Expand the Basque Language?

Hmm... i want to ask how the kingdom of Navarre could be considerated Basque and how it was influenced by Spain and France.
 
Unless you take a very elastic definition of Basque (similar to claiming Italian is Latin) it's impossible. Basque survived thanks to isolation. Once it expands -Say, they take over Navarre, and then Navarre takes over Aragon or Castille place in the Reconquista- they are subject to the same foreign influences than shaped OTL Castillian, Aragonese and Portuguese. If it expands north, he meets proto french and occitanian, and if it moves on Ireland he meets gaelic and english.

The language might be named "basque" but it would probaly have as much in common with OTL basque as the Visigoth language has with modern spanish.
 
Historically speaking, Basque has been an isolate for longer than we can even archeologically determine, and has pretty much stayed in its same range for the majority of that time. Is there any way that Basque could expand significantly? Staying realistic, that is.

It indeed reached the North American coasts. Say some Indian tribe picks up the language in the early '500s... OTL ther was actually some pidgin-Basque used for trade between the fishermen and the Indians.
 
It indeed reached the North American coasts. Say some Indian tribe picks up the language in the early '500s... OTL ther was actually some pidgin-Basque used for trade between the fishermen and the Indians.

Sources? :confused: That seems a tad far fetched and outlandish to me, to be honest.

I mean, I heard the claim of Basque-pidgin with the Basques and the Icelanders, but North American Indians? :confused:
 
Sources? :confused: That seems a tad far fetched and outlandish to me, to be honest.

I mean, I heard the claim of Basque-pidgin with the Basques and the Icelanders, but North American Indians? :confused:

You know, all the modern exploration theories. EVERYBODY reached America before Columbus. :rolleyes:
 
You know, all the modern exploration theories. EVERYBODY reached America before Columbus. :rolleyes:

Why of course! ;)

1421 CE: The Year a Magnificent Chinese fleet discovered the New World.

421 CE: The Year a Magnificent Basque fleet discovered the New World.

421 BC: The Year a Magnificent Phoenician fleet discovered the New World.

1421 BC: The Year a Magnificent Egyptian fleet discovered the New World.

14210 BC: The Year a Magnificent Cro-Magnon fleet discovered the New World.
 
Why of course! ;)

1421 CE: The Year a Magnificent Chinese fleet discovered the New World.

421 CE: The Year a Magnificent Basque fleet discovered the New World.

421 BC: The Year a Magnificent Phoenician fleet discovered the New World.

1421 BC: The Year a Magnificent Egyptian fleet discovered the New World.

14210 BC: The Year a Magnificent Cro-Magnon fleet discovered the New World.

It's not as if it was that difficult. Even Queen Isabella reached America before Chris, she only paid for the trip to avoid Ferdinand making unconfortable questions about Cuban cabana boys while he was busy conquering Granada...
 
There is one plausible and fairly late PoD which would not really expand Basque far beyond its present prevalence, but it would effectively prevent the gradual marginalization of that language in the last couple of century.

My suggestion:

Let Castilia become Lutheran.

I claim this is possible as support of the Reformation has spread over all of Europe; and in this specific situation, much lay in the hands of individual rulers.

Anyway, what has this to do with Basques?

Well, Luther stipulated that all Christians should be able to read the Holy Bible in their native language. This had far reaching consequences: Consider the Fins. Finnish was considered a hillbilly-foresty crude language. Nevertheless, the Swedish Reformation soon triggered the literalization of this idiom, and Bible translations and other spiritual books made a start for national literature.

With literality (of the language) came literacy (of the people), as well as a clear understanding of national identity without blame.

If Sweden had staid Catholic I'm convinced Finland would not be independent today.

And I see the Basques as the Fins of the South. :cool:
 
There is one plausible and fairly late PoD which would not really expand Basque far beyond its present prevalence, but it would effectively prevent the gradual marginalization of that language in the last couple of century.

My suggestion:

Let Castilia become Lutheran.

I claim this is possible as support of the Reformation has spread over all of Europe; and in this specific situation, much lay in the hands of individual rulers.

Anyway, what has this to do with Basques?

Well, Luther stipulated that all Christians should be able to read the Holy Bible in their native language. This had far reaching consequences: Consider the Fins. Finnish was considered a hillbilly-foresty crude language. Nevertheless, the Swedish Reformation soon triggered the literalization of this idiom, and Bible translations and other spiritual books made a start for national literature.

With literality (of the language) came literacy (of the people), as well as a clear understanding of national identity without blame.

If Sweden had staid Catholic I'm convinced Finland would not be independent today.

And I see the Basques as the Fins of the South. :cool:

That's actually a really cool concept.
 
No, this was a bit later, though some say the Basques rediscovered Newfoundland some time before Cabot's first trip but kept it a secret for... commercial reasons (rich fisheries).

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_language#Hypotheses_on_connections_with_other_languages subchapter Basque pidgins

Sounds still a tad far-fetched. Also, one has to scroll further down from the link you gave, because that one shows the various hypotheses of relationship of Basque with other languages (of which, frankly, only the Basque-Iberian hypothesis is one of some merit).
 

birdboy2000

Banned
Basque fishermen were in Newfoundland during or shortly after the time of Columbus. If they can get a decent-sized colony in the New World at an early date, then a much wider range of the language seems plausible.
 
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