Mikel Morris, the man who revolutionised English-language learning for Basque speakers, has now done the same for English speakers learning Basque.

The Morris Compact English-Basque dictionary, a joint publication between the Center for Basque Studies at the University of Nevada and the Morris Academy Press, contains 80,000 vocabulary entries, explained and contextualised, as well as a brand new and comprehensive guide to Basque grammar. All of which is aimed at English-speakers.

Mikel first arrived in Pamplona in the 1970s where he met his wife Maite. After moves that included Colorado (where Michael was born) followed by Lazkao and Beasain (where he perfected his Basque), they settled in Zarautz. They have three grown children, all of whom speak perfect English in addition to Basque and Spanish. Between them they run the Morris Academy, which offers English classes to secondary students and adults.

It took almost twenty years before Mikel finally got his first dictionaries, the Morris Pocket and the Morris Student Plus , published. That was in 1998. He later published the Morris Magnum (currently awaiting a second revised edition), this time with backing from the Spanish government, which is five times bigger than the original.

The Morris Compact English-Basque dictionary is available to buy on-line.