The Basque dialect of Lekeitio

Abstract

This book is a study of the Basque variety spoken in Lekeitio (Vizcaya). As such we have intended to make a direct contribution to Basque dialectology, aiming at setting certain standards for research in this area. In addition, we believe that some of the materials assembled in this work will be of interest to a larger audience beyond Basque specialists. It is for this reason that we decided to write the present book in English. In our opinion, certain linguistic aspects are treated in more detail here than in any previous work on any other Basque variety. A case in point would be accentuation, both at the lexical level and in its relation to the syntactic process of focalization.After an introductory chapter in which the sociolinguistic reality of Lekeitio and the main differential characteristics of the Basque variety spoken in this town are considered, this book contains chapters on phonology, morphology ans syntax, followed by a set of transcribed texts excerpted from recorded conversations with Lekeitio speakers spanning a wide age range, and a final list of vocabulary.