Investigating Lexical Exchange between Basque and Castilian, from the Reconquista to Modernity

Abstract

This research investigates the lexical and morphological relationship between the Castilian and Basque languages, as spoken on the Iberian Peninsula, since the period of unification in the Reconquista to the present. In short, it aims to to describe the effects the languages have had on each other. The research focuses primarily on vocabulary exchange between the two languages, paying special attention to the social setting words were borrowed across. Analysis of primary sources and corpus of especially Basque writings is the central method, as well as analysis of phonological change over time of words borrowed across languages.This research builds on previous analyses of lexical exchange in Basque and Castilian, but extends its analysis to include social and cultural values of borrowings, with the ultimate goal of expanding understanding of the historically complicated relationship between the two cultures and how it relates to the current political situation in Spain as a whole. 1 / 1