Basque stands alone
among the languages of Europe. Despite many efforts, no connection
between Basque and any other language has ever been proven.
Structural similarities with certain languages in Asia have been
noted, but as yet it must be considered a completely isolated and
independent language.
Basque is spoken on
both sides of the Spanish-French border by about one million
people. Of these, about 900,000 are in Spain, living mainly in the
provinces of Guipúzcoa, Vizcaya, and Navarra. in France they live
in the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the southwestern
corner of the country. Bilbao, the capital of Vizcaya, is the
major city of the Basque region. Most Basques are bilingual,
speaking Spanish or French (or both) in addition to their own
language |