A note on old labourdin accentuation

Abstract

Proof-reading is always something of a chore, but I. have found it, for once, a rewarding exercice in the case of W. J. Jacobsen's paper, published in this volume. So rewarding, indeed, that, as soon as r had finished my task, I was, ~lmost unwillingly, ensnared into writing this short note. It is not easy to understand how Jacobsen made his way through the inextricable maze of (apparently, at least) contradictory statements, the stuff the hard core of Basque accentology is made of. Perhaps, the mind and the ears of a non-native investigator were necessary to take a decisive step towards introducing some order in an area so full of vexing problems. The subtle complexities that face us here did not only bemuse Schuchardt, as the author says, they also bemuse us natives. Jacobsen's study is all the more interesthig in view of his concentration on morphology, in particular, on the extentof syncretism found almost everywhere in the Basque noun declension. I have no intention, however, of lingering on this aspect of his very convincing treatment (1).