Pre Indo European languages in the Iberian peninsula through time

https://reddit.com/r/europe/comments/rxhafx/pre_indo_european_languages_in_the_iberian/

4 comments

  3. Some additional information:

    Boundaries seem more or less correct, but certainly not perfect since it’s rather hard to get the extent of languages through time exactly. The evolution and extent of Basque for example can be followed with historical testimonies and places names (toponimy, etymology).

    Tartessian and Iberian are not yet fully deciphered languages, attempts have been made through Basque but mostly ending in failure. Like Basque, place names are good indicators of the ancient extent of these languages.

    Gascony is where Aquitanian was once spoken (the name Gascony itself came from Vasconia, the land of the Vascons), in Roman time it was populated by 9 attested tribes (novempopulania). In the middle age, the language receded as Gascons were latinized. In the opposite side, Basque expanded into the west, see [the late Basquisation theory](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Basquisation), after the fall of the Roman Empire, in places that were formerly Celtiberian (nowadays Biscay, Cantabria, Rioja and Alava). That’s why you get a high concentration of place names or rivers with celtic roots in nowadays Basque speaking regions (see the Nervion river flowing through Bilbao).

    There is some additional places shown (Iceland, North America) but they weren’t basque colonies, nor it was extensively used, just places were contact were made with locals and Basque pidgins created for trade (Bascoalgonquian, Basque-Icelandic pidgin, etc). The irony is that it didn’t prevent some tensions and deadly meetings, especially with the Icelandic people, [that could kill a Basque on sight up until 2016 when the old law was finally revoked…](
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/29/basques-safe-iceland-district-repeals-decree-kill-on-sight)
    There are also some zones were Basque was spoken (Galicia, north and central Spain) mainly by poor workers that made some small temporary communities and communicated in a mixture of Basque and Spanish/Galician/Asturian.

  4. Wouldnt the tombs found in Soria with basque names from I and ll century say that basque was spoken there since the first/second century?

Leave a Reply