none of their works have any high value, and the real history and
relations of this language were in a great measure unknown
until the publication of the Mithridates, the second volume of
which contained a treatise on it by Adeiung, printed during
histlife, but published by Professor Vater after the death of
that celebrated philologer. A more extensive work on the
structure and relations of the Euskarian language appeared in
the last volume of the same compilation, written by the
celebrated Baron W. von Humboldt, who, during his abode in
Spain, devoted himself to this subject, and to the collection of
materials illustrative- of the ancient literature of the Iberians.
A later work was afterwards published by the-same distinguished
writer, on the traces of this language, and of the
people who made use of it, discoverable in topographical names
in Spain and some other parts of Europe.. The Euskarian
idiom has received further elucidations, from the^pgji^-qf
MM. Abbadie and Chaho,# and from some.'other publications
on the Basque dialect spoken in France, which have appeared
in that country.
Section 11 • Observations on the Euskarian Language, and
its Relations to other Idioms.
b It had been supposed by English writers since;the time of
EdwardLhuyd, that the Biseayan dialects are «Tfemoteblanch
of the Celtic language. This opinion, w hich bad no foundation -
but conjecture, has long ago been refuted, and entirely abandoned.,
It is well known th at in its whole formation, the Eus- ,
kanan differs entirely from the Celtic, and from all other Indo-
European languages, as it likewise does from the Syro-Arubian
dialects : though some roots are common to these languages
and the Biscayan, Jheir number is by no means sufficient to
establish what is termed a family relation.
The Euskarian has some remarkable traits of analogy to
the idioms of northern Europe and Asia, and among-these
* Etudes Grammaticales de la Langue Eusiarienne, par JJM. d’Abbadie et
Chaho
particularly to th a t family of languages spoken by the Jotune,
or Finnish races. This-fact was first indicated, by Arndt,#
whose*‘observations were favourably noticed by Professor
Bask. On this^ ground Rask ventured to reckon the aborig
in e s ^ Spain t as b e lo n g in g ^ the same race with those of
the northern region o£,Europe.d; :,>i- c 5 _
- The. relation^ between the Euskarian * .and ^ the ^Finnish
idioms has not been fully -investigated, but it ;is certainly
remarkable; that th e - form.^idioin has both of those striking
peculiarities, which Dobmwsky and otffers have ppinfed,out
as*the- characteristic traitfsyxpf .all .th e^ ft^m ed ^ .cy th ian or
high Asihfeierlanguages.; <■ ,3-? ttn m ' '
The Euskarian, like all these la n g u a g e £as.fp difference pf
gender iiiateomns substantive, and lik e them it sirhjbmswto
nouns all .particles which^o&ify their meaning, and to verbs
and clauses all the pronou impersonal. and^ven^elativex Ot
these observations sufficient proofs may Adeiung«
analysis -of the Lord’s . Prayer. - 4§puch phenomena arej.d^-
serving of attention, j . but on looking'further into,the^ompan-
son of these languages, ». perceive a very striking and
general difference between >the i,diou^e£;the Iberian^ and the
dialect&uof the norths .The -former abounds*in inflections, of
infinite variety, while* the Scythian dialebtslmfe iri^ n ^ ra l very
§jmpla*and poor in this respect. The.Euskarian makes a most
extensive use of auxiliary verb^which are ,n§ver; employ£|;in
the.scanty.conjugations* of the, northern idioms p£. Asia,,of
those tat least*-which preserve their original q^d, unmodified
character. In the construction of words themselyes^h'Pse
ia likewise a. striking
Whi-fe'Professor Vater was, engaged in wrif^g hip efcellpnf
work on the population, of, America., .and in comparing the
idioms of the old and the new world, he w ^ s tru c k by an a l^
gies, which at first he thought very important, betweep the
Euskarian language and the native dialects ,?o| tb e.g jeat
western .continent. The rn o st^m a rk ab le .characteristics of.
* Arndt iiber&e Verwandtschaft der Europäischen Sprachen, 1819.
| j Tj . Rask, über dus Altei * übersetzt,
feerlin, 1826, § 159.