Basque and Caucasian languages. Research from 2011, claims to achieve such results. In his article "The Basque Language: Origin and History", John D. Bengtson suggests that Basque is related to the Caucasian language family. Although Basque basic vocabulary resembles many languages, Bengtson first identifies that the most systematic resemblances are with North Caucasian languages. Bengtson found that out of the 50 most stable words in Basque, 17 of them contact with Caucasian languages.
Furthermore, Bengtson points out similarities in morphology and phonology between the two languages. Apart from this proposed genetic transmission, Bengtson suggests possible cultural influences from different languages, such as Semites, Egyptians, Celts, Germans, early Latin, and Romance languages.
Whatever the origin of Basque may be, it's something to celebrate. The research of historical linguistics provides a glimpse into the past, a small window to rediscover the diversity and beauty of human history. Languages entail the story of humanity. If we listen more carefully, we will find new trances of an untold story. Adventures, revolutions, diplomatic relationships, and ancient trade. Language is the entrance ticket to a new world.
Also, the number of Basque speakers is decreasing every year. I hope that the efforts to reveal its historical origins will not interfere with the efforts to preserve and maintain the Basque language and culture. You may want to consider learning an endangered language if you are ready to start learning a new language.
As for the future, with advances in AI and pattern recognition, we might soon find ourselves with better and smarter tools to reconstruct the puzzle of human languages. Careful and thoughtful usage of these tools is essential to ensure that the image we get is as representative, objective, and empirical as possible.
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