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Traveling is often one of the main motivations people give when asked why they are learning a foreign language. But there was one the time before language academies
Traveling is often one of the main motivations people give when asked why they are learning a foreign language. But there was one the time before language academies where people travel. Developing in foreign lands was sometimes difficult, but resources were not lacking.
And we see an example of these resources in the Basque sailors who traveled whaling across the North Atlantic.
The example in question pidgin Basque-Icelandic, a language combining elements of Basque and Icelandic kind of common language For Basques visiting the Scandinavian island.
¿pidgin? pidgin They are simple auxiliary languages that result from the combination of elements of two or more languages. They were used as a primitive form of communication in contexts where people from different linguistic backgrounds could frequently come together. For example, in port markets.
Not all of these languages formed as a result of commercial exchange. A lot pidginThey emerged as a combination of Native American languages and European colonists or the slaves they brought to these colonies with them, but should not be confused with creole languages.
They differ from these in the following ways: pidgin, Since they are auxiliary languages, they do not become the first language or languages of daily use in any community. This means that creole languages have a form of natural linguistic evolution. pidgin They are deprived.
we are coming back pidgin Basque-Icelandic, very little remains of it. One of the first to investigate this was Nicolaas Gerardus Hendricus Deen, who published his own book in 1937. Glossaria duo, Basque-Icelandic language A. Annotated translation of two Icelandic manuscripts Dating from the 17th century. Small manuscripts in an exhibition MuseumBilbao Maritime Museum.
Thanks to these manuscripts, we know something about the vocabulary and grammatical structures of this auxiliary language and how it was influenced by other languages such as English or Spanish.
According to a 1991 article by researcher Jose Ignacio Hualde, bothpidgin The texts Deen studied contained a list of lexical terms, objects, and other easily interchangeable terms. The second manuscript also contained more complex terms.
Contact between Basque and Icelandic sailors was interrupted in the first half of the 18th century. This, in addition to the fact that the nature of this contact is intermittent, explains this situation. pidgin it will not go beyond what is recorded in these manuscripts.
So what did his voice sound like? pidgin Basque-Icelandic? We can turn to Hualde’s text, which gives some examples taken from known manuscripts. From them we know that the lexicon of this language consists mainly of words of Basque origin, but the structure of the sentences does not respond to Basque grammar.
We can find an example of a dictionary in the following expression:hamar by galsardia” is translated as “twelve,” following Hualde [pares de] We also have other examples of socks”.“ expressions.cavinit truck for me” translates as “I’m not buying anything”; And “gifts to me berrua usnia eta berria bura“or”give me hot milk and new butter.”
The third example taken by Hualde is the following statement: “Jesus Maria offers balia for me, gifts for me, ju bust ana”, translated in the article as “If Jesus and Mary give me a whale, I will give you the tail.” In some of these expressions, we can also see some elements borrowed from other languages such as English and Spanish.
This pidgin Basque-Icelandic was not the only auxiliary language combining Basque for which we have evidence. A similar auxiliary language was created and preserved for a time among some indigenous groups in Canada: pidginBasque-Algonquian.
Researcher Peter Bakker says in an article published in the journal in 1989: Anthropological LinguisticsIn 1616, when Jesuit missionary Pierre Biard came to study with North American Indians Here’s how they welcomed him in Port Royal, Nova Scotia:adesquidex, adesquidex“, that is, with a “friend, companion.” The natives in question belonged to the Micmac or Mi’kmaq group, an Algonquin tribe that lived in what are now the eastern provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or Prince Edward Island, Canada.
He tells a similar story from fellow missionary Paul Le Jeune, who saw Innu natives refer to him by the nickname “”.mother”. Both matches will be held in St. Petersburg, in the gulf of the same name. It took place near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. Bakker compiles various historiographical sources that indicate the use of Basque terminology among the indigenous peoples of the region.
He also mentions some word examples: for example, the use of the word “origin” to talk about deer (urine in modern Basque it is a deer); “pilotTo refer to a shaman; “endia“, i.e. “many/many”; or the word “to the police station“referring to bread is a word that, according to Bakker, comes from the Basque language”garage” (wheat).
“PilotuaThis would not be the only romantic word carried to the tribes via Basque, other words include:garage” (war), “cabin” (cabin) or “ekpada” (sword) There will be more examples compiled by Bakker.
Mixing languages is something we haven’t stopped doing. Sometimes these mixtures are made in a planned way to better understand each other, just like these mixtures. pidgins or more recently with Esperanto.
in Xataka | Searching for the world’s oldest language (currently in use): from Lithuanian to Basque, from Ge’ez to classical Hebrew
Image | AgainErick / Ksarasola
Source: Xatak Android
Ashley Johnson is a science writer for “Div Bracket”. With a background in the natural sciences and a passion for exploring the mysteries of the universe, she provides in-depth coverage of the latest scientific developments.
