BASQUE AREA AND CONTACTS

Dieterlen F., Bengtson, J. Confirmation de l'ancienne extension des Basquespar l'étude des dialectes de l'Europe de l'Ouest romane, Journal of Language Relationship / Вопросы языкового родства, 14/1 (2016), https://www.academia.edu/30676662/Confirmation_of_the_Basque_ancient_extension_through_study_of_Western_European_romance_dialects_180jlr2016_14_1_21_27
Basque-Kartvelian after: http://lingvoforum.net/index.php?topic=5114.50
Beekes, pp. 1037–1038.
Cf.: 'The earlier etymologies connecting ὕλη with Lat. silva or with ξύλον must be rejected', Beekes, p. 1530.
Basq.-Georg. after: Braun, J. Protokartvelian, Agade (Warszawa 2008), p. 17.
Schuchardt, Hugo (1913): "Baskisch-Hamitische wortvergleichungen" Revista Internacional de Estudios Vascos = "Revue Internationale des Etudes Basques" 7:289–340.
http://hedatuz.euskomedia.org/4881/1/07289340.pdf
http://www.cranberryletters.com/iberia/
Without etymology: Yu. V. Zytsar (pers. comm.), L. Trask's dictionary, J. Bengtson's e-database.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140820130434/https://cryptm.org/~nort/linguistics/Basque%20etymology.pdf
https://web.archive.org/web/20140820130434/https://cryptm.org/~nort/linguistics/Basque%20etymology.pdf


BASQUE AREA AND CONTACTS

Iurii Mosenkis

Basque is one among 'Paleo-Hispanic' languages. Several Greek and Latin words of 'Mediterranean' origin have Basque equivalents which might reflect more wide area of Basque in pre-historic times. Some Basque 'mysterious' words might be of Phoenician, Greek, Latin, Celtic, and Germanic origin


Paleo-Hispanic languages

Aquitanian
Aquitanian language was an old form of Basque, and both languages belong to the Vasconic family.

Iberian
Iberian language had connections with Basque, but Iberian-Basque relations remain disputable. Frequent suffix of Iberian tribe-names -tan (Aquitani, Iacetani, Ausetani, Bastetani, Bergistani, Cessetani/Cossetani, Vescetani, Turdetani, Carpetani, Lusitani and many others) resembles Proto-West Chadic *danH- 'family, clan, people' (also Egyptian 'family' and South Cushitic 'daughter'). Thus an old hypothesis about Iberians as mainly 'Hamitic' peoples may be accepted.
Now Iberian can be used as a conventional name for 'Hamitic' (non-Semitic – in the case of Basque non-Phoenician – Afro-Asiatic) element of Basque. The element might be substrate, adstrate, or/and superstrate.

Tartessian
While Tartessos was interpreted by some scholars as an Aegean name because of -ss- suffix, P. Kretschmer (long before recent deciffrements of Tartessian inscriptions) explained the name of Tartessian king Arganthonios as Celtic because of Celtic argant- 'silver'. South Spain was known in antiquity as a silver-rich country, and many scholars (J. G. Herder was among the first) think that Basque zilhar, zidar, zirar 'silver' was a source of Slavic-Baltic-Germanic names of the metal.


Pre-historic Basque area:
Basque-like substrate in Greek and Latin

This problem is an object of discussion. Basque-like words in Old Irish are well-known, but does Latin include Basque-like substrate? A Vasconic language reached Italy. E. g., Latin gutta 'a drop of fluid' of unknown origin : Basque guti, gutti, guttu 'a little, some' : Proto-Kartvelian *k'ut'u- 'small'; North Caucasian cognates are also proposed.
The name of Liguria (southeastern France and northwestern Italy) might reflect Basque ligor 'dry land'.
More surprising examples are Basque parallels of 'Mediterranean' (i. e. pre-Indo-European substratal) words not only in Latin but also in Greek.
Pre-Greek larinos, Latin laridum 'fat' : Basque larru 'skin, leather'
Pre-Greek makele 'mattock' : Basque makila 'stick' (if the latter is not from Latin bacilla)
Pre-Greek mikos 'small' (/mikros, cf. kudos/kudros) : Basque miko 'a little', Proto-North Caucasian *miḳwV 'small, young one'
Pre-Greek apion, Latin pirum < *pisum 'pear' : Proto-Basque *pać 'pomace of apples, of grapes'
Pre-Greek ksule, hule, ksulon, sulon (Slavic-Baltic-Germanic parallels, but non-Indo-European substrate is not excluded) < *sule 'wood', Latin silva 'forest' (and Old Norse usli 'glowing ashes'?) : Proto-Basque *sul 'wood'
Pre-Greek aphros 'foam' : Basque apar 'foam' : Georgian p'eri, p'er-ul-i 'froth'. It is common 'Mediterranean' word rather than Greek loan in Basque or Basque-like loan in Greek.
Greek ἴσοξ 'whale-like fish' (Hesych.), Latin esox 'pike', Celtic *esoks 'salmon' might be linked with Basque suge 'snake'. As Nicolás Monto correctly underlines (pers. comm.), Greek and Latin words (because of intervocale -s- and the absence of s > r respectively) are late loans.
These words might be a result of 1) wide prehistoric Basque area, including not only a part of Italy but also a part of Greece; 2) pre-Indo-European pan-Mediterranean koine; 3) an influence of pre-Greek and pre-Latin substrate languages on Basque.


Early contacts

Phoenician
First Phoenicians appeared in the Iberian Peninsula in the Sea People time or short after the time. Their development occurred after the Bronze Age collapse about 1200 BCE.
Phoenician element, but not strong, might be later brought in the Northwest Europe by migrants like 'Milesians', i. e. Celtic migrants from Spain to Ireland (S. Hewitt). Cf. Phoenician origin of Proto-Germanic *apan 'ape' and common monkey name in Latvian and Etruscan.
Basque daguen-il 'August' (-il 'month') might reflect the name of Canaanite god of grain Dagon.
Basque bozkario 'happiness' might be linked with enigmatic (without etymology) Greek makar 'happy' (particularly, in the name of the Canarian Islands, initially colonized by the Phoenicians) and Romanian bucur 'happy'. Possible Phoenician source of the words might be related to Arabic Barak and Hebrew Baruch – names which mean 'happy'.
Basque ertz, eretz 'side' might be of Semitic origin. It was possible link with Proto-Germanic *ertho 'earth'.
Basque nagusi 'master, chief' : Ethiopian negus 'emperor' point to social organization.

'Hamitic'
Non-Semitic Afro-Asiatic elements in Basque are very old, accepted during the migration and then in Spain. If the Bell Beaker pottery was really similar to the Swifterbant one (while the Swifterbant culture was linked with Ertebølle) then 'Hamitic' element might be also accepted in Northwest Europe.
These elements were studied by A. Trombetti, H. Schuchardt, V. Blažek etc. Some elements might have both etymologies. E. g., Spanish gusano 'worm, caterpillar' of unknown origin (traditionally interpreted as 'Iberian', cf. Proto-Afro-Asiatic *ḳVc-am/n- 'locust, ant, larva') : Proto-Basque *śuge 'snake', a cognate of Burushaski ɣusánum/s 'snake'.

Greek
Greeks might firstly appear in the Iberian Peninsula in the Mycenaean time (1450–1200 BCE) or, if the 'Minoans' were Greeks, during previous centuries.
Lebor gabala Erinn, or 'The Book of Invasions in Ireland', linked some invaders not only with Spain but also with Greece – it may point to the Sea People period.
Basque arto 'millet' and at(h)eri 'fine weather' might reflect Greek artos 'bread' (cf. Sumerian urta 'barley') and aither 'ether' respectively.
If Basque urre, urhe 'gold' 'cannot possibly be linked to Lat. aurum id., from old Lat. *ausom' (Trask) then cf. Greek okhros 'yellow' > Georgian oq'ro 'gold'.
Basque zitu 'reaping, harvest', which is traditionally compared with Greek sitos 'bread', is now derived from Latin sectum 'cut' (L. Trask).

Latin, Celtic, and Germanic
Contacts of the Basques with Romans, Celts, and Germanic peoples are well-known.
'Mysterious' Basque arrain 'fish' might be simply a form related to Latin rana 'frog'.
Basque negu 'winter' of unknown origin : Proto-Indo-European *sniegwh- 'snow', e. g. Latin ninguit 'it is snowing'.
Basque uzta 'harvest, July' of unknown origin, 'but why is July harvest time?' : Latin Augustus.
Basque artz 'bear' might be a loan from Celtic art- 'bear' whereas Basque silhar, sildar 'silver' might be related to Celtiberian silabur 'silver' (synonym of arganto 'silver').