This article was translated by John R. Bopp
Our esteemed Basque-speaking Colombian colleague, José Miguel Ramírez, has clued us into a video about the Basque language. Its creator is a Canadian linguist who lives in Japan and who maintains a blog called Lang Focus, and a YouTube channel where he discusses the languages of the world. His name is Paul Jorgensen, and he must be (given his surname) a Canadian of Danish origin.
So, Paul Jorgensen has absolutely left us stunned. It turns out that on this YouTube channel of his, he’s published a video which very clearly explains the origin, current situation, and basic characteristics of the Basque language.
But it is this video, published May 4th (just a few days ago), that has been seen (as of 10:00AM on May 8, 2016) practically 70,000 times, and has gotten over 4,000 likes.
But it’s also gotten 61 thumbs-down, which, we’re sure, are closely related to all those who don’t want Basque spoken, or promoted, or who don’t want the Basque related with anything but bad news. It’s also not hard to find, in these debates, people who say that United Basque is artificial, as if any standardized language weren’t.
Anyway, this is a video that needs to be spread far and wide. What isn’t known can’t be understood, and this video helps us not only to understand what Basque is, but also to create interest in it amongst its viewers.
Eskerrik asko, Paul Jorgensen
Lang Focus – 4/5/2016 – Canada/Japón
Basque – A Language of Mystery
This video is all about the mysteries of Euskara – the Basque language of the Basque people in Europe.
Blog – Canal Youtube
Last Updated on Dec 20, 2020 by About Basque Country
