Questions tagged [basque]
For questions about the Basque language, an isolate language spoken in NW Spain and SW France.
7 questions
4
votes
3
answers
223
views
Can ergative languages have a passive construction?
I've recently started reading more about ergative languages, such as Basque.
I understand that cases in ergative languages differ from nominal-accusative languages.
For example, a sentence like "...
- 51
4
votes
0
answers
382
views
What language is most similar to Basque?
While Basque remains firmly a language isolate and AFAIK it's origins (along with that of the Basque people) remain shrouded in mystery, I wonder if there are any languages, living or dead, that ...
- 217
2
votes
1
answer
248
views
Questions about the "Hand of Irulegi"
The Hand of Irulegi is a recently found artifact from Navarra, Spain. It is dated in 1st c. BCE and carries an inscription touted as the oldest attestation of the Basque language.
The text can be ...
- 31.1k
3
votes
3
answers
461
views
Principle of Compositionality: Free Word Order Languages?
Can anyone explain what additional claims can be made for the Principle of Compositionality in regards to a language like Basque?
I understand that Basque is a "free word order" language and the ...
- 31
4
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Does Basque sound like Spanish, or vice versa?
I am always amazed by how similar both languages sound despite being very different in almost every other aspect.
I suspect that this is a classical example of a Sprachbund, but I am interested in ...
- 349
10
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Pre-Proto-Basque: is there a methodology to establishing its vocabulary?
For example, say I have a list Basque/Euskera words, is there a way I can reconstruct these modern Basque words into a Pre-Proto-Basque version?
beo (hot)
lur (earth)
izotz (ice)
izuga (fear)
...
- 257
41
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Is there really a difference between agglutinative and non-agglutinative languages when spoken?
What's the difference between agglutinative and non-agglutinative languages when spoken? According to my understanding, agglutinative languages typically join prefixes and suffixes extensively.
For ...
- 600