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Tartessian: The oldest aboriginal texts known,
from VII-VI b.C., are written in Tartessian, a language about which very
little is known. These inscriptions, written in a peculiar semi-syllabic
writing system, have been found in the SW of the Peninsula, in the general
region where Tartessos is supposed to have been. The latest texts can be
dated in the IV century b.C.
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Iberian: More than 1000 Iberian inscriptions are
known. The older ones can be dated V-IV b.C.; they are mostly written in
a semisyllabical system. Iberian was spoken in the Eastern regions and
beyond the Pyrenees; it vanished in Roman times, though it was possibly
spoken even in IV a.D.
As for now, these texts cannot be translated, despite the opinion,
held by many, that considers Iberian and Basque to be the same language.This
view is more than a hundred years old, but has been supported by few linguists.
Southern Iberian: Another group of inscriptions, dating from
VI b.C onwards, found in Southern regions, are written in a variant of
the semisyllabic writing. Their language is generally thought to be Iberian,
or a variety of Iberian.
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Basque is not recorded before Middle Ages, but
we do have some information about Aquitanian, spoken by the French side
of the Pyrenaean ridge (I b.C.). It's quite possible that Aquitanian was
a language related to Basque, if not just the same language.
Basque is first attested in the Xth Century, in the 'Glosas Emilianenses',
side by side with Romance glosses. In fact, many speakers of the neighbouring
Romance languages (Castilian, Navarro-Aragonese and Gascon) were bilingual,
and some traits are shared just by them (e.g. there's no /v/ sound in any
of them).
The territorial extension of Basque is now smaller than in the Middle
Ages. Presently it's one of the two official languages in the Spanish Basque
Country (Euskadi) and Navarre, but for a majority of Basque people it's
not a language learned from their parents. Basque is also spoken across
the Pyrenees, in SW France.
Eight dialects of Basque are usually singled out. The official language
is called euskera batua, that is unified Basque.
Basque is not a Romance, not even an Indoeuropean language. No relationship
with other languages can be confidently assessed; among other proposals,
links have been suggested with some of the Caucasian languages (whether
with the Kartvelic or the Septentrional stock), with Hamitic (Numidian,
Berber), with Iberian, etc. None of these proposals has been widely adopted.
Basque is taught in many universities worldwide. A lot of information
can be found in the Web. Two links: a
page in English, Spanish and Basque, another
in English.