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What is the difference between Donostia and San Sebastian?

"Donostia" and "San Sebastián" actually refer to the same city, but in different languages. Donostia is the Basque name for the city, while San Sebastián is the Spanish name. The city is located in the Basque Country region of Spain, where both Basque and Spanish languages are spoken. The use of both names reflects the bilingual and culturally diverse nature of the region.

It's worth noting that the Basque Country has a strong cultural identity and a distinct linguistic heritage. Many places in the Basque Country have both a Basque name and a Spanish name, and both languages are actively used in daily life, official communications, and signage.

Basque is a language isolate, meaning it has no known relation to any other language in the world.It predates the Indo-European languages in Europe and has survived for thousands of years despite numerous invasions and cultural shifts.

Basque uses the Latin alphabet, but it omits some letters like C, Q, V, W, and Y in native words. The letter "tx" sounds like English "ch" (e.g., txakur = dog), and "z" is pronounced like "s" in "sun".

 

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