Is Basque language use diminishing?
<< No creo que los espanoles sean mas tontos que los americanos... Si un americano puede aprender japonés, por qué los espanoles no podrian aprender el idioma vasco? >>
¿Lo dije incorrectamente? I was saying, or at least trying to say, that it's more difficult for an American to learn Japanese than a Spanish to learn Basque, which is pretty much the opposite of what you seem to have thought I said.
- Kef
<< And those Americans who "learn" Japanese only play a little with it, nobody becomes fluent in Japanese. >>
I'm almost insulted by this post. I know better than to take posts like that seriously, though. Anyway, most Americans do only play a little with it, but I would have given up long ago if that's what I were doing. And some people do become fluent.
- Kef
I'm still wondering if my statement, "Creo que es más difícil que un americano aprenda japonés que un español aprenda el idioma vasco. Y todavía lo intento...", was said incorrectly, or if it was said correctly and merely misunderstood.
- Kef
It makes me happy to see that Basque is irrelevant and it's diminishing. Only Spanish should prevail.
[originally posted as JLK; changed by moderator]
JLK, salut,
La langue basque est un trésor, unique dans Europe.
J'ai pas mal d'amis basques et tous parlent l'euskara et l'ont transmis à leurs enfants. Le problème pour le basque est sa grande, énorme différence, avec les autres langues européennes, notamment avec les langues indoeuropéennes, ce qui difficulte l'intégration des immigrés.
Néanmoins, si les basques le veulent (et je suir sur qu'ils le veulent), leur langue survivra.
Je tiens à exprimer ici ma grande estime et mon admiration pour le peuple basque et pour sa langue.
Are the basques pleased with those who want to learn their language, especially Spaniards? Or are they too separatist?
<< Unfortunately, the language is slowly dying out. The last figures I read on the number of Basque speakers placed it at around 600,000. That is about the same number of people that live in my home town of Seattle (573,911 in 2005). >>
Well, Faeroese has only 80.000 speakers maximum, and it doesn't seem like it's going to die out yet. =)
Icelandic also only has a couple of hundreds of speakers, if I'm not wrong.
According to mathematic models, if a language has less than 1 million of speakers, it will die within 200 years, and if it has less than 400 000 speakers this numbers is 100 years.
<<According to mathematic models, if a language has less than 1 million of speakers, it will die within 200 years, and if it has less than 400 000 speakers this numbers is 100 years.>>
Then nothing to worry about. Humankind wont exist in 100 years.
The previous two posts were not mine either. Could a moderator mark them as guest?
“Well, Faeroese has only 80.000 speakers maximum, and it doesn't seem like it's going to die out yet. =)
Icelandic also only has a couple of hundreds of speakers, if I'm not wrong.”
Absolutely, sheer population figures are meaningless if you fail to consider:
- The legal status of the language.
- The availability and use of the language in public and judicial authorities, schools, media, arts and buisness.
- The prestige and usefulness that the language is perceived to have.
From my limited knowledge, the use of Basque is rising among the younger generation, the kids who attended Basque speaking schools. It's also rising in fields such as media and public administrations, though not as fast.