Where can I find some good resources for learning Basque?

Question

The few I can find are too recondite (i.e. I have to know complex linguistic terms like "ergative," "perfective aspect," "agglutination," and etc.). Is there anything out there that I could more easily understand and can still teach Basque grammar effectively?

Answer 1

Alright, I emailed my undergrad linguistics professor about this yesterday and he had a couple of things to say. First, he suggested some of the websites the other people on here are already suggesting for you (specifically the UNR page), and suggested you email the faculty, as Taivo has suggested. He also gave me some Amazon links to some resources that might prove useful (though it sounds like you've already probably tried these):

He said he doesn't have any familiarity with this series of books, but from what he's seen of it online, it might be worth a try (and it looks as though it's gotten a good review on Amazon, at least. Plus, it's cheap.):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0781809339/sr=8-3/qid=1154779380/ref=pd_bbs_3/102-9190900-5986525?ie=UTF8
This one looks a bit more advance, you may have already tried it:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0874171555/sr=8-2/qid=1154779380/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-9190900-5986525?ie=UTF8
This is an audio learning tool, which might prove easier to learn with, as these are usually geared toward an audience that has less familiarity with linguistics:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000899LY/sr=8-8/qid=1154779380/ref=pd_bbs_8/102-9190900-5986525?ie=UTF8

Another thing that might be helpful if you don't find anything good that doesn't get away from the linguistics jargon might just be to learn a little bit about linguistics. It's a very interesting field, anyway, and might help you in other ways. My undergrad linguistics textbook was Language Files, 9th Ed, by the Ohio State University Department of Linguistics, and I always found it very helpful and easy to understand. I couldn't find it on Amazon (I've lent it to a friend of mine right now, or I would give you the ISBN...I'll update this the next time my friend's online so I can ask her for it), but here is the OSU's webpage for the book:
http://www.ling.ohio-state.edu/publications/files/
Like I said, the book presents the information in a pretty easy to understand way, though it may help to see if you can take an intro linguistics course at a nearby university (most larger universities have at least some linguistics courses, if not a whole department--if they have no Linguistics Department, check with the English Department). This is probably not the most cost effective or quickest method of learning these terms so you can learn Basque, but you'll certainly learn a lot, and it will be very helpful.

Also, there seem to be a few Yahoo Gropus for Basque people/language learning. These might be very helpful for explaining some of these grammatical issues you're having. Even if nothing in the group directly helps you, you might be able to hook up with someone who can help you individually:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/basque_diasporaeuskera/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/euskera/

This one is for "substratum languages":
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/substratumlanguages/

I am sorry I couldn't be of more help, but I wish you luck! I wish I had the time/will to learn Basque at this point (though I hope to move to Spain one day, and I want to try to learn Basque at some point).

Answer 2

If you are serious about learning Basque and have the resources, it is taught at the University of Nevada at Reno. I would suggest emailing one of the professors there to see what they would suggest. They may have resources that the rest of us mere mortals have no access to. They have PhDs, and their diplomas, like mine say "granted with all the rights, privileges, and RESPONSIBILITIES" (emphasis mine). One of the responsibilities of having a PhD is to make knowledge accessible to others. Don't be afraid to email them and ask. You can find their email addresses by going to the website for the University of Nevada at Reno (http://www.unr.edu/content/). Actually, I just went there and here is the website for the Center for Basque Studies there: http://basque.unr.edu/. And here's the website for the Basque Studies library there: http://www.library.unr.edu/depts/basqlib/language.html. And if you know French: http://asignoret.free.fr/eskuara.html

Answer 3

first of all i might say that spanish isn't a nationalised language, in the experience that it extremely isn't any longer in basic terms in basic terms spoken in Spain.although, some spanish call every person who's from South u.s. 'sudaca' (disrespectful saying), on the comparable time some South human beings call the spanish from Spain '(gallegos') never ideas that folk would possibly no longer be galician.returned it extremely is disrespectful. in my opinion this disrespect of the two aspects is a shame because spanish is the mummy language. Castellano grow to be initially spoken in Castilla ( additionally referred to as the organic language). aside from the issue suggested above, spanish is a stay language because it extremely is constantly coming up, i.e: new words and words.

Answer 4

I hope the following pages will be of help

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/basque.htm

http://www.buber.net/Basque/Euskara/

Answer 5

the following sites might help u

http://basque.unr.edu/

http://www.buber.net/

http://asignoret.free.fr/eskuara.html