Mapping variation in Basque: The BiV database

Abstract

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to present theEuskara Bariazioan/Basque in Variation(BiV) database, a project launched by the Basque and Beyond (Bas&Be) research group. This open-access online database, available in both Basque and English versions, is intended to facilitate research on Basque morphosyntactic features that show cross-dialectal variation. Based on data obtained from questionnaires, theBiVprovides the user with a description of each feature together with illustrative examples, and accompanies each entry with a map graphically depicting the distribution of variation. The resulting fine-grained picture of the distribution of morphosyntactic phenomena across Basque varieties has the ultimate goal of improving our understanding of the systematicities and connections that underlie variation. Thanks to its user-friendly format, the database can be used easily by anyone who is interested in Basque morphosyntax in particular and cross-linguistic variation in general. The results obtained thus far show that while some features have the same distribution across Basque varieties as that previously reported, others are spreading and thus have a wider geographical presence than has been described in the literature.