Politeness & Our sources -- VTrain (Vocabulary Trainer)

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Subject: Politeness & Our sources

Author:
Webmaster
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Date Posted: 20:50:09 10/22/04 Fri
In reply to: Bego Antxustegi 's message, "Basque language" on 10:18:39 10/20/04 Wed

You wrote:
<<You don't know the first thing about Basque, my man/woman. Is all your information this reliable? What a shame! Please, check your sources and let us know about them. >>

Our answer:
Dear Lady, It makes us sad that you have chosen to use offensive language instead of englightening us. If there is anything you would like to be changed on our website because ou feel it does not reflect the facts, you can let us know what it is exactly. Everybody's contribution is welcome, but we all would benefit more from well-reasoned arguments than from hate messages - really.

Changes we have just made to our page Basque - Learn more
(from VTrain's Learning Resources & Free Flashcards Database):
"Basque is the native language of some 250,000 people" ->
"600,000 people" [source: The Ethnologue Report]

"Many abstract concepts are expressed in this language by loanwords
from Spanish" -> "Certain abstract concepts are expressed in this language by way of Latin and Spanish loanwords"

The following sentence was added: "The oldest evidence of written
literature in this language dates back to the XIVth c."

Now, when did literature in Basque start to flourish? Luis Michelena wrote in Encyclopaedia
Britannica: Origins and classification (from Basque language):
"Basque remains an isolated language with no known linguistic relatives. (...) During theMiddle Ages, Basque,the language of a population more peasant than urban, couldnot possibly hold the field as a written language against Latin and its successors (...) in the kingdom of Navarre. Since the 10th century, Basque has slowly but steadily lost ground to Castilian Spanish; (...) Scholarly Basque literature, with its prevailing religious interests, has been neither abundant nor varied until recent times. Intense efforts are now being made to introduce Basque as a vehicle of private primary education. In addition, a model of a unified, standard written language also seems to be gaining increasing acceptance."

Similar statements can be found in Wikipedia: Euskera and in Microsoft Encarta: Literatura vasca.

Regarding the origin of Basque vocabulary, Luis Michelena wrote in Encyclopaedia
Britannica: Vocabulary (from Basque language):
"Nevertheless, its borrowings from the neighbouring languages, especially of words and idioms, can hardly be underrated. Loanwords from the Romance languages are numerous. Some of them bear the unmistakable stamp of their archaic Latin ancestry (...) Contrary to a widely held opinion, Indo-European loanwords of non-Latin origin are extremely scarce."

Thank you all for your kind attention. Feel free to post any opinions to this Forum.

Sincerely

the webmaster

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Subject Author Date

Re: Politeness & Our sources Bego Antxustegi 14:16:42 10/25/04 Mon

Thank you -- Webmaster, 14:37:01 10/25/04 Mon

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>You wrote: <<You don't know the first >thing about Basque, my man/woman. Is all your >information this reliable? What a shame! Please, check >your sources and let us know about them. >> > >Our answer: >Dear Lady, It makes us sad that you have chosen to use >offensive language instead of englightening us. If >there is anything you would like to be changed on our >website because ou feel it does not reflect the facts, >you can let us know what it is exactly. Everybody's >contribution is welcome, but we all would benefit more >from well-reasoned arguments than from hate messages - >really. >Changes we have just made to our page <A >rel=nofollow target=_blank >HREF="http://www.vtrain.net/db-eu-info.htm">Basque - >Learn more</A> >(from VTrain's Learning Resources & Free >Flashcards Database):<UL><LI>FACE="Arial, Helvetica">"Basque is the native >language of some 250,000 people" -> > "600,000 people" [source: <A >rel=nofollow target=_blank >HREF="http://www.ethnologue.org/show_language.asp?code= >BSQ">The >Ethnologue Report</A>FACE="Arial, Helvetica">] > <LI>"Many >abstract concepts are expressed in this language by >loanwords > from Spanish" -> "Certain abstract >concepts are expressed in this language by way of >Latin and Spanish loanwords" > <LI>The >following sentence was added: "The oldest >evidence of written > literature in this language dates back to the XIVth >c." ></UL>Now, when did literature in Basque start >to flourish? Luis Michelena wrote in <A >rel=nofollow target=_blank >HREF="http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=75372" >>Encyclopaedia >Britannica: Origins and classification (from Basque >language)</A>:<BLOCKQUOTE>SIZE="2">"Basque remains an isolated language >with no known linguistic relatives. (...) During >theMiddle Ages, Basque,the language of a population >more peasant than urban, couldnot possibly hold the >field as a written language against Latin and its >successors (...) in the kingdom of Navarre. Since the >10th century, Basque has slowly but steadily lost >ground to Castilian Spanish; (...) Scholarly Basque >literature, with its prevailing religious interests, >has been neither abundant nor varied until recent >times. Intense efforts are now being made to introduce >Basque as a vehicle of private primary education. In >addition, a model of a unified, standard written >language also seems to be gaining increasing >acceptance." ></BLOCKQUOTE>Similar statements can be found in <A >rel=nofollow target=_blank >HREF="http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idioma_vascuence">Wi >kipedia: Euskera</A> and in <A rel=nofollow >target=_blank >HREF="http://es.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761585248/ >Literatura_vasca.html">Microsoft Encarta: Literatura >vasca</A>. Regarding the origin of Basque >vocabulary, Luis Michelena wrote in <A >rel=nofollow target=_blank >HREF="http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=75376" >>Encyclopaedia >Britannica: Vocabulary (from Basque >language)</A>:<BLOCKQUOTE>SIZE="2">"Nevertheless, its borrowings from the >neighbouring languages, especially of words and >idioms, can hardly be underrated. Loanwords from the >Romance languages are numerous. Some of them bear the >unmistakable stamp of their archaic Latin ancestry >(...) Contrary to a widely held opinion, Indo-European >loanwords of non-Latin origin are extremely >scarce." ></BLOCKQUOTE>Thank you all for your kind attention. >Feel free to post any opinions to this Forum. > Sincerely >the webmaster >

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