Koldo Mitxelena

Koldo Mitxelena Elissalt (Basque pronunciation: [kolðo mitʃelena]) (also known as Luis Michelena; 1915, Errenteria, Gipuzkoa – 11 October 1987, San Sebastián) was an eminent Spanish Basque linguist. He taught in the Department of Philology at the University of the Basque Country, and was a member of the Royal Academy of the Basque Language.

He is described as "the greatest scholar the Basque language has ever seen."^[1] He is known for the complete reconstruction of Proto-Basque he undertook in the 1950s, as well as the formal demonstration in 1954 that the Aquitanian language was an ancestral form of Basque. Mitxelena was also one of the main participants in the creation of "Euskara Batua" or Standard Basque. In 1987 he was declared Seme Kuttun of the City of Errenteria, literally 'beloved son'.

^ Max W. Wheeler's introduction to the Basque etymological dictionary, p. 9 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2013-09-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[1] Max W. Wheeler's introduction to the Basque etymological dictionary, p. 9 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2013-09-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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