tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9394558.post-71202214587317306262007-11-30T14:11:00.001Z2007-11-30T15:19:31.500ZDifferent language - same story<div style="text-align: justify;">Not that it's any comfort, but it's seems that it's not just the Welsh language that's attacked and be-littled by <a href="http://smilingunderbuses.blogspot.com/2007/10/reading-that-is-only-going-to-make-you.html">ignorant large media groups</a>. The was recently an article in the Wall Street Journal under the title; <span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119429568940282944.html?mod=hpp_us_pageone">Basque Inquisition: How Do You Say Shepherd in Euskera?</a> (article in full copied <a href="http://www.sustatu.com/1194969965">here</a> on <span style="font-style: italic;">Susatu</span> - the Basque <a href="http://slashdot.org/">Slashdot</a>)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">The same old accusations are rolled out against the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_language">Basque language</a> which sadly we Welsh speakers are more than familiar with: "only X amount actually speak it", "they steal words from other languages", "it's terrible that these people are forced to learn it as it's useless", "it's not a real language"...blah blah blah blah blah etc.</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />As you can imagine, it's <a href="http://eibar.org/blogak/luistxo/en">pissed off</a> a few people in the Basque blogosphere. Here are two</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.blogak.com/katixa/as-a-response-to-the-wsj-article"> excellent</a> <a href="http://eibar.org/blogak/luistxo/en/the-wall-street-journal-says-basque-isn-t-used-in-real-life#comment2">replies</a>, which are full of brilliant arguments that can be used by Welsh speakers (if we're silly enough to get into a futile on-line debate with the many bigots out there).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">Anyway if people want to wallow in their ignorance, who can stop them. In the meantime </span> <a href="http://www.irratia.com/about">irratia.com</a> ("a weekly broadcasted then podcasted live radio show in Basque about new technologies, music and social issues") will be celebrating their 100th podcast with a<span style="font-size:100%;"> <a href="http://www.sarean.com/sarean/892">Basque Digital Shepherds' Meeting</a> in Bilbo - here's a clip promoting the event on <a href="http://www.euskaltube.com/">EuskalTube</a> (yup - those nasty Basques even have time in between terrorizing non-Basque speakers to come up with their own YouTube clone).<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><object height="367" width="450"><param name="movie" value="http://www.euskaltube.com/flvplayer.swf?file=http://www.euskaltube.com/uploads/QZYBiErdkqGT2RBdbFTh.flv&displaywidth=450&displayheight=347&overstretch=true&autostart=false&showfsbutton=false&logo=http://www.euskaltube.com/image_s/playerlogo.png&link=http://www.euskaltube.com/play.php?vid=930&linktarget=_blank&backcolor=0xFFFFFF"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.euskaltube.com/flvplayer.swf?file=http://www.euskaltube.com/uploads/QZYBiErdkqGT2RBdbFTh.flv&displaywidth=450&displayheight=347&overstretch=true&autostart=false&showfsbutton=false&logo=http://www.euskaltube.com/image_s/playerlogo.png&link=http://www.euskaltube.com/play.php?vid=930&linktarget=_blank&backcolor=0xFFFFFF" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="367" width="450"></embed></object></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />As a farmers son who enjoyes the company of sheep as mush as blogging in his dead language, I wish I could be over there with my velcro gloves and laptop.</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span>Rhys Wynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17524815272093960511noreply@blogger.com