Revised: Refining early Basque criteria

[Larry Trask]

Lloyd Anderson writes:

>  Trask had mentioned that the 16th-century texts were primarily religious.
>  That is a very strong bias of content, I would think against quite a
>  range of vocabulary from ordinary life.

Oh, not necessarily.  Take Leizarraga's 1571 translation of the New Testament.
In the *first few lines* of the preface, we find the following everyday words,
at least:

<guzi> 'every, all'
<andre> 'lady'
<gehien> 'most'
<bere> 'his/her own'
<txipi> 'small'
<eta> 'and'
<zeren> 'because'
<ni> 'I'
<zu> 'you'
<ezagun> 'acquaintance'
<gabe> 'without'
<bezala> 'like, as'
<berri> 'new'
<hau> 'this'
<izan> 'be'
<on> 'good'
<ahal> 'ability'
<baldin> 'if'
<neure> 'my own'
<zerbait> 'something'
<eman> 'give'
<ez> 'not'
<anitz> 'many'
<bertze> 'other'
<arte> 'interval, between'
<jende> 'people'
<handi> 'big'
<ene> 'my'
<hala> 'thus'
<ere> 'also'
<non> 'where'
<sekulan> 'ever'
<heldu> 'arrive'
<hura> 'that'
<herri> 'country'
<ezen> 'whether'
<ito> 'drown'
<azpi> 'under'
<gogo> 'mind'
<buru> 'head'
<bilo> 'hair'
<latz> 'rough'
<bihotz> 'heart'
<ezin> 'impossible'
<asko> 'enough'
<hain> 'so (much)'
<gauza> 'thing'
<kasi> 'almost'
<egin> 'do, make'
<orain> 'now'
<lehen> 'first'
<eder> 'beautiful'
<denbora> 'time'
<ohi> 'custom'
<frango> 'lots of'
<behin> 'once'
<erran> 'say'
<bezain> 'as...as'
<hitz> 'word'
<behatu> 'look at'
<gaitz> 'bad'
<zuhur< 'prudent'
<egun> 'day'
<bide> 'road, way'
<baina> 'but'
<zer> 'what'
<aitzin> 'front'
<mintzatu> 'speak'
<ilun> 'dark'
<hobe> 'better'
<bat> 'one, a'

And so on.  Not bad for the first few lines of a religious book, is it?

Think using the preface is cheating?  OK; let's look at the text.  I'll skip
chapter one of Matthew, which is the familiar list of begats, and take the
first few lines of chapter two:

<jaio> 'be born'
<izan> 'be'
<errege> 'king'
<denbora> 'time'
<huna> 'hither'
<etorri> 'come'
<non> 'where'
<ezen> 'whether'
<ikusi> 'see'
<hura> 'that'
<izar> 'star'
<eta> 'and'
<entzun> 'hear'
<hori> 'that'
<guzi> 'all'
<bildu> 'gather'
<sortu> 'be born'
<erran> 'say'
<hi> 'you'
<lur> 'earth'
<arte> 'interval, between'
<txipi> 'small'
<ene> 'my'
<orduan> 'then'
<deitu> 'call'
<agertu> 'appear'
<igorri> 'send'
<jaun> 'lord'
<haur> 'child'
<jakin> 'know'
<ni> 'I'
<ere> 'also'
<ukan> 'have'
<aitzin> 'front'
<leku> 'place'
<gain> 'top'
<handi> 'big'
<etxe> 'house'
<sartu> 'enter'
<bere> 'his/her own'
<ama> 'mother'
<aho> 'mouth'
<amets> 'dream'

And so on.

Still think religious texts are woefully deficient in everyday vocabulary?

Larry Trask
COGS
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QH
UK

larryt at cogs.susx.ac.uk