Basque language word order in a sentence. Russian-Basque online translator and dictionary. Some examples of grammatical forms and their use

Many who want to study Euskara are faced with the question: “Where can I download it on the Internet? Basque language lessons". Recently, I, as well as everyone who dreams of learning the Basque language, received a gift. Anyone who is in the know will understand what it means for someone thirsty for knowledge to discover on the Internet a new Euskara training course with AUDIO lessons. However, it is still on the site Only seven lessons have been posted, but I really want to believe in the successful continuation of the project, which is captivating with its logic, clarity and simplicity of presentation of the material. To avoid being unfounded, here are a few quotes from the preface:

"The Basque language has a reputation for being incredibly complex language: This is a misconception. The thing is that its structure and rules are quite different from the structure and rules of the European languages ​​known to us. This is what poses the greatest challenge for Basque learners. However, just as Basque children learn to speak Basque in schools without any problems, so you will be able to master this language in an easy and playful way /…/"

First, don't treat your learning as hard work. Remember, you shouldn’t overexert yourself, you should approach things in a relaxed manner. Just follow our instructions and let us guide you through this course!

Secondly, remember to practice regularly! This is the foundation of linguistic assimilation, introduction into language environment. Consult a tutorial for at least twenty minutes a day: it is better to devote twenty minutes (even fifteen, if you can’t devote more time) to studying daily than to devote three hours to studying, but only one day a week. Rule: a little every day!

Thirdly, do not memorize anything! Read the Basque text carefully, trying to understand its meaning as a whole, without mechanically translating each word. In the first lessons you will find instructions on how to pronounce the text. The oharrak (notes) section provides grammatical comments directly related to the lesson text. Perhaps some of them are too detailed, but we decided to explain everything and not be afraid of repetitions in order to reduce your work to simply reading the comments. Thus, the information will be stored in your head. There is no need (at this stage) to memorize grammar or tables of declination and conjugation - you can do this later, if necessary; in the meantime, it is the repetition of grammatical information that will serve as your assistant in assimilation with the Basque language."

After reading the introduction, I moved on to the lessons themselves - small dialogues with very high-quality audio accompaniment, literal translations, detailed comments and exercises. I have encountered different methods of teaching several foreign languages ​​(Italian, Romanian, Spanish), not to mention the horrors of the “academic” study of Euskara, and from my point of view, the methodology underlying the course presented on the website gives real chances without extra effort truly master a foreign language. However, these are, of course, only first impressions, and final conclusions can be drawn only after starting the exciting learning process.

I admit, I didn’t plan to seriously study the Basque language in the near future, but this textbook is simply impossible to ignore, it’s as if it says “Teach me!” and encourages action.

Comparison of this language course with others affects very important problem language teaching methods, because those who are trying to master Euskara first of all face the question: can a mere mortal do this, or is such a feat only capable of Hercules, or, at worst, a cool certified philologist? Horror stories about the incredible complexity of Euskara paralyze the will, and discourage beginners from any desire to “poke their nose into someone else’s business.” For example, did you know that “the declension in the Basque language is generally agglutinative, but in some cases the phenomena of cumulation and homosemy are observed”, and “verbs and whole sentences can be adjectivized using a special suffix, attached to the conjugated verb...”?

Didn't you know? Now you know, and at the same time you understand that it is better not to engage in this matter - you can forget your native language and develop a persistent allergic reaction to incomprehensible terms. And if all this information was really required for real practical mastery of the language, and not for its dissection, then one could risk one’s head by desperately diving into a scientific-like pool. But would this give a positive result? Hardly - rather irritation and lack of faith in one’s own strength. Thus, thanks to the unreasonable complication of the topic, one gets the impression that learning the Basque language is an impossible task, which only celestials who know what one-beat sonants and derivational affixes can cope with.

Fortunately, the Basques themselves do not think so. They readily and clearly explain everything that raises questions, making the perception of the language very comfortable. I’ll share my personal experience: at one time I didn’t even try to read Basque texts, considering myself doomed to failure in advance, but in the process of live communication I noticed that sometimes I could express my thoughts more easily in Basque than in Spanish and, mechanically looking through some short comments on Euskara, I was surprised to discover that in general outline I understand their meaning. Moreover, I practically don’t study the Basque language, concentrating my efforts on Spanish!

Of course, when talking about my impressions, I am not going to go to the extreme, claiming that there is nothing easier than learning euskara. The Basque language is indeed very complex, but it is precisely its complexity that requires simple methods studying. The gift of a real teacher is to simply talk about complex things, step by step, step by step, leading the student to the heights of knowledge. We should also not forget that everything ingenious is simple, and behind the veil of complexity and pseudoscience, very often there are those who simply have nothing to say.

A living language should be passed on from mouth to mouth, easily, like a gift, and not a painful obligation, and the textbook that I talked about can become a mediator for those who want to discover the unique Basque culture, get to know this wonderful people better, feel the music and the rhythm of the oldest European language, the roots of which go back to an unimaginably distant past. And for those who are interested in learning the Basque language using a very promising, in my opinion, method, I can only, joining the authors of the textbook, wish:

Note. Currently, the resource discussed in the article no longer exists. However, the ability to download lectures remains. With the kind permission of the author of the adopted translations, Alexei Krylov, I have posted links to download textbooks on my website. They can be found at the beginning of this page.

…..A language with its own history

Unity and tradition of the Basque language

EUSKARA – THE LANGUAGE OF THE BASQUE PEOPLE

Basque country - map

The Basque language is an inflectional language whose origins are still a mystery. The fact is that it is not an Indo-European language, and it is not similar to any of the languages ​​of neighboring countries. All this made it possible to put forward a number of hypotheses to explain the origin of this language. Since the Basque language shares some similarities with the Georgian language, some linguists believe that the language may be related to the languages ​​of the Caucasus. Others classify the language as a non-Arabic language of North Africa. One of the most possible hypotheses: Basque language developed locally (in situ) in the country of the Basque ancestors. This theory is supported by the finds of skulls of the Basque ancestors who lived in the Neolithic era, which excludes their migration from other regions. Many admit that the Basque language is a very ancient language, since in it we find words such as “axe” (“aizkora” or “haizkora”) for example, which have the same root as the word stone (“aitz”> or "haitz")

Throughout history, the Basque language has borrowed words not only from Latin, Castilian And French languages, but also from Celtic (Deba, zilar: "silver") and Arabic ("azoka" "market", gutuna: "writing"). On the other hand, words from Castilian for the concepts of “left” and “trash” (“izquierda” and “chatarra” respectively), as well as French And English"bizarre" (wild) comes from the Basque language.

Rural communities preserved the language for centuries. It is possible that before the arrival of the Romans, the Basque language was spread over a much larger area than at present: up to the border with Aquitaine in the north and the Ebro River in the south. According to statistics, today the Basque language is spoken by more than 600,000 people in the families of the historical Basque provinces: Labourdane, Zuberu and Basque Navarre (in France), Gipuzkoa, Vizcaya, Araba (Alava) and Navarre (in Spain). The Basque provinces in Spain are home to approx. 520,000 Basques whose mother tongue is Basque. This is 25% of the total population.

The Basque language did not have a written language until the 16th century, but despite this, a rich oral literature was created, which has survived to this day in the form of books "bertsolarismo" and other pastorals. Interestingly, the first written texts in Basque (the sentences “iziogui dugu” and “guec ajutu ez dugu”, “we lit” and “we did not help”) appeared in the 10th century. in the “dictionary of St. Emilianus” (“Glosas Emilianenses”), which contained the first examples of Castilian ballads. In the 12th century, the Codex Calixtus mentions a vocabulary of the Basque people living along the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. But the so-called “Linguae Vasconum Primitiae”, the first book written in the Basque language, by Bernard Etxepare, was published only in 1545. Since then, literature in the Basque language has constantly developed, but this has not happened without hindrance. “bersolarismo” is preserved in oral folklore. "bertsolaris" is a poetic improvisation in a given metrical form (eight, ten lines...) for which short melodies are used. The content of these poems can be very different: from satire and humor to elegant lyricism. Bersolaris competitions are held regularly; they help spread interest in this type of folklore.

Kilometroak is a popular movement to support Basque language. The Basque language has had a hard time at times. In addition to constantly having to defend its independence in the environment of such influential languages ​​as Castilian and French, the Basque language was considered a banned language during the dictatorship in the post-civil war period. For decades, children were forced to learn a second language and were severely punished for speaking Basque, even during playtime. At that time, a movement began to open Basque schools, called "ikastolas". After a long and systematic effort by many people, a parallel school system was created in which education began to be conducted in the Basque language. Today, Basque schools are in the process of joining the state Basque school, but in the French Basque state, and in some parts of Navarre, Basque schools are the only ones providing instruction in the Basque language.

One of the leading reasons was efforts aimed at restoring the Basque language among adults. So every year large number people whose native language is not Basque are taught to speak it. Therefore, the old myth that it is impossible to learn the Basque language has disappeared forever. In addition, religion became a key factor in the development of written Basque.

According to research conducted by the prince Louis Luciano Bonaparte, author of the Linguistic Charter of 1883, the Basque language is divided into seven main dialects (Roncalés, the eighth, is considered dead) and a number of dialects. The reason for this diversity: geographical location and that until recently the Basque language was mainly spoken in rural areas. Beginning in 1964, the first steps were taken to establish a common language with the aim of modernizing the language and using it as a means of disseminating culture. In 1968, this task was entrusted to the Euskaltzaindia (Basque Language Academy), founded in Oñate in 1918. The unified Basque language became known as Euskara Batua (single). It was created on the basis of various dialects: Laburdi (with an extensive literary tradition) and Guipuzkoa. Despite natural criticism and controversy, Euskara Batua is currently the most widely spoken language used in local media, literature, and education.

…the ancient language remains unchanged

In the Middle Ages, the geographical area where Euskara was the main language covered all the Basque provinces, with the exception of the western tip of the Bay of Biscay and the southern tip of Navarre and Alava. Over several centuries, this territory expanded beyond the Basque country to the south, to parts of the Rioja region and to the north of Burgos. It is also likely that in the Middle Ages, in the high valleys of the Pyrenees, to the east of the Basque country, dialects of this language also existed.

Since the Middle Ages, the area where Euskara is the main language of communication has been steadily declining. By the eighteenth century, the Basques had lost most of the province of Alava, and in the nineteenth century the language ceased to be used in a large area of ​​Navarre. Unlike the southern regions, where the decline of the language became increasingly widespread over the last three centuries, the northern boundaries of the Euskara language remained stable, probably due to the fact that the neighboring language was not French, but Gascon, a dialect of Occitan.

Currently, Euskara's distribution area has been reduced to the Bay of Biscay, with the exception of the western tip and the city of Bilbao, Gipuzkoa, the Aramayo Valley in northern Alava, the northwestern region of Navarre and the entire northern Basque country (Basque territory within the French border), excluding urban areas Bayonne, Anglet and Biarritz.
The earliest traces of the Euskara language in history are found in the many proper names appearing in Roman inscriptions in Aquitaine. They consist mainly of the personal name and the name of the deity, which are easily recognizable today in modern Basque names. So, for example, Andere means “woman, girl”, and Nescato means “maiden”. There are also several adjectives and suffixes that also support the fact that these are the first written traces of the Euskara language, dating back to the first centuries after Christ.

Although until now this was the predominant and often the only language used in the distribution of Euskara, we cannot say that this is the case today. Currently, even within the Euskara region, a minority of the population knows it: only a quarter of the inhabitants of the Basque country, and slightly less than half of the inhabitants of the Euskara region. However, the number of speakers among the younger generation is increasing, and more adults have begun to learn the language.

Some common words and expressions in Basque

(Russian = Euskara)

Yes = Bai
No = Ez
Thank you = Eskerrik asko
Thank you very much = Eskerrik asko
Please = Ez horregatik
Please = Mesedez, Arren
Sorry = Barkaidazu
Hello = Kaixo
Farewell = Agur
Bye = Gero arte
Good morning = Egun on
Good afternoon = Arratsalde on
Good evening = Arratsalde on
Good night = Gabon

I don't understand = Ez dut ulertzen
How do you say this in.. [English]? = Nola esaten da hau?
Do you speak... = Hitz egiten al duzu...?
English = ingelesez
French = frantzesez
German = alemanieraz
Spanish = gazteleraz
Chinese = txineraz

i = ni
we = gu
you = hi
you = zu
you=zuek
they = haiek
What is your name? = Zein da zure izena?
Very nice. = Pozten nau zu ezagutzeak
How are you? = Zer moduz zaude?
Good = Ongi
Bad = Gaizki
So-so = Erdipurdi

Wife = Emazte
Husband = Senar
Daughter = Alaba
Son = Seme
Mother = Ama
Father = Aita
Friend = Lagun

Where is the bathroom? or Where is the toilet? = Non dago komuna?

Some examples of grammatical forms and their use:

a. "The child fell in the street"
umea kalean erori da
child-street-fall-verb “to be” in the 3rd unit

b. "the woman saw the man"
emakumeak gizona ikusi du
woman-man-apparently has

c. "the man gave the book to the child"
gizonak umeari liburua eman dio
the man-child-has-the-book.

NUMBERS

(Russian = Basque)

zero= huts
one= bat
two=bi
three= hiru
four= lau
five= bost
six= sei
seven= zazpi
eight= zortzi
nine= bederatzi
ten= hamar
eleven= hamaika
twelve= hamabi
thirteen= hamahiru
fourteen= hamalau
fifteen= hamabost
sixteen= hamasei
seventeen= hamazazpi
eighteen= hemezortzi
nineteen= hemeretzi
twenty= hogei
twentyone= hogeita bat
thirty= hogeita hamar
fourty= berrogei
fifty= berrogeita hamar
sixty= hirurogei
seventy= hirurogeita hamar
eighty= laurogei
ninety= laurogeita hamar
one hundred= ehun
thousand= mila
million= milioi bat

Basque Dictionary of Place Names

Many place names appearing here must be accompanied by their physical description. Therefore, it would be useful to know some of the most commonly used words.

Basque is an inflected language whose origins are still controversial. The fact that it is not an Indo-European language and does not show any connections with the languages ​​of neighboring countries has led to a number of hypotheses to explain its origin. Due to some similarities with the Georgian language, some linguists believe that it may be related to the languages ​​of the Caucasus. Others associate it with the non-Arabic languages ​​of northern Africa. One of the most likely hypotheses believes that the Basque language developed "in situ", in the country of the ancient Basques. This theory is supported by some finds of Basque-type skulls in Neolithic excavations, which exclude the thesis of immigration from other areas. Many people believe that it is a very ancient language, on the grounds that there are some words, such as, for example, the word for an ax (" aizkora" or " haizkora"), which have the same root as the word for rock (" aitz" or " haitz")

Throughout history, the Basque language has borrowed words not only from Latin, Castilian and French, but also from Celtic ( Deba, zilar"silver") and Arabic ( azoka"market", gutuna"letter"). On the other hand, words such as Castilian for "left" and "shred" ( izquierda And chatarra respectively), as well as French and English for "quaint" ( bizarre), came from the Basque language.

Apparently, before the Roman conquest, the area of ​​​​distribution of the Basque language was wider than the present one and was bordered in the north by Aquitane, and in the south by the Ebro River. It is estimated that more than 600,000 people currently speak Basque in the seven Basque historical regions: Lapurdi, Zuberoa and Behenafarroa (in France), and Gipuzkoa, Bizcaia, Araba and Navarre (in Spain). There are 520,000 Basque speakers in the Basque provinces of Spain, representing 25% of their total population.

The Basque language was unwritten until the 16th century, but this was not an obstacle to the creation of a rich oral literature, the preservation of "bertsolarismo" and pastorals to this day. It is curious that the first written texts in Basque (sentences " iziogui dugu" And " guec ajutu ez dugu", i.e. "we lit" and "we did not help") - are found in the Glosas Emilianenses (10th century), which contains the first examples of Castilian ballads. Calixtino Codex(12th century) mentions a certain Basque dictionary of people who lived along the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. But Linguae Vasconum Primitiae, the first book written in Basque by Bernard Dechepare, was not published until 1545. Since then, not without difficulty, a thriving literature has developed. Bersolarismo is preserved in oral literature. "Bertsolaris" is a poetic improvisation in a given metrical form (eight, ten lines...) for which several melodies are used. The content of the poems varies from satire and humor to the most beautiful lyrics. Bersolaris competitions are held regularly; they contribute to the spread of this type of folk literature and increase interest in it.

Life has not been easy for the Basques. Besides having to compete with two powerful neighboring languages ​​like Castilian and French, Basque was a banned language during the dictatorship that followed the civil war. For decades, children were forced to learn in an unknown language, and were severely punished if they spoke Basque, even while playing. At that time, a powerful movement arose to open Basque schools called " ikastolas". As a result of long and systematic efforts of many people, in order to meet the needs for education in the Basque language, a parallel school network was founded. Today, Basque schools are gradually becoming part of the Basque public school, but in the French Basque Country and in parts of Navarre Basque schools are - the only ones providing training in Basque.

We must also mention the efforts made to revive the Basque language among adults. Thus, every year a large number of people whose mother tongue is other than Basque learn to speak Basque. Thus, the old myth that Basque is an impossible language to learn was buried forever.

After research carried out Prince Luis Luciano Bonaparte, by Linguistic Charter(1883) it is generally accepted that the Basque language consists of seven main dialects (the eighth, Roncales, is already extinct) and many sub-dialects. The reason for this diversity is geographical distribution, and the fact that until recently the Basque language was spoken mainly in rural areas. In order to modernize the language so that it could be used as a means of cultural communication, starting in 1964, the first steps were taken towards unifying the language. Since 1968, Euskaltzindia(Basque Academy of Language), founded in Oñate in 1918, fulfilled this task. The unified Basque language was named Euskara Batua(unified), and is based mainly on a number of dialects of the regions of Laburdi (with the main literary tradition) and Gipuzkoa. Despite natural criticism and objections, Euskara Batua is currently the most widely used variant used in the media, literature and education.

For those who wish to know more about the Basque language and literature, there are two interesting pocket books: "Mitología e Ideología sobre la Lengua Vasca", A. Tovar, and "Historia Social de la Literatura Vasca", Ibon Sarasola, Akal. For a more detailed study of literature: "Historia de la Literatura Vasca", Fr. L. Villasante, Ed., Aranzazu, 1979.

Useful information about the Basque language

We provide here some useful words for guests visiting Gipuzkoa. Of course, our goal is not to teach “Basque in 10 lessons.”

Basque is not a difficult language to pronounce, and we point out here some of the most important differences from Castilian.

: ge And gi like gue And gui in Castilian, respectively. For example, in the word Gipuzkoa. : similar ch in Castilian; For example, " coche" (car). : similar tx, but softer. : similar zz in Italian pizza. : similar sh in English show. :s sibilant.

It should be remembered that since Basque is an inflected language, words in this list may have different suffixes depending on the case in which they are used, for example:

Dictionary of courtesy

Understand labels (in alphabetical order)

At the bar (how to order)

Basque Dictionary of Place Names

Many place names found here must be accompanied by a physical description. Therefore, it would be useful to know some of the most commonly used words.

For example:

Aizkorri: a bare mountain

Etxeberria: a new house (new house)

There are three nationalities on the globe - the Guanches, Basques and Etruscans, the mystery of whose origin remains an unsolved mystery for many scientists to this day.

The Basques are an ancient people whose origins are still a mystery. These people live in the Pyrenees Mountains (which form the border between Spain and France) and surrounding regions.

The Basque language, the only Western European language not belonging to the Indo-European family, is related to a group of dialects of small isolated peoples living in the valleys of the Caucasus Mountains.

Representatives of Western European classical linguistics began to approach this topic. De Charency, Louis-Lucien Bonaparte, Arno Grimm, and later Winkler compared Basque with the Ural-Altaic languages. K. Oshtir tried to include it in the “Alarodian” circle of languages, to which, in addition to Basque, he includes Etruscan, Illyrian, Raetian, Ligurian, Egyptian and non-Indo-European languages ​​of the Caucasus.

Yes. Now I remember that I read one unscientific article where the author claimed that some American Indians and Basques could even understand each other. This has been cited as evidence that Basque is the language spoken in Atlantis.

The Basques interested anthropologists for another reason - besides the fact that their language is unlike any other language in the world. Now it turns out that their blood type is different from the blood groups of other peoples. One out of every three Basques has Rh negative blood. This means that the frequency of the Rh-negative gene among them is 60 out of a hundred.

Although the Basques are very similar in appearance to their French and Spanish neighbors, they have the lowest prevalence of the third blood group gene (initially it was not present at all) and the highest concentration of the first blood group gene in Europe. The Basques are thus considered to be the descendants of an ancient race - they did not mix much with later newcomers because they lived in remote mountainous areas.

The ancestors of modern Basques are the Vascones from whom they inherited their name. The Vascons were Huguenots, and the rest of France were Catholics.
The Parisians did not like the Huguenots - they were different, savage mountaineers (Navarre is a mountainous region), they behaved arrogantly and defiantly in the capital. And their leader Coligny was the King's best friend and adviser.
But it was not defiant behavior that caused the Night of St. Bartholomew, but the struggle for power and influence over the king.
And the result of this night was not a victory over the Huguenots - but the fact that Henry was on the throne of France4.
The Valois dynasty ended with the very king under whom the massacre occurred.

Famous Huguenots

The American Indians are another example of “ancient peoples” who have survived to this day. It has been noted that purebred American Indians have blood type O and are Rh negative.

Paul Kane. Portrait of Omoxesisixany or Big Snake, Chief of the Blackfeet Indians

Young Omaha, War Eagle, Little Missouri and Pawnee, 1821. C. B. King

Basques and Basque country. Almost not Spain

Spain, strange as it may sound to some, is a multilingual country. In addition to Spanish (which in turn consists of many dialects), there are officially two other full-fledged languages ​​- Catalan and Basque. The Basque language, or Euskara, is the one and only language, shrouded in mystery of origin. His relationship to the others has never been established.

How the Basques took his famous sword from Roland
Learned historians and philologists from different countries have been struggling with the genealogy of the Basque language for almost 200 years - and all in vain! The German linguist Hugo Schuchardt and the French scientist Prince Louis-Lucien Bonaparte tried to somehow classify it. Wilhelm von Humboldt died without completing his research. Sometimes they find similarities with Caucasian languages, sometimes there are distant hints of kinship with the Afro-Asian family of languages. But all these connections are so weak that linguists around the world have agreed to consider it exceptional and standing apart from everyone else. Meanwhile, now in the Basque Country alone it is spoken by more than a million people on both sides of the border between Spain and France, and about 120 thousand Basques living in Latin America and the USA.

It is generally accepted that the Basques are the most ancient people of Western Europe. In any case, they appeared in the Pyrenees long before the arrival of the Indo-Europeans. Roman authors mentioned the Bascon tribes in their writings. It seems that these same tribes subsequently stubbornly resisted all the newcomers in a row: the Visigoths and Franks, the Normans and the Moors, and thus happily survived to this day, preserving their unique language. In particular, the famous “Song of Roland” describes in detail how the Basque tribes cut off and defeated the rearguard of Charles’s army at the Battle of Roncesvalles back in 778. Most historians are inclined to believe that Euskara was spoken long before the Roman legionnaires came to Europe. Nevertheless, over a couple of thousand years of proximity to its Romance neighbors, this language absorbed something from the Latin vocabulary, but mainly in areas related to administrative, commercial and military activities.

We call the Basque ditty bertzolaria!
Since ancient times, the Basque language has had and still maintains a rich tradition of oral versification, the so-called bertzolaria and chants (pastorals). Traditional berzolaria are characterized by rhymed improvisations in a certain rhythm. Moreover, the themes are by no means limited to satirical and comic plots characteristic of folk art (remember our ditties!), but are also rich in lyrical components. To this day, folk bertsolaris competitions (txapelketak de bertsolaris) are regularly held in the Basque Country. The beautiful polyphonic singing of the mountaineers fascinates listeners in the same way as it did a thousand years ago. It is curious that the first texts written in Euskara can be found already in the "Praises of Emilia", a work of the 10th century, considered one of the very first collections of Spanish romance. In the 12th century, interspersed Basque words and expressions with translations were noted in Castilian literature. Meanwhile, the first book printed in Euskara proper dates back to 1545, called “Languages ​​of the Ancient Basques” (Linguae Vasconum Primitiae), its author is Bernard Dechepare.

Since then, literature in the Basque language has developed rapidly and reached its peak by the 20th century. This tradition was temporarily interrupted during Civil War in Spain and the dictatorship of General Franco. The main cities of the Basque Country, Bilbao and Guernica, lay in ruins, and all, even oral, use of euskara was prohibited.

Almost half a century later, the dictatorship collapsed, and in return, Spanish society received a wonderful product of the era - the Basque Freedom Movement and its extremist wing - ETA (Euzkadi Ta Azkatasuna), which periodically excites the whole of Spain with its terrorist antics.

And this despite the fact that, according to the president of the Spanish Club in Kyiv, Don Alfredo (Basque by origin, which is why he also added the prefix Arrieta to the surname Fernandez), the distinctive features of his people are kindness, love of polyphonic singing and sophistication in clothing, the main the subject of which for men is a beret. Women are distinguished by exceptional beauty and modesty. And the cuisine, which has been elevated to the rank of high art, is not at all similar to Spanish, but rather reminiscent of Georgian. So if in Spain you meet a man in a beret named José, but with a hooked nose and an atypical Spanish surname Aguirreburualde, most likely you are looking at a Basque, and you can safely say to him: “Caisho, sir modus?”, which means in Euskara : "Hi, how are you?" He'll probably be happy...

As for the language itself, it really does sound a little like Georgian or Armenian. We will still provide some linguistic equivalents for travelers to this curious country with excellent cuisine, which even the Spaniards themselves speak with admiration of, and where portions, according to eyewitnesses, are never less than half a kilogram in weight.

Denis Bannikov

What's happened
EUSKARA
or
Where does the Language of the Basque Country come from?

This work was born, one might say, by accident.
Just like the vast majority of readers, I have nothing to do with the language of the Basque Country, Euskara Batua, as they themselves call it; I haven't studied it and don't speak it. I have never been specifically interested in foreign languages, and I do not have a linguistic or philological education. My knowledge is limited to a French special school, and several years of studying (or, more correctly, forgetting) this language at the institute. Then, mainly through songs (like many of my peers), I acquired a very general knowledge of English.
We learned the language “by ear”, and incomprehensible, illegible words were replaced with phonetically similar abracadabra. There was no Internet then, and there were no texts included with “branded” discs. And these discs themselves were rare. Let me clarify - we are talking about “vinyl” and the early 80s of the last century.
I remember on the Pink Floyd record, at the beginning of the famous composition “Another Brick In The Wall,” amid the noise of a helicopter propeller, we suddenly heard: “Bill! I'm here! Get up, there is a case!” Of course there was something else there. But the effect of something elusively phonetically very close made a strong impression. By the way, I’m still so naive and don’t know what is being said in that place. Someday I'll probably find out...
We also believed that the Duke of Buckingham, a character in “The Three Musketeers,” is spelled “BACKINGAME” in English, that is, “BACK TO THE GAME.”
Yes, so funny and naive. In a word - I have no tricks, no secrets. "Zero level". So why did I undertake to write about the language of the Basque Country?
Since childhood, I have been curious that some words in languages ​​are similar to each other, but mean different things. And others are completely different, although they mean the same thing. Gradually, for myself, I discovered certain patterns in this similarity and dissimilarity. And I wanted to go further, to the next pattern. That is, it took me a long time and intuitively to reach the axioms known to professional linguists.
But in this work I deliberately retained this naive, “childish” approach. For the Euskara language truly defies any explanation. If you use only the “correct professional method”.
I will not use special terms - “ergative”, “agglunate”, “subject-object-predicate” and the like. I read about them, understood their meaning, but it would be funny if I began to manipulate them, trying to give my thoughts some kind of “scholarship”. We will not delve into the jungle of cases, declensions, changes verb form from the time of its use and so on. I would like to apologize right away that I am using foreign words here without articles; and in Russian words, instead of the prefix “bes-” I write “bez-”, according to the old canon.
So, we are interested in the fundamental principle of language - the word.
Or, as the Basques would construct the phrase - The Word Interests Us. Beautiful. Of course, and the letters it consists of. And the meanings, the translation of these words - how it froze, was fixed for today.

WHAT ARE WE ALLOWED TO KNOW?

This is what official science tells us today.
The origins of the Basque language are unknown; most likely, it does not belong to the Indo-European group; it appeared earlier than all possible languages ​​known today (!) , more... (different thousand-year numbers are named here); the language is considered isolated, not similar to any known language; there are traces of borrowings from Latin, Arabic, Celtic, French, Aquitanian. All theories of origin were found untenable (as they were put forward by amateurs); everything that will be told to you about the Basque language other than the official version is complete nonsense; and so on, and so on, and so on...
That is, all passages are blocked. “We don’t know this ourselves, but don’t try to find out either, because every theory of yours Necessarily turns out to be wrong..."
This is a rather cold rebuke. Curious, isn't it?

CURTSY

So, I'm an amateur. I hasten to admit this, so as not to bring lightning on my head from all sides.
I stand before the formidable fortress of the Established Unshakable Knowledge, and I am amazed at its power and greatness. Is it possible to do anything against this monolith, if so many spears have already been hopelessly broken against its wall before me? And a certain historical analogy involuntarily comes to mind.
“It is known that our Earth is flat. This firmament rests on three elephants, and they, in turn, stand on a large turtle. And all this is surrounded on all sides by ocean water.
Above there is a vault of heaven on which the heavenly bodies are located. Some of them are larger - they shine brighter. Others are smaller, they shine weaker. Behind the firmament there is a special substance - ether, which fills all limits. And finally, the Sun moves around the Earth, rising from one edge of the firmament, and leaving at the end of the day behind the other.”
Do you have anything to say?
Ah, again you say that the Earth may have the shape of a ball. I thought so! But who has proven this? What speaks in favor of this fact?! After all, if (let us assume such a heresy for a moment) - if this were so - then on the other side of the ball people would walk upside down. And how could they manage to stay on the surface and not fall down?! How would water stay on the firmament? All rivers, seas and oceans would drain from the Earth, a universal drought would set in, and life would immediately cease!
Isn't this logical? And if so, then all attempts to object to something are simply amateurishness. If you persist in your amateurism, then...” What follows are arguments in the style of Abdurahman ibn Hottab, the old man Hottabych from the popular children's book of the same name.
Oddly enough, in subsequent years much of this “amateurism” was nevertheless officially recognized.

AN ATTEMPT OF DOUBT

That the origin of the Basque language does not have no explanation - suggests that an explanation may be in front of us.
The secret of the most inventive trick turns out to be
simple. Moreover, this is very important! - it turns out to be the only possible one. But only after it is revealed to you.
Who came up with this trick? In my opinion, the two oldest, most sophisticated inventors are: Time and Circumstance.
I will also try to explain everything as simply as possible. The way I saw it myself. I will try to show something that does not require any special knowledge to understand. Showing what is visible, if not at first glance, and not from the first minute - then, after some reflection - is obligatory.
I'm not saying prove it. It seems to me that it is impossible to definitively prove anything in our world. For, at the top of any proof there is the notorious “last question”. Which, in turn, requires the following proof, which is probably completely indisputable.
And so on ad infinitum.
Do we believe that the universe came into being as a result of the Big Bang?
But who, or what, predetermined the Big Bang itself? What was the fuse and what was the detonator? Who set the time of the explosion? And why? Questions that cannot be answered, but only translated into the plane of faith. Or disbelief.
Although - if you know the exact answers to them - you probably know EVERYTHING. And then there is no secret for you in the origin of the language of the Basque Country. Yes, and all other languages. Hallelujah!
Yes, but what is “HALLELUJAH”, “HALLELUJA”? Where did this “ancient religious chant” come from and what does it mean? How is it translated into Russian? Of course, you know this too. Well, I still have to rack my brains about this.
By the way, in my work I will rely on primacy of the oral form over the written form- which cannot but please respected linguists. Although I did not write it for the sake of “recognition,” “entry into scientific communities,” or “sensational discoveries.” I want it to help us look at familiar things with a new, unbiased look.
Remember: the magician creates a distraction with "old spells" while a "disappearance" occurs. This trick has been around for thousands of years, but audiences always fall for it. After all, everything is arranged in such a way as not to leave the public the slightest chance to doubt what is happening.
To uncover this old trick, you don't need to go behind the scenes and spy on the magician's preparations; and it is not necessary to become a member of any " secret society dedicated."
In our case, you don’t need to be a polyglot, know ancient hieroglyphs, cuneiform and cryptography; or be able to “read between the lines.”
It is enough to read the lines themselves carefully.

Science (blessed be its name!) knows island tribes, whose language, way of life, customs, beliefs, even genetic characteristics are isolated, unique, and are not found either on a neighboring island or in the world at all.
But the Basques do not live on an island in the Pacific Ocean, or in the crater of an extinct volcano, lost thousands of miles from civilization. And in their case, “isolation” seems somewhat... how to put it mildly... far-fetched.
Basques live in Europe! That's the thing! And not on an island, but quite on the continent.
Any travel guide will tell you that three Basque provinces are in Spain - Alava, Vizcaya and Guipuzcoa. They form the so-called “autonomous region of the Basque Country” (Euskadi). In addition to this, there are also the northern regions of Spanish Navarre, where there are also many Basques. Plus, there are three southern border French Basque provinces - Lapurdi, Nafarroa Beherea, Suberoa. That is, the Basque Country is located between Spain and France, stretching from the Pyrenees in the southeast to the Bay of Biscay in the north.
These seven Basque-speaking provinces have been contesting their right to autonomy and independence for years.

This word means "HERITAGE" in Euskara.
There are periods in the history of any country when the distant future is laid out. When national ideas are established and developed among the people. Unfortunately, they can be both creative and destructive. As a rule, the ideas of unification, ordering, and development are for the benefit of the country. Each citizen feels needed, unique, protected - just like particles of the Great People.
And on the contrary - the ideas of demarcation, isolation, superiority - this is the path of wars, rebellions and revolutions. We learned from our own national experience what happens to the people in this case.
Therefore, I am certainly opposed to any radical methods of changing the existing order. The history of the confrontation between Basque nationalism and the Spanish crown is full of them to this day. After all, radicalism benefits only those who receive dividends from it.
Let us remember the Russian-Turkish wars of the Romanov period. Russia and Turkey needed them least of all. But the two countries stubbornly clashed with each other in territorial claims. As historians write, because it “happened historically.” Let’s ask a simple, childish question: “And who did it “historically”?
And then - a more complex, adult one: “How many dividends were received by this “mysterious adder” from the blood of people?”
The same pattern is clearly visible in the history of Basque-Spanish radicalism. The same conflict artificially introduced by “someone”.

But what should these great nations share?
In the name of the Spanish Crown, the New World was discovered, and it was also proven that the Earth is spherical. It was the Basque Sebastian El Cano who completed the heroic path that Ferdinand Magellan set out on. Yes, it was a race for new lands, for spices, for gold; but from a historical perspective, these were the steps without which we would still be standing “on three elephants and a turtle under the vault of heaven.”
Spain faced this heroic end. The Spanish spirit, the Spanish faith, generosity - these are the components that can be in demand in solving the “Basque question”.
Everything will fall into place if we reveal the mystery of the Euskara language, and with it the origin of the Basque people. If we show that the Basque Country and Spain have single great past and great heritage. Which is reflected in the Basque word “OINORDETZA”, if you look at its root “ORD” - in the most literal, linguistic sense. Despite the fact that Now the peoples of these countries speak different languages.
From my point of view, this is vitally important. This is the prospect for the development of peoples in peace, pride and harmony.

EXCELLENT SOLUTION

So, the Basque language is not like other European languages. Let's take a look at the map of Europe and find an analogue to this phenomenon.
For example, Hungary. The Hungarian (Magyar) language is also not like many European ones. But - it is still united in the Finno-Ugric language group (Finnish, Mordovian, Chud, etc.). This classification has long been recognized and is not disputed by anyone.
And in general, given complete ignorance of the neighboring language, a Swede can still understand a Norwegian, a Pole can understand a Ukrainian, and a Frenchman can understand an Italian. A Spaniard will, of course, have difficulty understanding a Dane, but they can explain themselves with a few broken, common English words. Which, in turn, are also “brokenly” understandable to almost all Europeans, and not only to them.
But let’s imagine that the Basques, as a proud and independent people, do not want to speak to you in broken English! And also in broken Spanish, French, Norwegian, Greek, “Latin” and all other “broken and unbroken”, “Indo-European” and other languages.
Let's imagine that the Basques want to speak to you only in their Euskara Batua (unified Basque) language. And then, even if you were the most “polyglot polyglot,” you would not understand anything. Nothing! That is, in the middle of Europe there live a million people speaking a language that no one in Europe (and in the world) understands! And I never understood!!
Well, the research is over, as a brilliant solution has been found.
Basques are aliens. Any objections?

FORCED CONTINUATION

Unfortunately, the solution I found in the previous chapter is not final. Of course, I'm upset by this fact. After all, it would miraculously explain all the “dark places” and “white spots” in the origin of the Basque language. And most importantly, it would explain its officially recognized antiquity. After all, what do we know? That the Basque language appeared a long, long time ago. Let's ask a naive childish question: how long ago? They will again patiently tell us: two; four thousand years ago. Or maybe ten...
Then we will be completely ill-mannered: “Can’t you be more precise? Still, four thousand five hundred eight (4508) years, or still eleven thousand three hundred eighteen (11318)?” And the wise scientist-historian will wearily take off his glasses, look forgivingly at the next amateur, and say: “I think, closer to the second date...”; and will direct his gaze into the distance, as if piercing time with it...
For my “alien solution” - the further the better. Ten thousand years ago. Or - fifty! This is great dating! If Euskara appeared “approximately” (as historians like to leave a loophole for themselves) 50,000 years ago, everything becomes clear even to an infant.
I see this picture: an alien spaceship is hovering over the peaks of the Pyrenees, from there aliens descend in shining rays and say to our entire earthly world: “ARRATSALDEON!”, which in Basque means “GOOD EVENING!”
Further, “as the chronicler narrates,” the newcomers settled compactly near the Pyrenees Mountains. Why here, why didn’t they spread to wider territories? Well, first of all, how much can you take with you from a distant unknown Galaxy on board? And then, aliens millions of light years did not fly here to mingle with the aborigines and their local wild dialects.
Thousands, tens of thousands of years pass this way. All this time, the “alien Basques” are patiently waiting for the local civilization (and local historians and linguists like it) to reach a suitable level of development in order to recognize their language as “isolated, the most ancient and mysterious.” And steadfastly repel all attempts to understand its origin.
But, as I already said, my harmonious theory collapses.
Firstly, no evidence has survived to support it. Neither oral, nor especially written. There are no cave paintings in which the characteristic Basque headdress - the beret - could be at least somehow identified with an alien ship, or a flying saucer,
or a helmet. It's a pity…
And secondly (and this indirectly emphasizes the level of the problem) - the Basques were even subjected to genetic examination. Yes! And here the second blow awaited me - nothing indicating their extraterrestrial origin was found.
Specifically: studies (based on the study of mitochondrial DNA) have shown that the genetic makeup of the Basques coincides with the typical genetic makeup of most Europeans. That is, they are the same people as all the inhabitants of Europe. Approximately the same age of origin. Not aliens at all... In general, it’s not that again...

So, in my assumptions I found myself “at the bottom.” The "alien theory" has failed. I didn't create any others. Therefore, in order to recover from the failure, I will allow myself a few words about what are called written and, in general, historical documents.

WHAT TO BELIEVE?

Returning to the “alien” dating in the previous chapter: of course, fifty thousand years is too much for written evidence. The same as ten, five, one thousand years. To be sure of the reality of the events described, it is better to read what was written to us towards the end of the 16th century. And even better, more reliable, calmer - starting from the 17th century. It is an amazing coincidence that Basque writing dates back to the same period for the first time.
What's surprising here, you ask? The fact that at this time the officially accepted concept begins to take shape today's day history.
Comprehensive historical works and new geographical maps consolidate the world order within the boundaries of the Old World, that is, Europe; and in the “newly discovered lands” of the New World. Ancient documents and artifacts are being discovered that confirm the preferential rights of a particular country in geopolitical, religious, cultural and other spheres.
Such documents and chronicles existed before. But an increasing number of their discoveries and finds, starting from the second half of the 16th century; and most importantly, the brilliant coordination of “ancient sources” with the official model of history has become ubiquitous and indisputable.
Scheme: “We lived here four (five; ten - underline as necessary) thousand years ago, and we descend from Romulus (Alexander; Rurik). And who are you? Nothing is written about you anywhere” (here follows a list of authoritative names and sources from antiquity). How can you not believe them?!
It is interesting that all this happens after the “Troubles” and the Romanovs coming to power in Rus'; and the beginning of the Reformation in Europe. Coincidence?
Scientific disputes around stretches and blind spots in officially accepted history have been going on for a long time. As a naive amateur, I studied some alternative historical hypotheses with interest. In my opinion, not everything in them is indisputable. But that’s why they are “hypotheses”. But the reaction to them from official historians is surprising in its categorical aggressiveness. They say the scientific world is cruel, insults in disputes are not uncommon... Well, perhaps; but such a reaction makes me even more doubtful of the “sacred infallibility” of the current historical canon.
I say this because any language - and Euskara is no exception - cannot exist and develop outside of a historical context. If the Basques are not aliens, then the same earthly civilizational processes are valid for them. And common inconsistencies in the official history. We will not go into disputes here about the countless dynasties of pharaohs and kings, real or legendary. There are simpler examples.

As is known for certain, bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. This is even admitted official history. But she dates the “Bronze Age” to a time when metallurgy (the process of obtaining) tin was still didn't exist. Explaining that “obviously, some particles of tin in their natural form, in random proportions, were mixed with copper during smelting.” Strange; as if history and chemistry exist in some parallel worlds...
I anticipate: “Oh, so he read dangerous books! That the story is artificially lengthened; that the events and characters of antiquity are fictitious! That in Rus' there was no “yoke”, but there was a Great (Mogul) Empire, and the Horde is just a Russian regular army! He's a heretic!
I was waiting for this auto-da-fe. But, unlike the “agitprop” of the Reformation, not everyone who appeared before the court of the Inquisition was accused of heresy. Many were acquitted after the trial. So let's find out?
Indeed: the Horde - be it the “Mongol-Tatar yoke” or the “Russian army” - was real historical phenomenon, formation of the east. After all, this is not heresy, is it? And I want to show traces of this phenomenon in the language of the Basque Country; than to doubt its “isolation” and “unlike anything else.” I also want to show the Horde reflected in others foreign languages. I didn't have any "voices", I just read the words and the letters in them. Only by comparing words and letters do I want to reconstruct the chain of events.
I believe that if phenomenon “A” is reflected in phenomena “AB”, “AC”, “AD”, “AE”, then phenomenon “A” is primary in relation to the others, and not vice versa. Are there any signs of heresy in this statement? Hardly...
Thus, at the end of my amateurish research, I want to objectively lean in favor of one version or another.
Outside of any historical and linguistic conjuncture.
So, the Euskara language “arrived” just in time. As soon as the modern historical picture of the world began to take shape clearly (late 16th - 17th centuries), writing immediately appeared in the Basque language.
Again a naive question arises: how did the “most ancient European language” manage without writing? before that? How did the Basque Sebastian El Cano, apparently unable to write (and also read, since there was no written language), end up in Ferdinand Magellan’s command as one of the senior officers in 1519? Perhaps he learned “ancient Latin” for this?
Isn't there some inconsistency here?
In general, this is a very interesting question: “What language do people communicate with each other until the “Renaissance” gives them writing?” And not some “prehistoric people of the early Neolithic”, but completely Europeans, Basques - the same captain El Cano? It is quite possible that many of his compatriots didn't know how read and write. But it does not automatically follow from this that they did not have their own alphabet, from which, in turn, words they understood were compiled. Otherwise, they would communicate with primitive monosyllabic interjections, like the islanders who still use a stone scraper. Unlike the rest of the “enlightened Europeans” who lived next to them.
Solving historical puzzles is complicated not only by the reality or the “legendary” nature of an event. There is another important aspect: the interpretation of this event.

Let's take two chronicles dating from the same time, describing the same event (for example, a war) - but created in different countries. They can vary greatly. Even if these countries were allies in the war described. Here is a very clear example.
Ask the “average American”: who fought and who won in World War II? You'll hear about Pearl Harbor, the Japanese, Okinawa, D-day, and Adolf Hitler's flight to Argentina. Where he was caught and, under the name of Adolf Eichmann, brought to the court of the Sanhedrin. Most likely, "Lieutenant McLane played by Bruce Willis."
This is an exaggerated, but real level of their historical knowledge.
I grew up and studied in the imperial consciousness. Therefore, I objectively know a different interpretation of those events: in millions of families of my generation there were no grandfathers. They fell on the battlefield. And the main right to victory belongs to them, the Soviet soldiers. I use the word “Soviet” in strict accordance with the realities of that time. And the official name of the victorious empire.
But the propaganda of the “Third Reich”, for example, used a different term - “Jewish-Bolshevik”. And this interpretation, undoubtedly, would have remained in all textbooks and “serious historical works” if Hitler and his masters had won that war.
Deny that Soviet Union won the Great Patriotic War, and contributed decisive contribution to the overall victory of the Allies is impossible. While on the territory of the former empire there are those generations who know and remember. Generations that it's impossible to lie. And while there are documents confirming this. And they were created within our memory - in 50-60 years.
But for history, half a century is nothing.
And which of the two interpretations of one war will later be recognized as correct? If today the premises and results of “World War II” are being falsified, where is the guarantee that in 50 years these documents will simply not be destroyed?
Of course, this will only happen if there is political will in Russia for some reason will not be manifested in preserving the truth; and it will be replaced by another “global historical falsification.”
But, let's admit: Russia is not the Soviet Union, which won that war. This is a completely different state. He has a different ideology, different values ​​and perspectives. And a completely different weight in the world. Yes, it is located on the imperial territories that it inherited after the collapse. But nothing more. And I’m not sure that the “state of the Russian Federation” will inherit objective historical truth from the “USSR empire”. If you are sure, correct me.
Today, in real time, I am witnessing the substitution of history.
And at the same time, they convince me in every possible way that the “official history” written 300-400 years ago is the only true and objective document. It's just him, he's the only one! - absolutely unbiasedly describes everything that happened before him, in the XIII-XIV-XV centuries - including on the territory of my Motherland.
If "dominance and pre-emptive right"are so important today, when there are instant means of mass notification - television, radio, the Internet - then in ancient times the interpretation and revaluation of history were the number one weapon.
Not a sword, not a catapult, not a bow or a musket. And the historian's pen.
And the “correct interpretation” of the event. Or the people. Or language.

After all, it is enough to erase information about a language to erase information about a people. And in the free space you can carefully enter the desired “antique” text. As historians like to say in such cases, “found by chance” and “miraculously preserved.”
But I don’t want to blindly believe “fascinatingly written textbooks” and “serious historical works.” Where it was authoritatively explained to me why “historically” Spain and the Basque Country are at enmity, and “the Slaves (slaves) living in the east” should experience an inferiority complex.
This chapter is quite lengthy, but it is very important.
To understand not the “alien”, but the real historical course of events, where Time and Circumstances consciously put a lot of obstacles on the path to the truth.
Because the truth is usually inconvenient. And therefore it is not needed.
History is the most unfortunate of all sciences: it relies on exact facts that no one can ever confirm.
Therefore, I decided to discard all previous knowledge, all familiar ideas and images. I don't know anything, so I'll start with the basics.
Literally - from “az, beeches, lead” - from the alphabet.

A, B, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, С, O, P, R, S, T, U, X, Z

I have studied the Alphabet - this is how the Basques would construct this phrase. Luckily, it only had 22 letters. Even I, not a linguist, could do it. Methodically studying it, I made a stunning discovery: the letters “C”, “Q”, “V”, “W”, “Y” are missing in the Basque alphabet »!
That is, those that exist and are very commonly used in the ordinary, “Latin” alphabet. And imagine classical Latin without “C”, “Q”, “V” » - completely impossible. Try writing the name, or order of the emperor, without the letter "S" » - it will turn out to be “...AESAR”!
Imagine if at the beginning of the 21st century in Russia, in an official document you deliberately wrote: “...RESIDENT V.V. ... UTIN”, citing the fact that there is no letter “P” in your alphabet! You definitely wouldn't get praise for that. But now, as a last resort, you can refer to a printer defect. And maybe you won’t even be fired, but in those days... At best, you will be shackled in chains and sent to the local Colosseum to fight with similar “typographers,” and at worst...
It's better not to think about it!
But the Basques, according to scientists, in no way, well, in no way couldn't don't live under Caesar! After all, scientists unanimously claim that this is “the oldest European people that he is several thousand years old.” Although, they immediately make a cautious reservation: they say, “the Romans did not really want to conquer these territories.” Amazing exception!

METHODS. "CAESAR" METHOD

However, somehow the Basques under Caesar (and in general, under all Caesars), did not have the letter “in their alphabet” WITH", got out. But how?
It can be assumed that all written decrees were issued in Latin. The required letter was there. And in the local Basque dialect, it was replaced by a combination of letters available in the alphabet.
Then I began to look for letter combinations in the Basque language. Below I present them, as well as phonetic (sound) analogues of letters in the Russian language. We will need their knowledge in the future.

ts - h; c; ь g - g x - w dd - d
tx - h h - x, or as an aspiration z - s ll - l
tz - ts j - th ñ - н tt - th

Of course, these are not all options, but this is enough for the correct reading of the words. In addition, I found out: the Euskara language, like all others that we understand, has several territorial dialects. They differ in pronunciation, but are easily understood by all Basques, no matter what province they live in. Therefore, further, when transcribing Basque words, I will sometimes give a couple of pronunciation options. Without claiming, of course, to be absolutely correct. “Authenticity”, as they say in the world of science.
As you can see, the Latin letter “C” could be replaced by the Basque “TS” or “TZ”. And, phonetically, Caesar was pleased. Ave to him!
Then, just for fun, I looked to see if there were any equivalents to the word "CAESAR" among the Basque words.
And, just for fun, I found the word “ESAERA”.
That is, the same “CAESAR”, “CA-ESA(E)RA” only without the letter “ WITH»!
And this word means “SAYING”, “PROBERB”.
That is, a word that clearly comes from the Latin “CAESAR”, “CAESARIAN”, “IMPERIAL” - in Euskara it was recorded as “STATEMENT”. That is, a quote. That is, “THE EMPEROR’S STATEMENT”, as something that has no other interpretation; an immutable law, a complete thought... That is, “CAESAR” is synonym the words “STATEMENT”... So I spoke to myself, trying to strengthen myself in analogies, to build a bridge to understanding the remaining words; trying to find a method.
I tried to substitute the Latin letters "Q", "V", "Y" into Basque words, but did not find anything that could lead me to a certain system. The CAESAR method turned out to be valid for a single case. To further advance, it was necessary to look for something else. Other methods.
But an interesting aspect was revealed to me: words in their modern fixed understanding may not mean what they once meant.
Of course, for linguistic scientists, this discovery of mine is just another banality.

THE JULES VERNE METHOD

Probably everyone remembers Jules Verne’s novel “The Children of Captain Grant.”
At the beginning of this work, a sealed bottle falls from the depths of the sea into the hands of the heroes. Inside it, in the form of three notes, is a call for help. Captain Grant, finding himself by fate on a lost island, wrote it in three languages ​​- English, German and French. Having described in detail the circumstances of the shipwreck, he indicated the coordinates and name of the island. And his salvation, it would seem, was only a matter of time.
But Jules Verne came up with the idea that the notes were heavily damaged by sea water. Moreover, each in its own way, in different places. Thus, the information contained in them could only be extracted by translating all three texts. Comparing scraps similar words, and mutually complementing them.
Since the heroes of the novel spoke all languages ​​to varying degrees, they quickly translated the content. And they made only one seemingly insignificant mistake in the translation. But it was because of her that they had to circumnavigate almost the entire globe in search of Captain Grant. Incredible adventures and trials awaited them, and, finally, a happy ending.
All in all, a great novel with an intriguing, detailed plot.
Why don't we apply the same method?
Suppose three notes also accidentally fall into our hands. And we, like the heroes of Jules Verne, believe that their content is identical. Although many words were also partially or completely destroyed by the sea.
The first one is clearly written in English. The second is in French. And the third is in the Basque language. By comparing three versions of the same text, we will reconstruct it and find out the points of intersection of Euskara with languages ​​better known to us.
Here's what the English version looks like:

strona n Mar bou square ld ick to go t nema

What catches your eye in the English note? The whole word “SQUARE” is definitely present here - “SQUARE, SQUARE”; and the connective “TO GO T...” is obviously “GO SOMEWHERE.” We also see an explicit proper name: “MAR...”. Maybe it's geographical name? "MAR DEL ZUR", for example. Although, in the English version it would hardly be designated in Latin. Perhaps this name is Maria - “MARY”.
Well, that's a good start. Let's move on to the French version. Here it is:

Cosm e arie son ache un bill ree d"or pou ller au ci

Here we definitely have the beginning of the first word, since it is written with capital letter. Combining “COSM” with “STRONA” from the English version, we put the word “COSMONAUT” here. Or “ASTRONAUT”, “ASTRONAUT”, as is customary in the English-speaking tradition.
Let's move on. The guess regarding the name "MARY" seems correct. This is indicated by the ending "...ARIE" in the second note. That is, the note begins with the words “COSMONAUT AND MARIA”, because it is logical to put the union “I” between them (“N” and “E” are fragments of “AND” and “ET”).

Now it’s time to finish the note. Another piece of luck awaits us here - from two scraps of “NEMA” and “CI” it’s easy to form the word “CINEMA” - “CINEMA”. This word is preceded by "TO GO T..." and "POU...LLER AU".
Most likely, this is a French connective with the verb “ALLER” - “GO”; “POUR ALLER AU...” Thus, the whole meaning of the ending is formed - “TO GO TO THE CINEMA.”
We have not yet taken on the task of deciphering the Basque note, but we already know that “COSMONAUT AND MARIA […] SQUARE […] TO GO TO THE CINEMA”!
What about the missing middle? Pay attention to the word "D"OR" in the French note. If it is whole, it means "FROM GOLD". Doesn't it correspond to the fragment "LD", "GOLDEN" in the English version?
And the “miraculously preserved” English word “SQUARE” - isn’t it an analogue of the French fragment “REE”, that is, “CARREE” - “SQUARE”?
That leaves "BOU"; "ICK" in English, and "ACHE"; "UN BILL" in a French note. Knowing that the Cosmonaut and Maria must go to the cinema, we can assume that they will need a ticket. And for this you need to buy it. That is, “BOUGHT TICKET” AND “ACHETENT UN BILLET” respectively. But this is only a hypothesis, and the “Basque” note should either confirm or refute it. But it seems that difficulties arose with her.
Not only do we not understand this language. The note itself fell apart into several pieces! Almost in terms of words. Fortunately, the words themselves have survived quite well. We do not know in what order words should be arranged according to the rules of Basque phraseology. Therefore, let’s put these scattered scraps together in the same way as the first two notes:

osmonaut Maria karrat urrez illete ero tze zinema joan

Many of our guesses were confirmed: “COSMONAUT AND MARIA […] SQUARE GOLDEN TICKET (“KARRATU URREZKO BILLETE”) […] CINEMA (“ZINEMA”). These words are easily understood even by us, not those who know the language Euskara. The snippets "ERO" AND "TZE" may be one word. "EROTIC"? Maybe. Therefore, we placed them in front of “CINEMA” - “EROTIC CINEMA”. We did not find any analogues in the Basque version for the words “BUYED”, “GO” and some auxiliary parts of speech. But all this pales in comparison to our discovery.
It turns out that the Cosmonaut and Maria did not go to the cinema alone! This is clearly indicated by the ending of the third note: “ZINEMA jOAN”. That is - “AT THE MOVIE WITH JOAN (JUAN, JOAN); "TO THE CINEMA WITH JOAN"!
Why did we decide this? Because only this scrap contained not one word, but two. And exactly in that order. And it’s logical to think that with the preposition lost, that’s the meaning of the ending.
But this fundamentally changes the meaning of the event being described! It's one thing to go to the cinema together. This is a romantic date. But if there is also Joan, that’s love triangle! What if this Joan is jealous and hot-tempered? Things are getting serious.
Perhaps the note warns of an upcoming showdown between the Cosmonaut and Joan over Maria?!

It’s a little confusing that “jOAN” is written not with a capital letter, as a proper name should be, but with a lowercase letter.
But, firstly, there could be another, lost letter, which is placed in the Basque spelling of this name, for example - “Ijoan”. We don’t know exactly how the Basques write their names.
Secondly, writing the letter “j” by hand often eliminates the difference between uppercase and lowercase letters.
Thirdly, this is the last word in the note, and perhaps it was written in a hurry in order to have time to “throw the sealed bottle into the sea before the tide begins to ebb.”
And if you agree with my arguments, I offer the final transcript:
“THE COSMONAUT AND MARIA BOUGHT A GOLDEN SQUARE TICKET TO GO TO THE MOVIE WITH JOAN.”
Well, I can say with satisfaction that the Basque language is not so incomprehensible! During the translation process, we easily found analogues in two European languages. This means that the “Jules Verne Method” is much more productive than the “Caesar Method”. And you can move on with its help!
...Yes, you can. But, burning with shame, I am again forced to admit: by taking “Jules Verne’s Method” as a basis, we will follow the same long and wrong path as the heroes of the novel. For at the very beginning we also made a fatal mistake. But, unlike them, we will not be able to fix it. And in the end we will not achieve the goal.
And we won’t be able to understand or translate anything.
Forgive me. I misled you. My only excuse is that I myself was sincerely mistaken.
It is no coincidence that I brought such an absurd phrase for decoding - in it I collected the maximum borrowed words They are now believed to have their roots in Latin, and their meaning is the same in many languages; and in Euskara too.
“COSMONAUT, MARIA, TICKET, GOLDEN, SQUARE, CINEMA” - we easily identified these words. Which gave me a reason to immodestly celebrate success.
But those words that I did not translate, considering them unimportant, are where the depravity of this method lies.
For example, "ERO" AND "TZE". Of course, it is not “EROTIC”, as I naively assumed. These are snippets of two different words "EROSI"; “BUY” and “-TZEKO”; "TO". But this is not the full depth of my defeat.
The notorious “JOAN” turned out to be neither “Joan” nor “Juan”.
And in general - there was no third character there.
"JOAN" is the Basque verb for "GO". Therefore, according to the Euskara rules, it is written after the word “CINEMA”. “GO TO THE MOVIE.”
And of course, with a lowercase letter.
I'm very ashamed. Before you, before Maria, the Cosmonaut, before the whole world. And to yourself - first of all.
What's left? “The Method of Jules Verne” showed me what everyone already knew for a long time. Borrowed words can be translated without much difficulty. The purely Basque words remain a mystery. I ran into the same “Basque dead end” that had stopped hundreds, thousands of amateurs before me. How to understand something that is impossible to understand?..

Yes, how I was misled by the verb “JOAN” - “GO”!
One of the main verbs in any language in the world! Why does it sound and spell the same as the most common name in the world - John?
Of course, this is just an incident. To suggest otherwise is naive amateurism.
But, if you have the courage to assume...

WHERE, WHERE, AND WHY “JOAN”?

...that some phenomenon was reflected here, which in meaning transferred to the designated action - “GO”, “WALK”. The phenomenon is universally significant, one might say canonical. It seems to me that you don’t even have to “go” anywhere to answer. Because the answer is visible from the spot.
"There was a man sent from God; his name is John. He came for a testimony[...]that through him all might believe" (John 1:6-8)
This is John the Baptist, John the Baptist - the prophet who preached coming Messiahs:
“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This one is about whom I said: behind me coming The man who came before me, because He was before me. I don't know Him, but for this came baptize in water, so that He may be revealed to Israel" (John 1:29-31)
So, at least two “goes” were revealed in John: he himself came from God, and predicted coming Christ.
It can be added that, preaching the baptism of repentance, John walked in the country of Jordan. And people are coming be baptized. They do not “become” baptized, they do not “transform”, they are not even “reborn” into them.
No; clear verb - "go be baptized." "John".
Could John the Baptist be reflected in this way in the Basque verb “JOAN” - “GO”? The question is open, but this assumption seems simple to me and therefore realistic. But about the connection between “simple and correct” - later. In the meantime, I had to return to the search for a method.

MORE HUMILITY, LESS CONCEPT!

It was not possible to understand the Basque language “at a glance”. Having been burned by the “Latin” methods of “Caesar” and “Jules Verne,” I decided to behave more modestly.
As I already said, I studied French at school. Publicly available sources stated that part of the Basque provinces are located on the territory of modern France. I decided to change the search area. Perhaps if the Basque language conflicts so much with Spanish, maybe it will be more favorable to French? You can hardly live next door and not learn anything!
Having covered myself with textbooks and dictionaries, I began a real French, as in the days of Buonaparte, attack on the language of the Basque Country.
But there was no “breakthrough”.

Yes, some Basque words were similar to French ones. For example, the verb “THINK”: “PENTSATU”. Which was very similar to the French equivalent of "PENSER". Isn't it true? Or "BERDE" - "GREEN". Similar to the French "VERT". I found a few more similar words. But the system was not built. Since French itself “bowed” everywhere under “mother Latin”.
Then I decided to look at the problem differently.
Perhaps the language of the Basque Country is incomprehensible because there is something illogical? Some kind of shift in the generally accepted meaning at the lowest level - at the level of the original construction of the word?
That is, if we develop the principle “ESAERA- (C)ESAERA” - not only the loss in time of the original concept, but also the loss of the rule, the principle by which the concept itself, the image, and the word denoting it were formed?
I asked myself: what’s wrong, for example, in French? Are there any established illogicality, to which everyone is accustomed and does not pay attention?
Surprisingly, I didn't have to look long. Since I knew one of these “illogicalities” from the second grade of my school.