The Basque Language

The first external record of the existence of Basque is in early medieval chronicles. The first texts written in Basque, although difficult to interpret, are two of the annotations of the Glosas Emilianenses, from the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla.

 The Codex Calixtinus, from the mid-12th century, contains texts related to the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. This codex includes some information about Basque vocabulary.

The first extensive testimony in Basque is the printed work called Linguae Vasconum Primitiae (1545) by the Navarrese parish priest Bernat Etxepare, who is considered the first writer to publish a book in Basque.

The first three decades of the 20th century were golden years for the Basque language. In 1918, the Eusko Ikaskuntza Society of Basque Studies held its first conference, and in 1919 Euskaltzaindia, the Academy of the Basque Language, was founded. 

In the 1960s, thanks to the Ikastolas (language schools for children) and the Gau-eskolas (schools for adults), the language began to recover its importance in the region, until it became an unwavering cornerstone for the Basque people.

The Gau-eskolas were the forerunner of Euskaltegis, where about 40,000 adults are currently learning Basque.

The need to set a standard for Basque arose in the 20th century. In 1968, at the Congress of Aránzazu, Basque writers and scholars met in Oñate and agreed on the spelling and morphological rules of the Batua Basque or Unified Basque language. 

Koldo Mitxelena (1915-1987) was the leading author of the proposal. The Academy of the Basque Language or Euskaltzaindia has addressed lexical standardization. Batua Basque is the variation used in the media, teaching, and administration.