Basque language ‘in danger of extinction’

FourFourThree  has identified Basque as the language that is “in danger” of extinction.

Basque is one of the most endangered languages in Europe and has been around since at least the 1500s.

According to the Basque Language Foundation, only 5,000 of the language’s estimated 4.5 million speakers still speak it.

The foundation says the number of speakers has declined to just under 50,000, with more than 90% of them living in Spain.

Basques are the only language in the region that is spoken exclusively in Spanish.

While Basques can be traced back to a proto-language spoken in Spain in the late 1500s, their last known speakers were in the 15th century.

Its speakers have spoken Basque for centuries and its distinctive dialect is now a common part of everyday life.

But a recent UNESCO report says that Basques are threatened by linguistic and cultural problems that have left them isolated, vulnerable and endangered.

According to UNESCO, there are around 1.8 million speakers in Spain alone, including a large group living in Basque Country.