Pre-Basque Phonology

[Larry Trask]

On Tue, 28 Sep 1999, Roslyn M. Frank wrote:

> [LT]

>>> The female given name <Maite> is
>>> the usual Basque equivalent of the Spanish name <Maria Teresa>,
>>> resulting from an accidental similarity in form between this name and
>>> the Basque word <maite>, which I would gloss as `beloved', not as
>>> `love'.

> To my knowledge the nickname for all my friends who are called Maria
> Teresa is Mari Tere sometimes spelled Maritere.

Yes; this is also possible.  But I have met more than one woman named
`Maria Teresa' in Spanish but called `Maite' in Basque.  All of them are
women who are now over 45 years old; that may be significant.

> Moreover, although I know that first names are often reduced
> phonologically when abbreviated, your derivation of Maite from Maria
> Teresa seems a bit strained, that is, based on my experience. In it
> you propose that the first and middle name both have undergone major
> reduction. I'm not saying that it's impossible, just that it's more
> complicated.

I *did not say* that `Maite' was a reduced form of `Maria Teresa'.
I said that `Maite' was often used as a Basque equivalent of the Spanish
name, purely because of a resemblance in sound.

The Basque equivalents of Spanish names are variable in nature.  For
example, the medieval Spanish male name `Fortun' came into Basque as
the non-obvious `Orti', a name no longer in use, but the source, via the
medieval patronymic <-z>, of the familiar Basque surname `Ortiz'.
The Spanish male name `Jose Maria' comes into Basque commonly as `Joxe
Mari', but also frequently as the less obvious `Txema'.

> The test would be to see whether Spanish speakers from Andalucia
> recognize Maite as being composed of Maria Teresa or whether they
> would say that it sounds like a Basque name.

Spanish-speaker from Andalucia?  What would they know about it?
I think the test is to ask some Basque women called `Maite' whether
their Spanish name is `Maria Teresa'.  I don't suppose all of them will
answer "yes", since the name has perhaps now acquired an independent
existence in Basque, but I've already met some who did answer "yes".

> We also need to remember that under Franco there was an approved
> list of given (Christian) names and Basque ones were not included
> (nor were many others).

Indeed, but we are mainly talking here about colloquial Basque versions
of Spanish given names, and these were in use before and during the
Franco era.

> So far I haven't found a single native Spanish speaker (or Basque
> one) who "recognized" Maite as an abbreviation of Maria Teresa. But
> I've only asked a dozen speakers so far.

Ask a few more.  You'll find some.  Try older Basques.

> Then on your gloss of "maite" as "beloved", fine. But keep in mind,
> also that in English it is common for the expression "love" to be
> used as a form of address for another person, not just a female one,
> right, Love?

Sure, but why is this relevant?

Basque <maite>, in its definite form <maitea>, is of course a common way
of addressing a sweetheart of either sex.  It is literally `(my)
beloved', even though it is functionally roughly equivalent to English
`love' here.

Larry Trask
COGS
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QH
UK

larryt at cogs.susx.ac.uk