Basque in action

When I said I was going to a language school in Pamplona, the more switched-on amongst my friends and family immediately asked if I was going to learn Basque.

Now Pamplona is solidly in Euskal Herria, or Basque Country. This fact is evidenced by the signs and, often, by people talking in the streets – although, sadly, not by the presence of Basque cheesecake. There are also Basque flags on countless balconies (often aligned with Palestinian flags).

The Basque language is a peculiarity. It isn’t related to other languages. When they regularised it in the 1970s they used the letters Z and X to represent unique sounds in the language. That makes it look distinctly, well, weird to an English speaker. It sounds more familiar with X representing ‘sh’ and Z sounding like an S with your tongue on your top teeth.

They have taught Basque in schools here for quite some post-Franco time. Strangely it has, according to my teacher, become more popular recently with locals. The, rather depressing, reason is that immigrant children always learn Spanish and many locals don’t want their kids in classes with immigrants.

The locals do speak Basque in the streets and do speak Spanish with a distinct accent. Well, less an accent and more a particular emphasis and intonation that I can’t replicate, but which I’ve realised is readily identifiable.

I’m recounting this because: garagardo bat hartzen ari naiz, which I hope means ‘I am having a beer’ and contemplating the sign beside my table. Four hours in school then another two hours of homework has left me in a position where a beer in my local while people watching is about all I can manage.

So here’s the view over my beer: