Basque OCR

Basque Language

The Basque language (Basque: Euskara, Spanish: vasco, French: basque) is an indigenous language spoken in the Basque Country. Linguistically, Basque is a language isolate; the only other extant member of this language family being an extinct species from Northern California. The origin of the Basque language is still unknown, some theories suggest it was brought to the Iberian Peninsula by the Vascones in about 2000 BCE during the Neolithic period, while others suggest it was brought by a larger wave of prehistoric peoples possibly related to the Aquitanians. It is not known exactly when or where the ancient Basque language developed but most agree on the region of south-western France and north-eastern Spain as its original homeland. For this reason, its name is usually taken to mean "language of the Basques", euskara being the plural of "Euskaro". The language is still spoken today both in the Basque Country and across the border in Navarre and Northern Aragon in Spain.