Morphological Variation
The modern Basque dialects show a high degree of dialectal divergence. However, cross-dialectal communication without prior knowledge of either Standard Basque or the other dialect is normally possible to a reasonable extent with the notable of exception of Zuberoan (Souletin) which is regarded as the most divergent Basque dialect.
The names for the language in the dialects of Basque (Euskara in Standard Basque) for example exemplify to some degree the dialectal fragmentation of the Basque speaking area. The most divergent forms are generally found in the Eastern dialects.
| Dialect variant | Dialect group | Areas documented in |
|---|---|---|
| Auskera | Upper Navarrese | Arakil |
| Eskara | Upper Navarrese Lapurdian |
Irun Saint-Jean-de-Luz |
| Eskoara | Biscayan | Orozko |
| Eskuara | Lapurdian Biscayan Lower Navarrese |
Labourd Biscay Lower Navarre |
| Eskuera | Biscayan Gipuzkoan |
Gernika, Bermeo, Bergara, Leintz-Gatzaga Goierri, Burunda, Etxarri-Aranaz |
| Euskala | Biscayan | Bergara, Leintz-Gatzaga |
| Euskara | Upper Navarrese Aezcoan |
Irun, Larraun, Erro |
| Euskera | Biscayan Gipuzkoan Upper Navarrese |
|
| Euskiera | Biscayan | Orozko |
| Euzkera | Biscayan | Arrigorriaga, Orozko, Marquina, Bergara, Leintz-Gatzaga |
| Oskara | Upper Navarrese | Arakil |
| Uskara | Upper Navarrese Aezcoan Salazarese |
Irun, Bortziriak, Ultzama |
| Üskara | Souletin | |
| Uskaa | Upper Navarrese Souletin |
Ultzama |
| Üskaa | Souletin | |
| Üska | Souletin | |
| Uskera | Biscayan Upper Navarrese |
Arratia, Orozko Ultzama, Erro, Olza, Gulina |
The following map shows the approximate areas where each word is used. The smaller-type instances are cases of the name being recorded for a particular area, the larger-type instances show over-regional forms common throughout the dialect area in question:
Read more about this topic: Basque Dialects