Thread by @AlsDodds

The Basque language has always been surrounded by mystery with regards to its origin. Today, there has been a massive breakthrough on its history and origin 🧵

One of the many reasons for the origins of Basque being so uncertain is that throughout its existence it has traditionally always been a language that has been passed on through generations by tongue rather than through text.

This means that there are very few if any written records of old Basque, which makes it a very difficult language to trace back in time. Until now the first written account of Basque was published in 1545 (!) as a book titled "Linguae Vasconum Primitiae" by Bernard Etxepare

There are many accounts of the existence of Basque prior to 1545, of course; mainly found in the etymology of names of towns and cities within the influence area that Basque once occupied, which stretched from Santander to Bordeaux and from the Bay of Biscay to Andorra

On June 18th, 2021, a hand-shaped metallic object was found in an archaeological dig near the town of Irulegi, a settlement that was inhabited during the Bronze Age and the end of the Iron Age.

The object is believed to have been used as an ornament that the settlers would hang on their front door. It wasn't given much attention at start, until the restoration works began. On January 18th, 2022, and inscription was found etched into the hand

Until now historians believed that the Basque people that lived in the area during the end of the Iron Age (1st Century BC) would have used an ancient form of Basque, but were not able to write. This whole theory was about to be debunked once the inscription got transcribed

And the findings were released today. Four words were found in the inscription, the first of which being "Sorioneku", which naturally translates to the modern Basque word "zorioneko" which means "of good fortune". A massive breakthrough in the history of the Basque language.

The hand ornament firstly proves that the Basque population that existed at the end of the Iron Age were able to write, and is also the first piece of evidence that shoes the existence of a variation of the Iberian language used by the basques, called "Basque signage"

But also very importantly it is the first account of written Basque discovered prior to 1545, from an age where Basque was believed to not be written, but rather as I said was passed on by tongue through generations. The history of the Basque language thus begs a rewriting.

As a native Basque speaker and someone who is very proud of their language, this is incredibly exciting. Hope this little thread will ignite the intrigue for the Basque language in many of you 😉😉

END OF THREAD

I just wanted to add how beautifully poetic it is that the oldest written word in Basque history (so far) literally translates to "of good fortune". SORIONEKUAK GU!

I would like to quickly point out a small mistake I made (I apologise most of this was written from knowledge and it slipped my mind 😅). There's Basque writing found in Glosas Emilianenses (9-10th CE. AD) so 1545 is not the earliest, but still nowhere near 1st Century BC.

Last tweet I promise
This thread has received so much attention and has reached every corner of the world. I am so grateful for all your lovely messages. It fills me with so much joy that my beloved mother tongue inspires so much interest among people of all backgrounds!