For practical reasons the classification of dialects, sub-dialects and varieties that have been made by the Basque Universal Dictionary are scrupulously followed in this present project. The prominent work made by this Euskaltzaindia dictionary was initiated at the same time by using the earlier classification made by Louis Lucien Bonaparte as its base..

However, the Dictionary has made some modifications to the Bonaparte classifications and these have been adhered to by this project project:

• To consider the following areas (sub-dialects for L.L. Bonaparte) as autonomous dialects viz; Baztan, Aezkoa, Salazar and Roncal.
• The variety from Burunda and Etxarri-Aranatz are grouped as G-Nav i.e.(from the neighboring province of Guipúzcoa)
• AN-gip has been so denominated (High Navarrese from Guipúzcoa) unlike Bonaparte's denomination which he classified as High Navarrese from Irun.
• Speakers from the area of Isaba and Uztárroz are classified as separate varieties of the Roncal dialect ( Bonaparte classified both areas as being within the Roncal dialect of Uztárroz).

In the last few years, Basque dialectology has undergone great development. In this way and by using new methodological criteria, much in-depth research has been carried out on Basque language dialects. Thanks to this, dialectologists nowadays have access to information which Luis Luciano Bonaparte did not have in his day.

            Below we list the names of some of the outstanding researchers in the field of Basque language dialectology in Navarre:

• Iñaki Camino: has particularly researched Aezkoan and southern Navarrese.
• José Luis Erdozia: has concerned himself with the speech of la Barranca.
• Orrega Ibarra: has published work on the Basque language of Ultzama, Erro and Esteribar.
• Pello Salaburu: has researched Baztan speech, among others.
• Estibalitz Montoya: has studied the Basque language of Urdax and Zugarramurdi.
• Patxi Salaberri: has carried out research into the Basque language in areas where it has died out: region of Eslava, Améscoa-Lana and Artajona, etc.
• Moreover, researchers such as Koldo Artola, Ana María Echaide, Pedro Irizar, Rosa Miren Pagola and José María Satrustegi have made great contributions to Navarrese dialectology.

The Basque language has undergone changes over the last 150 years, among which special mention should be made of the dying out of several dialects known by Bonaparte and the unification process we are currently experiencing.  Therefore, it comes as no surprise to us to know that the image presented in the year 2007 of the Basque language is not the same as that proffered in 1860.
Taking into account all these aspects, Koldo Zuazo introduced a new classification of Basque dialects at the end of the 20th century which was well-received by specialists. 
Even though it is true that the new classification is not so very different from that introduced by Bonaparte, significant differences are apparent such as in the case, for instance, of the naming of dialects: western (formerly Vizcayan), central (approximately Guipuzcoan), Navarrese (merging the former northern and southern High Navarrese), Navarrese-Lapurdian (merging Lapurdian and the Low Navarrese dialects), eastern Navarrese (Salazarese and Roncalese) and Souletin.

Although many names have spread owing to popular usage, such as the Zuazo classification or the Zuaz map, the Sound Archive of the Basque Language in Navarre has preferred to use the expression Current classification, as it has been necessary to make some slight modifications to adapt it to the territory covered by this project. Thus, to locate the Basque speech of Arakil, Gulina, Juslapeña, Ezcabarte, Oláibar and that of the Arce valley, the proposals put forward by Iñaki Camino have had to be taken into account.  Similarly and even though the names used by Koldo Zuazo are strictly adhered to, the proposals put forward by Camino have been taken into consideration.