Aquitanian language
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Aquitanian language was spoken in ancient Aquitaine (approximately between the Pyrenees and the Garonne), region later known as Gascony before the Roman conquest and, probably much later until the Upper Middle Ages.
Archaeological, toponymical and historical evidence seem to suggest that it was a dialect or group of dialects of Basque language. The most important of these are a series of Votive and Funerary texts in Latin which contain about four hundred personal names and seventy names of gods.
History
The origin of this language is unknown. If we consider Aquitanian a more or less direct ancestor of the Basque language, then we have many theories on its origin.
Relations with other languages
If the relationship with Basque is accepted, then the language would have no other known related languages. Many of the names on the inscriptions contain some elements that are without a doubt Basque:
| Aquitanian | Basque | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Andere, Andre- | andre | lady, woman |
| Belex, -belex, -bel(e)s | beltz | black |
| Cis(s)on | gizon | man |
| Nescato | neska | woman |
| Sembe- | seme (<*senbe) | son |
| Seni | sein (<*seni) | boy, brother |
| Sahar | zahar | old |
| corri | gorri | red |
| -co | -ko | suffix |
| -tar | -tar | suffix |
The use of these words and elements in names in Medieval Basque is known well enough to conlude that there was a historical continuity between the pre-Roman era and the Middle Ages. However, some of the Aquitanian names have no modern equivalent and it seems that during the pre-Roman and Roman era, an ancient form of Basque was spoken in Aquitania.
Geographical extent
Since ancient times there are clues that indicate the relation between Southeastern France and the Basques. During the Roman conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar, Aquitania was the territory between Garona and the Pyrenees. Inhabited by a people of horsemen, Caesar said that they were very distinct in customs and language from the Celts of Gaul. During the Middle Ages, this territory was named Gascony, a name derived from Vasconia, being cognate with the word Basque.There are many clues that indicate that Aquitanian was spoken in the Pyrenees, at least up to the Val d'Aran. The placenames that end in -os, -osse, -ons, -ost and -oz are considered to be of Aquitanian origin.
To the south of the Pyrenees, the picture is less clear, as the historical record is scant. Carístios, várdulos and autrigones, which occupied the most part of the place that is now the Basque Country are usually considered to be Indo-Europeans and the ancestors of the cántabros. From the area of Guipúzcoa there are very few texts of the Roman era or afterwards, until the Middle Ages. This may make harder the identification of the language spoken in the area, but could also indicate the existence of Basque-speakers in a territory that was of little interest to the Romans.
The Vascones, which occupied the modern Navarra are usually identified with the Basques (vascos), their name being one of the most important proofs. In 1960, a stella with Aquitanian names was found in Lerga, which could reinforce the idea that Basques and Aquitanians were related.
See also
- Basque Country
- Paleo-Iberian languages
External links
- [La lengua aquitana] by Jesús Rodríguez Ramos (in Spanish)
- [Prehistory and Connections with Other Languages], a page of Larry Trask.
References
- Trask, L.R. (1997) The History of Basque, London/New York ISBN 0-415-13116-2 [link]
- Michelena, L. (1954) De onomástica aquitana, in Pirineos 10, 409-458
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