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

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.

Hands-down the absolute greatest!

I am proud to tell you that this is the very best Basque grammar I have ever read. The most difficult part of the Basque language is verbs, which are here very clearly explained. The author has been living for lots of years in the Basque Country and knows how to present vocabulary in a communicative way. To tell you the truth, I am much happier after having read this book.

This is the best book there is to learn Basque. It explains the intricacies of the language and is full of exercises to practice what is learned. This is definitely the book to buy is you want to learn Euskara. Ondo ibili!

I loved this book on this language.

This is a fantastic introduction to the language. Everything is very clearly explained and there are numerous dialogues, text examples, and exercises that progressively increase in difficulty. Great

As someone who loves languages, and really wants to learn basque, this book is incredible. Each lesson typically includes a large dialogue to practice with, a list of vocabulary, and, numerous excercises (with an answer key in the back), as well as easy to understand charts and grammar explanations. The back of the book contains large entries explaining things such as suffixes for creating words, numerous case and verb charts, all the words that appear in the book can be found at the end. Not only does this book teach you phrases and such, but it teaches you colloquial ways of saying things. The only downside is there is no audio, and it doesn’t go in depth explaining pronunciation. HOWEVER there are numerous other places to learn pronunciation. This book is so incredibly thorough in so many ways though. Im thouroughly impressed with how much Basque I’ve been able to learn in just the few days.Oh one more thing, is it teaches you about basque culture as well.If you’re interested in learning Basque I highly highly recommend you purchase this book.Liburu hau oso harrgarri da!!

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.

Alan King's "Introduction" is much more than it claims: this is a tour de force guide to a tiny but mighty language, written by a linguist for those who are interested in much than useful phrases, but who want to see into the heart of the grammar. Ample texts for translating and application.

This book leaves me wanting to see more of the language and less pages of exercises. A great deal of exposure to the language is required to get used to using it. Unfortunately this book's dialogues and texts all seem cooked by the same unimaginative hand, and the dosage is quite insufficient. I would recommend Ramon Lazkano's Assimil course if your issue is budget, or treat yourself to Rudolf P.G. de Rijk's Standard Basque - a masterpiece and labour of love.

少し読み出し始めたところだが、なかなか懇切丁寧に記述されていると思う。未だ全体像をつかめていないので、星四つにした。これだけのボリュームのバスク語文法書は日本語ではなかなかないのでは。英語なのでややハードルが高いか？