Basque–Icelandic pidgin
The Basque–Icelandic pidgin (Basque: Euskoislandiera, Islandiera-euskara pidgina; Icelandic: Basknesk-íslenskt blendingsmál) was a Basque-based pidgin spoken in Iceland in the 17th century. It consisted of Basque, Germanic, and Romance words.
| Basque–Icelandic pidgin | |
|---|---|
| Region | Iceland, Atlantic |
| Era | 17th century |
Basque-based pidgin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | icel1248 Icelandic–Basque Pidginbasq1251 Basque Nautical Pidgin |
Westfjords, the Icelandic region that produced the manuscript containing the Basque–Icelandic pidgin | |
Basque whale hunters who sailed to the Icelandic Westfjords used the pidgin as a means of rudimentary communication with locals. It might have developed in Westfjords, where manuscripts were written in the language, but since it had influences from many other European languages, it is more likely that it was created elsewhere and brought to Iceland by Basque sailors. Basque entries are mixed with words from Dutch, English, French, German and Spanish. The Basque–Icelandic pidgin is therefore not a mixture between Basque and Icelandic, but between Basque and other languages. It was named from the fact that it was written down in Iceland and translated into Icelandic.
Only a few manuscripts have been found containing Basque–Icelandic glossary, and knowledge about the pidgin is limited.