BASQUE. 1x04 | Hiromi Yoshida on the Challenges of the Basque language

A new episode of the BASQUE. podcast is now available! Hiromi Yoshida highlights the challenges facing the Basque language.

She learned Basque before ever stepping into the Basque Country, three decades ago. Since then, she has frequently visited us. We met the linguist and Basque language teacher in Azpeitia, a town she particularly loves. In fact, she wrote her thesis on the local dialect and translated Bernart Etxepare’s ‘Linguae Vasconum Primitiae’, the first book written in Basque, into Japanese.  

Yoshida highlights the dialects and the dynamic nature of the Basque language, but she is concerned about its health, as it is not easy for minority languages to survive in a globalised world. In this episode of the Basque. Podcast, we will closely explore the journey of this Japanese researcher from the moment she fell in love with the Basque language to the present day.

BASQUE. The podcast

Basque. is a podcast that highlights Basque culture and creativity. Each episode will feature notable creators and well-known personalities who inspire us, including key representatives from cinema, gastronomy, language, and the arts.

Aimed at international audiences, this podcast consists of five episodes originally recorded in Basque and dubbed into English. Each episode offers insights into their personal and professional paths and delve into reflections on identity, success, the definition and role of art, and the future of the Basque language, among other topics. The interviews from the first season will be released between October and December 2024 in our Podcast section, as well as on major podcast platforms.