Customer Reviews

The Basque Language: A Practical Introduction (The Basque Series)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
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This book is an excellent refence book if one wants to use it in this manner. I have this book and have enjoyed it. The only problem I have is that there isn't any tapes that come with it so that a person can hear what the language sounds like. However, the author has remedied this with a slightly less expensive language learning set called "Colloquial Basque" that contains tapes so you can hear the Basque language spoken. This set happens to cost much less. If you want to find it here, just look up the title and you will be able to see the price for it here at amazon.com

The author of this immense work was perhaps a little too modest in describing it as a "Practical Introduction". It is certainly that, but it is much more than that as well.

Basque is a language unlike any other on earth- it is the only surviving indigenous European language, and its vocabulary and grammar have almost no connection with any other known language. Its complexity is lengendary among linguists- nouns can take twelve different cases, and the case system is just the pregame show. The real fun in Basque begins when you get to the verb and the iccredible variety of different forms it can take- not just the number of different tenses, but the variety of different agreements that are possible between subject, object, and indirect object, not to mention the exensive usage of ergative ('experiencer') constructions as well.

However, for those brave enough to take this language on, this author has provided one of the best prepared and most extensive introductory courses that can be found for any language. Each lesson begins with illustrative conversations, which are so well designed that it is actually possible for the learner to get an inductive feel for the grammatical points that will be illuminated later in the lesson. Both rote drills and translation exercises are plentiful. Later in the book come longer readings, and at the end comes a lengthy and very thorough reference grammar. The author also provides a great deal of interesting information about the culture of the Basque country- one can not only develop a real feel for the language itself but for the people who care so passionately about preserving it for future generations.

Negatives? Well, there isn't any audio, but there is, as other revieweres have noted, 'Colloquial Basque', by the same author- a much less grammatical and more everyday introduction to the language, which does come with CDs. In fact, on Amazon, it's usually possible to buy them together and save.

This coursebook is by the same author as Colloquial Basque, but content overlap is minimised and the style of the two books differs somewhat. The present book is a much heftier work, but is also a much drier read. Although I've given it four stars, I would recommend it only for more serious students, who have few alternatives anyway. Colloquial Basque, which comes with tapes and a generally more modern style, would be more suitable for most other people.

The best feature of The Basque Language: A Practical Introduction is the grammar section at the end of the book. This provides a handy summary of all the grammatical points which appear in the book, and includes a general explanation of their use. The book also includes a selection of readings, with various passages about the Basque Country and related topics (some of them by King himself), excerpts from a play and several novels, and a selection of both traditional and more modern songs.

The units themselves mostly consist of a short dialogue followed by grammatical notes and exercises. Unfortunately the grammar sections and exercises are all mixed in together, and there are no fun headings ("Saying what you mean", "Doing things with words") such as appear in Colloquial Basque. Apart from making the chapters less interesting, this can also make it more difficult to find things in preceding chapters. Explanation of the grammar is also often poor or lacking altogether, although thorough explanation is provided at the back of the book.

Serious students of Basque will find this book to be an invaluable reference. Many people, however, will find Colloquial Basque to be a more practical introduction to the language.

Well there are not many Basque grammars available owing, I assume, mainly to Basque's relative obscurity. In this grammar, however, Alan King has managed to organize the grammar well for those who are just beginning to study the language (i.e. a properly ascending difficulty level), yet also includes a good amount of information for those who want it, from cultural notes to the differences between the different Basque dialects.

The book includes a written conversation in almost every chapter, which is followed by new vocabulary. Next comes a number of grammar points with practice (answers to the questions are found in the back of the book). There are also review chapters which allow the student to review the grammar and vocabulary from previous chapters.

Finally, there is a reference section at the back of the book, which contains anything from an elementary reading section to an explanation of the semi-complicated Basque verb system (it also includes a pronunciation guideline, rules for sentence structure, small dictionary for important words used in the book)

Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found it helpful for my purposes. It reminded me structurally of Wheelock's Latin. My only complaint would be that I would have liked to have more examples of some of the more complicated grammar points. This, however, is to be expected given that this grammar is only intended as an introduction.

There are no other Basque language textbooks to speak of, so this one is necessarily the best, because it is a competent attempt. If you're a serious learner, this book will put you a good ways towards achieving your goal.

This is a good as it gets for an introduction to Euskara for English speakers. Having learned the language, himself, the author is aware of the pitfalls and skillfully guides the user with a clear text and adequate explanations.