Basque is the sole survivor of the very ancient languages of Western Europe. This book, written by an internationally renowned specialist in Basque, provides a comprehensive survey of all that is known about the prehistory of the language, including pronunciation, the grammar and the vocabulary. It also provides a long critical evaluation of the search for its relatives, as well as a thumbnail sketch of the language, a summary of its typological features, an external history and an extensive bibliography.
Ce volume réunit les contributions de quelques-uns des meilleurs spécialistes des langues régionales de France, réunis dans un cadre extérieur à l'hexagone pour un bilan distancié, interdisciplinaire et comparatif. Les textes, en français et en anglais, sont organisés en trois grandes parties : situation générale, problèmes institutionnels, études de cas. Des (socio)linguistes, ethnologues, géographes, juristes, responsbles de l'enseignement, couvrent le panorama global des problèmes qui se posent, soit par des analyses transversales de questions générales (identification, vitalité, perception politique), soit par l'analyse d'exemples précis (taux de pratiques diverses, situation institutionnelle et juridique, médias, actions culturelles, enseignement) pris dans six langues différentes (alsacien, basque, breton, corse, occitan, provençal). Trois caractéristiques originales marquent cet ensemble : une confrontation complémentaire entre une vision francophone et une vision anglophone de la question, la méthode du bilan global par échantillonnage, et enfin le souci d'articuler analyse scientifique et réflexion humaniste, observation objective et actions concrètes. Dans cet "état des lieux" à un tournant historique, se dessinent des pistes de repositionnement scientifique des problèmes ainsi que des mesures administratives et politiques. Des perspectives d'aménagment et d'évolutions sont évoquées, à partir d'une réflexion située dans le cadre de la transition vers l'Union européenne et de l'ouverture croissante des relations internationales.
To celebrate the 270th anniversary of the De Gruyter publishing house, the company is providing permanent open access to 270 selected treasures from the De Gruyter Book Archive. Titles will be made available to anyone, anywhere at any time that might be interested. The DGBA project seeks to digitize the entire backlist of titles published since 1749 to ensure that future generations have digital access to the high-quality primary sources that De Gruyter has published over the centuries.
The Kets of Central Siberia are perhaps the most enigmatic of Siberia's aboriginal tribes. Today numbering barely 1,100 souls living in several small villages on the middle reaches of the Yenisei, the Kets have retained much of their ancient culture, as well as their unique language. Genetic studies of the Ket hint at an ancient affinity with Tibetans, Burmese, and other peoples of peoples of South East Asia not shared by any other Siberian people. The Ket language, which is unrelated to any other living Siberian tongue, also appears to be a relic of a bygone linguistic landscape of Inner Asia. Because language isolates such as Ket are of special value to scholars of the original peopling of the continents, linguists have recently attempted to link Ket with North Caucasian, Sino- Tibetan, Burushaski, Basque and Na Dene. None of these links have been proved to the satisfaction of all linguists, and the research continues both in Russia and abroad.
"Classic book on the Basques of Iparralde (French Basque Country) originally published in 1942, treating Basque history and culture in the region"--Provided by publisher.