Biscayan dialect
Biscayan, sometimes Bizkaian (Basque: bizkaiera, Spanish: vizcaíno, locally vizcaino), is a dialect of the Basque language spoken mainly in Biscay, one of the provinces of the Basque Country of Spain.
| Biscayan | |
|---|---|
| Western Dialect | |
| bizkaiera, euskera | |
| Native to | Spain |
| Region | Biscay, into Álava and Gipuzkoa |
Native speakers | 247,000 (Basque speakers in Biscay, not necessarily Bizkaiera speakers) (2001) |
| Dialects | Western, Eastern, Alavese (extinct) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | bisc1236 Biscayanaval1237 Alavan |
| IETF | eu-biscayan |
It is named as Western in the Basque dialects' classification drawn up by linguist Koldo Zuazo, since it is not only spoken in Biscay but also extends slightly into the northern fringes of Alava and deeper in the western part of Gipuzkoa. The dialect's territory bears great similarity to that of the Caristii tribe, as described by Roman authors.
While it is treated as stylish to write in Biscayan and the dialect is still spoken generally in about half of Biscay and some other municipalities, it suffers from the pressure of Spanish.
Biscayan was used by Sabino Arana and his early Basque nationalist followers as one of the signs of Basqueness.