Testimonio euskérico de 1712 en Barakaldo

Abstract

Trials represent a means of getting to know the linguistic situation of a place, given that on occasion they provide literary quotes. In 1712, during the trial for rape and murder of a 14 year old girl from Barakaldo, a witness of Gallego origin provides us with the last words before dying: Ai ene desditxea! The youth in question was from Barakaldo, worked as a servant and was an orphan. This testimony proves the vitality of Euskara in Barakaldo in the 18th century and makes us wonder why the only witness who mentions the Basque language is originally from elsewhere – in this case, from Galicia. Perhaps because the use of Castillian Spanish before the administration was common for all the others present? A summary of the trial is attached as a complement to this.