Hugo Schuchardt Archiv

Dear

from Oct: 15 till Nov: 15 last I occupied your rooms in M^r. Goyetches house at Sare & learned a good deal of Basque from Augustin Etcheberry he gained mencion honorifica at Xmas for his verse rendering of my French version of Chamberlains English translation of an ancient Aino fable – you will have seen it entitled Chorien Besta in the number of the Eskualduna containing my letter on L’Etude du Basque which I sent you about a month ago. Do you think well of any of my suggestions? Will you kindly tell me where the book you have been writing on Basque borrowed words of which M^r. Webster shewed me a specimen is to be obtained. Your lame professor shewed me with pride the teaservice which you gave him & I have a copy of the inscription - It seems to me that there may be some connection between Gothic haus and Basque hauzo a voisin since vicinus comes from vicus = Ϝοικος a house - I should very much like to come and join your classes at Gratz which I have heard is an enchanting place. The study of languages charms me but I am only an amateur - I think isard must be a contraction of ihizi-ardi - Have you noticed that the Kentish dialect has hagister = magpie - I cannot help comparing it with Basque “hegasti” a big bird - Do you think that Keltic basged which Juvenal calls bascauda may be like the word Basque itself derived from baso and mean that which is made of or from or near the woods? I wish they would write a concordance dictionary in alphabetical order of all known parts of the Basque auxiliary for all dialects.

Agur -
Edward S. Dodgson,
Hotel Americains, Biarritz.
25 March, 1889.