Linguistic connections between Basques and Slavs (Veneti) in antiquity

The publication of the monumental book “Veneti, naši davni predniki“, by Bor, Šavli, and Tomažič(1) can be compared to nothing less than the igniting of a bonfire to light the darkness, a darkness which correctly describes the written history of the Slovenian people up to that point. It is not so much that their major thesis, i.e., the aboriginal nature of Slovenes and Slavs in general, has not previously been considered (indeed, previous thinkers are well documented), it is that it has never been put together so logically, with so much compelling evidence, such coherence, and such boldness. For the first time, it appears, Slovenes are allowed to write their own history without foreign domination. It is not our purpose here to question or even supplement the main thesis – this we accept as now a given – but rather to look into some of the lesser aspects of their work to see if we, the eager and supportive amateurs, can fit together the small pieces which they left unattended.

One such small piece is the tantalizing suggestion that there appears to be a linguistic connection between the Slovenian and Basque languages (other languages are touched on as well, but we concentrate on the Basques). A few cursory examples are given in the book, enough to wet the appetite, but not enough to give strength to the argument. We have decided to look further into this question in the hope of shedding additional light on the matter. The tools at our disposal are meager, consisting primarily of the Basque,(2) as well as Slovenian,(3) and Czech(4) dictionaries. We compare the modern Basque language with the modern Slovenian and Czech languages, which immediately suggests that we have eliminated a whole segment of the comparison. Without doubt knowledge of the more antique forms of each language would be very useful since similarities, if they ever existed, are slowly erased with time. Nonetheless we hoped that enough evidence has remained to this day to allow a definitive statement on any linguistic connection.

It may yet be, of course, that modern techniques of DNA analysis will either prove or disprove anything we say here. These techniques, while still in their early stages, have the potential of being model free and definitive. We do not believe that they have yet arrived at their full potential, so that there is still room for other techniques, such as linguistic comparisons, to answer some questions. Should it eventually be proven via DNA that there is no connection between Basques and Slav peoples, however, we will be left with the mystery of the linguistic similarities which we hope to show below, are far beyond accidental. Perhaps the similarities in that case stem from an intermixing or a trade language.

Before launching into a linguistic comparison, it is tantalizing to speculate about the very name Basques. The Roman appellation for these people was Vascones, sometimes written as Vascani. It is easy to see how the betatism has transformed the “V” into a “B” to result in the modern word. But the occasional writing of Vascones as Vascani is curious. It does not take much imagination to transform the word into Vaščani, which immediately provides a link to Slovenian, or Venetic, language. It should be remembered that one of the major themes of Bor et al.(1) is that the distinguishing feature of the Veneti is their basic cultural unit, the Village. Might it not be possible that the Basques originally called themselves “The Village People” or Vaščani?

[Allowing ourselves one more bit of speculation regarding Roman writing, we look at the word Druids, or the wood people who worshiped trees on the British Isles. Since the Romans generally used the printed letter V whenever a U is called-for, it is very likely that they wrote DRVIDES for Druides. But might it not be so that in this particular case they really wanted to use the letter V? In that case we are talking about Drvides, which immediately suggests the word drva or drevo. The connection between the name Druids and the tree worship then becomes much more logical. Granted this is stretching things a bit, but it is food for thought.]

As we stated in our abstract, a cursory examination of the Basque language would suggest at most an accidental connection between Slavic and Basque. Indeed, we were prepared to abandon the project when one of us (PJ) noticed an unusually high correspondence among words, which surely would have already existed in antiquity. These include such words as relating to body parts, geographical features, agricultural terms, and the lexicon of hunters and gatherers in general. Our initial attention was particularly focused on the word gori and its combinations, which in Basque describe many items dealing with heat or burning, as well as items dealing with elevation, highest praise, high passion, and higher authority. Strangely enough, or perhaps not so strangely, this is identical to what is used in the Slovenian language. The indefinite verb “to burn” is in Basque actually erraustu, while words derived from gori refer perhaps more to heat. Nonetheless, the similarity is stunning. The word for flame is gar, which in Slovenian has been softened to žar. While gori is an adjective describing a burning item more correctly called goreči in Slovenian, the adjective goren has the Slovenian equivalent of najgorjši (supreme, exalted, most high), the indefinite verb goritu = ogreti (to heat), the adverb gora = gori (up or upward), etc., etc. In Slavic languages the word gora also refers to a mountain, which, like a fire, rises upward to the sky. This appears to have been altered in Basque to mendi (most likely Latinized from montes), but the word for an apex is goraldi (vrh in Slovenian) thus retaining the root. Further we find that to elevate = goratu, while elevation = gorapen. It would seem much more than pure accident that two apparently unrelated languages (according to linguists) would use the identical root word to form words with very different meaning, and have the meaning of these words correspond exactly in the two languages. This spurred on a further examination.

To a much lesser extent these relationships exist in English as well. Thus elevation (height) and exalted one (highness) derive from the same word, while high passion can be viewed as related to burning only as a metaphor, as in burning passion. But the use of the same root word for heat, burning, high status, mountains, heights and passion are nonexistent in English, while both Basque and Slavic describe all these with the root word gori. [Quite aside, in the course of this search the large number of English words with Slavic derivatives, which do not have Latin or Germanic roots, surprised us]. Nor are they found in the Latin language, which many might consider as the link in the similarities between Basque and Slavic. Thus in Latin, e.g., up = sursum, fire = ignus, mountains = montes, etc.

When comparing Basque and Slavic it would be most useful to have a strong command of several Slavic languages, both the ancient and modern forms, since it may be that some languages have retained the ancient forms wile others were subject to change. At our disposal were only the Czech and Slovenian languages, but even with these the usefulness of a multi-language approach was evident, particularly when trying to unravel what appears to be only a vague connection in one language, but absolutely clear in another. The sum of our work is given in the Appendix with the words in alphabetical order. A few explanations of Basque are in order for a better appreciation of the comparisons. First of all, no Basque word begins with the letter R. Thus we find the word for river as erreka and not reka. The indefinite verbs have the –tu ending while in Slovenian they end in -ti. Thus we have zoritu, which means zoriti (to ripen). While in Slovenian the use of the article ta, as in ta prvi, is fading from use, it is still used in Basque except that it is postpositional, as in mamata, or pivoto (i.e., the mother and the beer). Postpositional articles are also found in Bulgarian and Macedonian languages. We also point out again the interchangeability of letters b and v due to betatism. With this prelude we welcome the reader to peruse the appendix.

Most of the comparisons in the appendix are self-explanatory. One could write a story about many of the words but it is not our intent to belabor these. We would include one, however, namely the word for knee (belanue), which bears only a slight resemblance to the Slovenian word koleno. The interesting fact is that in both Basque (belaunaldi) and in Slavic (pokolenje) the word for generation stems from the root word for knee. While this occurs in Latin as well where genu (knee) and genus (ancestry) are related, one must ask just who borrowed what from whom. Ancient pre-Roman Venetic inscriptions clearly indicate that the word for wife (or woman) is gena, later softened into the Slovenian word žena (a clear reference to ancestry). We dare say the Romans did much borrowing. At the very least the knee connection indicates that the Basque language did not originate in a vacuum, as some would have us believe, but had contact with the rest of Europe from the beginning.

It is already clear from many of the words in the appendix that the Basque words consist of root a word to which one attaches adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, etc. to form new words. This is entirely similar to the way Slavic words are constructed. We gave an example in the abstract of črešnja (čer – ješnja, food with a rock), but we could give countless other examples, such as iskra (iz ker-a, from a rock). We are assured by Prof. Rozalyn Frank of the University of Iowa that this type of word formation is not common, but it does occur in both Basque and Slavic.

It would be most gratifying if one could determine a fingerprint, which would be a foolproof method of identifying a Slavic language. The problem, which exists now is that it is difficult to determine just who borrowed from whom in the course of language development. Such is the case, for example, with counting from one to ten. Nearly all languages have very similar words for these numbers. The knee-jerk reaction of historians is to give credit to the Romans or perhaps the Indus people. But is this really so? A careful scrutiny of the words for numbers reveals this interesting fact: In ALL Slavic languages there occurs a rhythm and rhyme (and reason) to the counting system. The numbers are paired thusly: ena-dva, tri-štiri, petest, sedem-osem, devetdeset. If the wording is slightly changed, e.g., to seden by the Primorci, the rhyme is maintained by also changing osem to osen. Indeed, the rhyme is even more pronounced if one realizes that the word for 5 (pet) comes from pest (i.e., fist, containing 5 fingers. Even in English the words five and fist are related). Thus we could say pestest. Perhaps šest comes from še pest, or, more than a fist. This would give meaning and reason to the words. No such reason exists in other languages.

Rhyme and reason in the numbering system are not found in English, Latin, Germanic, or any of the Romance languages. We are tempted to suggest that the counting originated among Slavic peoples, and that the Romans borrowed the words. The subtleties of the rhyme eluded the borrowers. Whatever the case, we suggest that the rhyme in the counting system may be perhaps the fingerprint we are looking for. It is found in Old Prussian so that we are confident in stating that these were a Slavic people. By contrast, the rhyme is not found in the Basque language, which at first glance would seem to negate their Slavic connection. However, in view of the many similar antique words, one can also reach a different conclusion, namely that the split, if such was the case, occurred even before the dawning of the numbering system. Or, perhaps, the two tribes mixed in antiquity due to trade, heavily borrowing words from each other. Whatever the case, the Basques do not appear as unique as some historians would have us believe.

As a final thought, there is no doubt that at the time of the Venetic era (say 1000 B.C.) the numbering system was already in existence. It would be most illuminating to get an idea of their words for numbers. We have not been able to find these in any books on the Veneti. If such can be found, and if a rhyme exists, we dare say that this would be a substantial contribution as proof of their Slavic origins.

References

  1. Bor, Matej; Šavli, Jožko; Tomažič, Ivan: Veneti naši davni predniki, Editiones Veneti, Ljubljana 1989.
  2. Aulestia, Gorka; White, Linda: Basque-English — English-Basque Dictionary, University of Nevada Press, Reno, Nevada, 1992.
  3. Grad, Anton: Angleško-Slovenski slovar, Univerzitetna Knjižnica, Maribor, 1999.
  4. Resepka, Miroslav: “Anglicko-Ceski — Cesko-Anglicki Slovnik”, Fin Publishing, Olomouc, 1998.

Povzetek

Številni učenjaki so poskušali pravilno uvrstiti baskovski jezik med ostale evropske jezike. Ti poskusi so bili v glavnem neuspešni. Nekateri so domnevali, da so Baski potomci nekdanjih kromanjoncev, ki so živeli tam pred trideset tisoč leti. V knjigi “Veneti, naši davni predniki” so Šavli, Bor in Tomažič opozorili na povezave med Baski in Veneti, našimi slovanskimi predniki. Navedli so nekaj primerov podobnih besed v obeh jezikih, niso pa tega globlje obdelali. Nepopustljivo prepričanje nekaterih zgodovinarjev, da so Slovani prišli v Evropo šele v 6. stoletju, za kar pa nimajo zadostnih dokazov, je preprečevalo raziskovanje povezav med Baski in Slovani. Midva sva globlje raziskala jezikovne povezave med tema ljudstvoma in ugotovila zanimivo dejstvo. Medtem ko je na splošno videti zelo malo podobnosti med tema jezikoma (videti so skoraj naključne), pa opazimo, da so podobnosti številne, ko se omejimo na besede, ki so lahko obstajale v daljni preteklosti (morebiti že v kameni dobi). Podobnosti najdemo ne le v besedah, temveč tudi v besedni zgradbi. Na primer, kot v slovanskih jezikih tudi v baskovščini tvorimo nove besede iz osnovnih besed (primer: črešnja = čer ješnja = jed s koščico). Ali pa: baskovska pomanjševalna končnica -ška je podobna slovenski. Predstavila bova še številne druge primere, pa tudi povezave z drugimi jeziki. Nagibava se k temu, da bi dala prav Šavliju, Boru in Tomažiču, da so Baski in Veneti podobni ljudje, ki so se ločili že v davnini.

Appendix

(Examples of Basque – Slavic Linguistic Similarities)

We present below a comparative instrument designed to illustrate similarities between Basque and Slavic languages. The primary search was done by one of us (Petr Jandáček), a Czech, thus it often occurs that Czech words seem more in concert with Basque. However, as a rule, Slovenian words tend to retain a closer comparison.

We again point out that the letters B and V, as well as P and F are often interchangeable. M and N are often replaced with each other as are the velars H, K and G. The dentals C,Č, S,Š, Z,Ž are all mutually interchangeable. The letter X is pronounced as Š, while TX is equivalent to Č. While in Slavic languages the letter R often serves as the sixth vowel (pronounced “er”), to the point where some words contain no vowels at all, Basque words can never begin with the letter R nor even with a consonant cluster such as “sl”, “st”, “pr”. Thus, for example, roditi becomes erditu, while reka becomes ereka. In a similar vein, regarding consonant clusters, sredi becomes asterdi. The Basque indefinite verbs end in -tu, while in Slovenian they end in -ti.

A

Basque Czech Slovenian English
abarka obuv obuvalo Footwear (shoe)
abeltalde stado čreda herd (animals)
aberastasun bohastsvi bogastvo wealth
abere zver zver animal, beast
abestu pjet peti to sing
abesti pjesem pesem song
abio, arabi, ahabi jerabina brusnica cranberry
abian aby da bi so that, consequently
abizen zvan naziv name, appellation
ahalke hanba (pohana) sramota shame
aharratu hadati se, hudrat karati to argue, to reprimand
ahate kachna (raca) duck (water fowl)
aho huba gobec mouth
ahotz hlas glas voice
ahuntz koza koza goat
ahunzbizar kozi bouz kozja brada goatee
ahunztalde kozi stado kozja čreda herd of goats
ahuna jehne jagnje (kozliček) a small goat (a goat lamb)
ahutz lic lice cheek
angira uhor jegulja eel
aipu slava slava glory (SL not allowed in Basque)
aita tata ata dad (father)
aitaxo otecko očka daddy
aitxe otec oče father
aizkora sekyra sekira axe
akastsu kazni pokvarjen spoiled
akastu kaziti kvariti to spoil
akais kaz hiba fault, flaw
aketz kanec merjasec wild boar
al li ali perhaps used with questions
alabaina ale bajo al tako (seveda) but of course
alatu klyti kleti to curse
(Basque words may not start with a consonant cluster)
albo bok bok side (hip)
alboko pobočnik pobočniK side kick, partner
aldapagora pahorek navzgorje slope
aidaratu edejiti vandrati to leave, to wander
aldiz ale ali however, although, nevertheless
alor role izoralo polje field prepared for sewing
ama mama mama mother
anitz moc mnogo much, many
aniztu množiti množiti multiply
apal police polica shelf
apar para para steam
apez papež papež high priest, pontiff
apo žaba žaba frog, toad
apo kopyto kopito hoof
arazo prace poklic, (garati?) job, work, occupation
arbi repa repa turnip
arlo role polje (za oralo) farm field
arrakala rokle razpoka crevice, canyon
arrama ramus rjovenje loud animal noise
arrano orel orel eagle
arrultza vejce jajce egg
arrazoi rozum razum reason, sense
arrazoldun rozumny razumni rational
artalde stado čreda flock of sheep
asaba osoba oseba ancestor/person
ase syty sit full, satisfied
asegabeki sobecky pohlepno greedily
asekada sytost sitost satiety, fullness
aska jesle jasli manger, crib
askatu pustiti spustiti to free, to liberate
aski dosti dosti enough, plenty
askotan častokrat čestokrat often, many times
astar osel osel donkey
astredi sreda sreda Wednesday
asti časi-často često times, often, periodically
asto osel osel ass, donkey
asturu osud usoda fate, fortune
ata (ate) vrata vrata gate, door
(Basque words cannot start with a consonant cluster)
atexka vratečka vratca small gate (Basq X = Š)
atoitu chytiti ujeti to catch, grab
atzapar škrabat krempelj claw
atzaparketa škrabanina krempljati (praskati) scratching (noun)
atze, atzeko zadek zadaj back part, bottom of body
atzealde zada odzadaj posterior part, back
aulk stolek stolček small chair
(Basque words cannot start with a consonant cluster)
aupa hopla hopla exclamation used when lifting heavy weights
aurre pred pred before
aurenik prvni najprej first of all
ausiki kousati pokusiti to bite
autzapez knez knez mayor, lord
aza zeli zelje cabbage
azken končen konec conclusion, ending
aztore jestrab jastreb hawk
Top

B

Basque Czech Slovenian English
ba ba ba exclamation of irony
babespe bespečnost brezskrbnost security, protection, refuge
bada batak potem so, well, then
baietz bajo da tako yes, so, yes indeed
baiezko bajeto da tako affirmative consent
bainu nanja banja bath
baizera bažene tak že ne exclamation expressing doubt or hesitation
bake pokoj pokoj peace, tranquility
bakeune pokojne pokojno peaceful
balanka paka vzvod lever, crowbar
balazta uzda uzda bridle
bapateko prutko nenadno sudden
barabil varle testicle
baranda zabradli zabran? banister
bare mir mir calm
barne vnitr vnotraj interior
barreka rechtat se režati laughing
barrenbake vnitrni pokoj notranji mir (pokoj) inner peace
basa pusty, prosty divji (prosti?) wild, primitive, rustic
basabere zpustia zver divja (prosta) zver wild beast
behi bejk, byk, bik bull, cow, bovine
behiki bejči (hovez) goved beef
behixka kravička (samička od Bejčka) kravca little cow
belar bylina (trava) trava grass
belaunue koleno koleno knee
belaunaldi pokoleni pokolenje generation
belaunikaketa pokleknuti poklekniti genuflect
beretu brati grabiti to take, seize
beretzakotu zabrati zagrabiti to monopolize, seize
berga palka bergle rod, club stick
berho vedro vroče heat, hot
bertz džber čeber bucket, pail
(Since Basque words cannot begin with a consonant cluster, the TZ is at the end)
beste ješte še tako another as much as
besuts bosi bos naked arm, barefooted
bete nabyjet nabiti to fill, to load -as a gun
beti veky veki always, ages, eternity
betiko vecne večno eternal perpetual
betikotu zvečniti poveličati immortalize, perpetuate
beti-betiko veky-veku vekov veke for ever and ever
bezpara včera včeraj yesterday
biak oba oba both
bide vede veda (vidnost?) path, that leads to a solution
bidexka cestička cestica path
biga byk bik young cow – bull
bilo vlas las, dlaka hair
biluzgorri vlasoholi plešast bald
biratu viriti vrteti to spin
birikatu vrteti vrteti rotate
bizar vouz brada beard
bizi-bizi živo-živi živi-živi ? very lively
bizinahi životni nehi hrepenenje life’s desires
bizkar višks višek high point, high location
bor-bor var-var vrenje soind of boiling water
borda bouda koliba hut
borobil boulovi okrogelj round
boroka bitva, bitka borba battle
bost pet (from pest) pet five
bota bota škornji boot
botatxo botička škornjiček small boot
botila butylka butelka bottle
brastada prašteni udarec sudden blow
briska broskev breskev peach
buru vrch vrh top, summit
buruzabal vrch zavality širokoglav broad headed
buruzorotz vrch ostry ostrovrh having a pointed top
Top

D

Basque Czech Slovenian English
daratulu vrtak vrtalnik drill
dardaratzu trasti tresti to shake, vibrate
denen denni dnevni common, daily
dexente dost dosti enough
domagarri domačneni udomačeni tamed
Top

E

Basque Czech Slovenian English
eden jed strup poison, venom
edoski dojiti dojiti to milk
egin čin stvar action, creation
elekatu kecati klepetati to chat
elkotu lakotit lakomen to become a miser
emeki mekky mehko softly
epelki teply toplo warm
erabide robota, vyroba formula, method or process of getting something done
erdi stred sredi center
erditu roditi roditi to give birth
(Basque words cannot start with R)
eritu chorobiti shrometi to get sick
erpe drap krempelj claw
erpekatu drapati praskati, krempljati to scratch
erreka reka reka river, creek
errekatxo rička rekica riverlet
erroi vrana vrana crow
erroitz rokle reža fissure, precipice
eskulabur skoupy skopuh stingy, niggardly
etxe (pronounced etshe) hiša house house
ez bez brez prefix indicating exclusion
ezko vosk vosek wax
ezpi zub zob snake fang / tooth
Top

F

Basque Czech Slovenian English
futzegin fučet, foukat pihati blow
Top

G

Basque Czech Slovenian English
gaban kabat suknja overcoat
gabezia bez brez without, lacking
gaita dudy, gaida (Slovak) dude bagpipes
gaitz kaz poč flaw
gako hak hakelj hook
galda hut taliti smelting
galeper krepelka prepelica quail
galtza gate hlače (gate?) pants, trousers
gar žar žar flame, radiant heat
garaiago horejši, horni višji (gorjši?) higher
garabi jerab žerjav hoist, crane
garaitu vyhrati zmagati to win, to triumph
garratz horky grenak bitter
garun razum razum brain, ration
gehiago jinako od tega more, else
geruza koža koža skin, crust
goi horni visoki (gorni) high
gora nahore gori (z) up with, upward, up
gorabehera nahoru-dolu gori-doli up and down
gorago višji (gorjši?) higher higher
goragoko horni gorni higher
goragotu nahoru povišati to elevate further
goraldi horejši priliv plima (zgorni priliv?) high tide
goraldi hory vrch vrh gora apogee of mountain
gori hori gori ablaze, on fire
gori-goritu hori-horeti goreče glowing with fire
gorantz hornejši navzgor upward
gorantza horejši navzgor towards the top
goranzko horasko gorato regarding high things
gorati hrdi ohol haughty, arrogant
goratu zvednout nahoru povišati to elevate, to raise
gordeleku hrad grad fortress, castle
gordin hrozny, kruty, hruby grozni, kruti, grobi crude, cruel
gordindu horšiti hujšati to get worse
gordintasun hrubost grobost cruelty
goregi priliš horejši previsoko too high
goren horen, nejviši najvišji (najgorši?) highest
gori hori gori burning
gori-gori horiči (vašini) goreči glowing – ardently
garratz horky grenak bitter
gorroto hroziti groziti expressing hatred, ire
gorta ohrada ograda stable, rink
gorte hrad grad castle, palace
grausk hryzat grizati, hrustati biting sound
guren hrana, hranice granica limit, edge
gutizia chut desire, craving
Top

H

Basque Czech Slovenian English
han tam tam there, over there
handi hodne izobilje plenty, great quantity
handiarezko hodne vrednost value > quality/quantity
hanka hnata ud limb (leg or arm)
hari haras nit thread
haritz dub hrast oak
harizko haraskom (heklano?) made of thread
harrapakin chopit zapleniti to catch prey, capture
harrapakin korist plen seizure of prey
harrapatu hrabati, chopiti grabiti to grab, to rake
haur harant otrok baby, infant, child, brat
haze zelen zelen green
herre chromi hromi cripple, lame
herrestari ješter plezač reptile
hesohol hol, hole steber stake, staff, post
hez kost kost bone
higatu hniti gniti to rot, decompose
hikatu tykati tikati familiar form of “you”
hirino rynek mesto small city, town
hiru tri tri three
hizkera jazyk jezik language, tongue
hizkuntza jazyk jezik language
hoben hanba krivda fault, blame, culpability
hobendun hanebny kriv guilty, blamable
hobi hrob grob grave, tomb
hobiratu pohrbiti pogrebiti to bury, to inter
hortz hryz, hrot zob (griz?) tooth, bite, point
horzkada hryznuti grizniti bite, gnawing of teeth
Top

I

Basque Czech Slovenian English
ilar hrach grah pea
inguratu ohraditi ograditi to corral, surround
ipar sever sever north
ipurdi prdel prda (slang) buttocks, butt
irabazpide robota rabota job, work
isats ocas sirc broom plant, tail
ixo! ticho! tiho! quiet!
izen zvan naziv name, designata
izpitu štipiti cepiti to splinter
izodura strach strah fear, terror
Top

J

Basque Czech Slovenian English
jabal slab slab weak
jalo rojen izvaljeno hatched
jende lide ljudje people
jedexka lidičky ljudstvo common, simple people
Top

K

Basque Czech Slovenian English
kaj pristav, molo kej (Croatian) dock, pier, port, harbor
kaka kaka (trus) kaka excrement, feces
kako hak hakelj hook
kalaka klikaq, klatka kljuka latch
kanika kulička frnikula marble (toy)
kapazu kapsa torba pocket-bag, esp. of straw
karel kraj kraj edge, rim, brim
karobi krb kamin fireplace, lime oven
karraskatu kousati pokusiti to bite
katar kocour maček male cat, tomcat
kezulo kozub – komin kamin chimney
kipula cibule čibula onion
kiribilatu kudrnatit kodrati to curl, to spiral
klera krida kreda chalk
klinkada polikani pogolniti swallowing
koitz -krat -krat number suffix indicating multiplicity
kokada krkat kolcati belch, burp
kokor krk vrat throat, neck
kokorika skrčeny skrčen squatting, crouching
kokot krk vrat neck
kola klih lim glue
kolatu kližiti limati to glue
kolokatu kolebati kolebati to waver, to teeter
kopalet kopa koš peck, small basket
kordel koudel vrv, konopec rope, twine
(Basque OR is often replaced by OU)
korrok kruh, kolo krog circle, wheel
koskegin kousat grizati (kavsanje?) biting, sound of biting
koskor kousek košček a piece, a bit
-kote -krat -krat suffix in multiplication
kresal sul-sol razsol salt water
kukula chochola greben (perhaps rooster’s crest deriving from kokoš)
kulukatu kolebati kolebati to rock, to sway
kulska klimbat spanček short nap
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L

Basque Czech Slovenian English
labainada dlabanina razpoka gash, slash
labekari pekar pekar baker
labexka pečka pečka small oven
laido lajdat žaliti to insult, to neglect
landa lany polje field, prairie, plain, terrain
lapur lupič lopov thief, robber
lasta slamne (from slama) slamno of straw
lasto slama slama straw
latoic litina bron (but to cast=litina) brass
lauzkatu lezti plezati to scale, climb
liho, linu len lan flax
liska lišejnik lišaj moss or algae on rocks or trees
listoi lat lata strip of wood, lath
losintxa lichotit prilizniti to flatter, flattery
lur role zemlja earth, land, field
luza dlouhe dolžina long
luze dloužene daljše elongated
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M

Basque Czech Slovenian English
mailuka mlatit mlatiti to hit with a hammer
maitagarri mile, milovane dragi lovable, beloved, dear
makila kyje palica (palka) cane, stick, baton
peka piha pega freckle
maldagora nahoru navzgor uphill, incline
marrantatu maroditi prehlajen to be ill, sick with cold
maskor mušle školjka sea shell
maskur mozol mazulj callus
mataza motouz štrena twine, hank, tangle
matazatu zamotati zamotiti tangle, confuse
meheki mekky mehki soft, weak
milikatu malicherny zbirčen become spoiled, picky
min milen mili dear, beloved
mixitxu micka mucka cat (child talk)
mizkatu mazleny, mazliti razvajen be spoiled, pampered
mortsa mrož mrož walrus
moxkor mit mužku namočen a lttle drunk
moga mnoho mnogo extreme
musker ješter(ka) kuščar lizard
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N

Basque Czech Slovenian English
nabari napadny navadni obvious, evident, manifest
nabartu nabarvit nabarvati to paint with many colors
nahastar ješter hujskar agitator
nahi nehy naha desire, will, wish, craving
negutsu snežny snežno wintry, snowy
neurerra mera mera measurement
nokatu tykati tikati female familiar address
nolako? no, jake? kakšno? what kind of?
nozitu snašeti nositi to suffer, to bear
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O

Basque Czech Slovenian English
ogara ohar hrt fast hound
ogaratxakur ohar čokl hrt fast hound
orein jelen jelen hart
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P

Basque Czech Slovenian English
papar papat prsa (papat for infants) breast/suckle
peka piha pega freckle
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S

Basque Czech Slovenian English
sakats sukobity grčevo knotty (wood or tree)
soineko sukno suknja cloth, garment
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T

Basque Czech Slovenian English
taula stol stol stool
taxu tvar način aspect, appearance
teilaxka strižka stržka small roof
tiratu tahati tirati to pull, yank, tug, goad into
tiro strela strel shot
toka tykat tikati address each other in familiar form
tualdi plivati pljuvati to spit
txalupa člun čoln a small boat
txanel člun čoln a small boat
txantxa švanda čenča fun, joke, jest, nonsense
txarto čertiti črtiti to do evil, diabolical acts
txerren čert črt imp, demon, fiend, devil
txiza egin chčit, chcat scati to urinate
–txo -čo -čo diminutive ending
txuri čiry čisto white, clear (as wine)
txurru čurat curati to urinate
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U

Basque Czech Slovenian English
ubil vir vrtinec (se ovijalec) whirlpool
ufatu – ufaki foukati pihati to blow air, puff
uharka pohar(ek) pehar container
ukai ruka roka hand, forearm
(Basque words cannot start with R)
ukabil ruka bil rokoboj punch with fist
ukondo loket laket elbow
untzi člun čoln boat
(Consonant cluster cannot start a word)
ur, urra orech oreh nut
urate vrata vrata gate of canal, watergate
urdin modry modri blue
usta uzda uzda rein
utzi pustit pustiti to let go
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X

Basque Czech Slovenian English
xabal zavality širok wide, rotund
xora, xaro čaro- čaro- pertainig to magic
xahar star star old
xukadera osuška brisača (ki suši) towel
xukatu sušiti sušiti to dry
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Z

Basque Czech Slovenian English
zalixka lžička žlička little spoon
zanga noga noga (šunka?) leg
zantu znak znak sign, mark
zapaburu žabi pulec žabji paglavec tadpole
zapo žaba žaba frog, toad
zatar hadr cunja old cloth, rag
zati čast kos part, piece
zatixka častička košček small part
zeinu znak znak sign
zela sedlo sedlo saddle
zerrakatu režati rezati (razrezati) to slice into pieces
ziho sadlo salo tallow, grease, fat
zikiro rež (žito) rye
zikoizki sobecky skopuhi miserly, stigily
zilar stribro srebro silver
zilbot život (archaic in Cz) život belly
zingira jezero jezero lake
zirta jiskra iskra spark
zitu žito žito grain
zizarre žizala črv (žuželka?) earthworm
zizalkaka žizali kaka worm feces
zizeilu židle klop bench, chair
zizipaza šišlavi zezljati lisp
-zko -sko -sko  (suffix for derivation from general to specific, e.g. Ljubljan-sko)
zokondo kout kot corner
zomorro komar komar insect – mosquito
zoritu zrati zoriti to ripen
zorizko štistko srečno luck, lucky
zorrotz ostrost ostrost sharpness, sharp
zozo kos kos blackbird
zulatu dolovati kopati (zajemati?) to dig a hole
zulo dol, dul jama (luknja) hole
zulodno dolu-dno luknje dno bottom of hole
zutitu vstati vstati to stand up
zuzitu zničiti uničiti to destroy
zuzstrertu strustati zrasti to sprout, germinate

The most conspicuous constellation of words, which are similar in Basque and Slavic are the anatomical features of the paleolithic primitive Venuses (like the Venus of Vestrince). Examples:

Basque Czech Slovenian English
kokor krk vrat neck
papar papat prsa (papat for infants) breast/suckle
zilbot život život belly
motxin močovod močilnik? genitalia/urethra
belaunue koleno koleno knee
atzealde zada odzadaj back
alboko bok bok side/hip
ipurdi prdel prda (slang) buttocks
hanka hnata ud limb
zanga noha noga leg
ukondo loket komolec (laket) elbow

In addition, recall the cluster of words using the root word gori, discussed in the text.

Authors

Petr Jandacek & Lojze Arko

(505) 672-9562
(Mountain Time or UTC -06:00)
Petr Jandacek
p.jandacek@gmail.com
Louise Jandacek
lpjandacek@gmail.com
Mailing Address

127 La Senda Road
Los Alamos, New Mexico
USA
87544