Country context

The Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (Euskadi) has two official languages: Basque and Spanish. According to the latest estimates, around 37% of the Basque population is bilingual (near 800,000 people). There are other territories in which Basque is spoken. In the French Basque Country, where Basque has no kind of administrative recognition at all, Basque speakers constitute about a third of the population (some 80,000 people). In Navarre, where it is only official in the northern part of the territory, it is spoken by a tenth of the population (some 50,000 people). 

Nowadays there are practically no monolingual Basque speakers, since Basques who do not know either Spanish or French make up less than 1% of the population. In the light of the current sociolinguistic situation, the primary goal of the Basque Government is to advance towards a feasible bilingualism, based on three principles: firstly, consensus of the political forces represented in the Basque Parliament; secondly, acceptance of the plurality of Basque society; and, finally, respect for the citizens’ own language choices. This is exactly the spirit of the Normalisation Law, passed in 1982.

Since then, the situation of Basque has greatly improved. In Euskadi language normalisation has always been understood as a plus. The people of Euskadi and their Government have pledged their commitment to bilingualism, not to a monolingualism of one kind or another. The idea of linguistic rights is basic in both the legislation and the political praxis of the Basque Country, and when we speak about linguistic rights we speak about the rights of both Basque and Spanish speakers. In the last few decades, Basque has improved, but the situation of Spanish has not worsened at all.

During the last thirty years, Basque language policy has been mainly based on two priority areas: education and administration. The third priority area in any normalisation process (media, especially television) has made a comparatively lesser impact on the acquisition of the Basque language, but, at the same time, it has been crucial in the development of a standard language variety. When the Normalisation Law was passed, it was understood that the distinction between priority and non-priority areas (such as the police-force, the public health system, the justice system and private-sector companies) would only last for a few years. In fact, we are already in the fourth decade of the process, and that distinction is still in force, as the presence of Basque in some of the areas mentioned above continues to be weak.

From the beginning of the normalisation process it was clear to politicians and to Basque society as a whole that Basque would be official in the whole territory, even in places where it had not been spoken for centuries. In fact, in the case of Basque, it would be more accurate to speak about the recovery or revival of the language rather than about a classic process of language normalisation and standardisation. This means that language transmission within the family was not enough. Because of this, school education has become the key to the recovery of the language and what is extremely important is that this recovery is being achieved through social consensus and individual freedom, as it is parents, not the Basque Government, who choose the language of instruction for their children.

A special aspect of education in the Basque Country is the linguistic Basquisation of adults. For centuries, the relationship between Basque and Spanish or French was one-way. Many Basque speakers abandoned their language and, either of their own free will or forced by circumstances, they adopted one of the official languages. Since the sixties, the relationship between Basque and Spanish or French has been reciprocal. Basque continues to lose speakers in the French Basque Country, but, at the same time, many Basques whose mother tongue is French or Spanish are learning Basque. Some people who have learned Basque in adulthood have obtained such a command of the language that they have become famous writers in Basque or even members of the Academy of the Basque Language. Currently, as many as 40,000 people are learning Basque or improving their level in the so-called euskaltegis, centres for adult learning and the perfecting of Basque. Without euskaltegis and the enlargement of the Basque-speakers community, the revival of the language (in the sense that this term has been used so far) would have been almost impossible.

As regards administration, public institutions have forced themselves to respect each citizen’s linguistic choice, instead of forcing them to use one language or another. That means that many civil servants should have to speak the two official languages of the autonomous community. At the moment, 44% of the workers in Basque public institutions possess a Basque language certificate. Actually, it is possible to be a Basque civil servant – even in a high level post – without knowing a single word of Basque, especially in the non-priority areas mentioned earlier. On the other hand, data on citizens’ requests reveal that only 14-15% of them use Basque when addressing public institutions.

Languages in official documents and databases

Spanish, Basque and foreign languages are dealt with in language legislation and/or language policy documents. The learning and teaching of Basque abroad is (co-)funded at 34 universities in Europe and the Americas. The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages has been signed and ratified by Spain. There is official provision in education, supported by the Charter, for Basque in the Basque Country.

Official region-wide data collection mechanisms on language diversity exist in terms of periodically updated census data and survey data in the Basque Country. In these data collection mechanisms, national and regional language varieties are addressed, based on a home language question, a main language question, and a mother tongue question, plus a language proficiency question in terms of whether (and how well) this language can be spoken/understood/ read/written.

Within the last twenty years, the Government of the Basque County has produced many texts on language planning and language policy. Some of the most noteworthy documents are the General Plan for Promoting Basque (EBPN, 1999) and the brief essay Towards a Renewed Agreement (2009), which set the basis for the language policy at the beginning of the 21st Century. After the Normalisation Law (1982), legislation on several aspects of bilingualism has been further developed, including the private business sector. Since 1991 a Sociolinguistic Survey has been carried out every five years in order to know the level of linguistic competence and the usage of languages in the Basque Country. Basic information about the first language of citizens is also included in this survey. In 2011 the Basque Government has completed an indicators-based study on the current situation and evolution of Basque.

Languages in pre-primary education

 

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages

Additional NL
support

National Languages
Target groups
R/ML:  all  native speakers only  no support 
FL:  all  restricted  no support 
IL:  all  native speakers only  no support
NL:  all  immigrant children only  no support 
3 3 1 3
Duration
≥2 years 1 year <1 year  
3 3 1 3
Minimum group size requirements
 none  5-10  >10
3 3 1 3
Days per week
 >1 day  0.5-1 day  <0.5 day
3 2 1 2
Pre-service teacher training
subject-specific general none
3 3 1 3
In-service teacher training
subject-specific general none
3 3 1 3
State funding available
full partial none
3 3 1 3

Languages offered in pre-primary education

R/M Languages

Basque

Foreign Languages

English

Immigrant Languages

-

Languages in primary education

Organisation

 

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages
Curriculum
coherent and explicit general no guidelines  
3 3 1
Languages used as a medium of instruction (CLIL)
  widespread localised absent  
3 2 1
Target groups
R/ML:  all  native speakers only  no support
FL:  all  restricted  no support
IL:  all  native speakers only  no support
3 3 1
Start of language education
from year 1 from mid-phase end-phase only  
3 3 1
Scheduling
in school hours partly in school hours  outside school hours   
3 3 1
Minimum group size requirements
none 5-10 >10  
3 3 1
Monitoring of language skills
national standardised  school based  absent   
3 3 1
Level to be achieved
Other NL: national or regional norms school norms not specified
FL: linked to CEFR national or school norms not specified
IL: national or regional norms school norms not specified
3 2 1
State funding available
full partial none  
3 3 1

 

NL

National Languages
Curriculum
coherent and explicit general no guidelines  
3
Extra support for newcomers
before mainstream during mainstream  absent   
3
Diagnostic testing on entry
all immigrants only absent  
2
Monitoring of language skills
national standardised  school based  absent   
3

Teaching

 

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages
Teacher qualifications
language teachers general teachers  unqualified   
3 3 1
Pre-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
3 3 1
In-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
3 3 1
Mobility
incorporated into training informal financial support no informal financial support not applicable  
0 2 0

 

NL

National Languages
Teacher qualifications
language teachers general teachers  unqualified   
3
Pre-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
2
In-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
2

Languages offered in primary education

R/M Languages

Basque

Foreign Languages

English: compulsory

Immigrant Languages

-

Languages in secondary education

Organisation

 

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages
Curriculum
coherent and explicit general no guidelines  
3 3 1
Languages used as a medium of instruction (CLIL)
widespread localised absent  
3 2 1
Target groups
R/ML:  all  native speakers only  no support
FL:  all  restricted  no support
IL:  all  native speakers only  no support
3 3 1
Scheduling
in school hours partly in school hours outside school hours  
3 3 1
Minimum group size requirements
none 5-10 >10  
3 3 1
Monitoring of language skills
national standardised school based absent  
3 3 1
Level to be achieved
Other NL: national or regional norms school norms not specified not applicable
FL: linked to CEFR national or school norms not specified not applicable
IL: national or regional norms school norms not specified not applicable
3 3 1
State funding available
full partial none  
3 3 1

 

NL

National Languages
Curriculum
coherent and explicit general no guidelines  
3
Extra support for newcomers
before mainstream during mainstream absent  
3
Diagnostic testing on entry
all immigrants only absent  
2
Monitoring of language skills
national standardised school based absent  
3

Teaching

 

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages
Teacher qualifications
language teachers general teachers unqualified  
3 3 1
Pre-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
3 3 1
In-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
3 3 1
Mobility
incorporated into training some financial support none not applicable  
0 2 0
Language level required
linked to CEFR national or region-wide standards none not applicable  
0 3 0

 

NL

National Languages
Teacher qualifications
language teachers general teachers unqualified  
3
Pre-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
3
In-service teacher training
subject-specific general none  
2
Language level required for non-native speakers
linked to CEFR national or school-based norms not specified  
3

Languages offered in secondary education

R/M Languages

Basque

Foreign Languages

Compulsory English, German
Optional Arabic, French, Italian, Russian, Turkish

Immigrant Languages

-

In the Basque Country school is now far more important than family as far as transmission of the Basque language is concerned. Basque is the language of instruction chosen by 60 percent of parents when deciding how their children will be educated, whether they speak Basque or not and whether Basque is alive in their area/town or not (moreover, 22% opt for a bilingual model and the rest, 18%, choose Basque as a school subject). In pre-primary education the percentage of parents who choose Basque for their children is even higher, which means that Spanish monolinguals are about to become extinct amongst children under six. 

The main problem concerning school is that children whose mother tongue is Spanish identify Basque mainly with homework. They give up speaking Basque as soon as they are outside of school. Usually children from Spanish-speaking areas speak only Spanish at home or in the street, unless at least one of the parents is a Basque speaker. In such circumstances, they rarely feel confident or comfortable using the language learnt at school. Nevertheless, as mentioned above, school has become crucial to the revitalisation of the language.

In primary as well as secondary education a foreign language must be learned. Although the vast majority of schools offer English as the first foreign language, other languages, such as French or German, can be learned too.

Languages in Further and Higher Education

Further Education (in three institutions)

 

Institution A Institution B Institution C

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages

R/ML

Regional/Minority Languages

FL

Foreign Languages

IL

Immigrant Languages
Range of language support programmes
 wide variety  limited  no specifications
3 2 1 1 2 1 2 2 1
Curriculum
coherent and explicit general no guidelines
3 3 1 1 2 1 1 2 1
Level to be achieved
linked to CEFR national none not applicable
0 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 0
State funding available
full partial none
3 3 1 1 3 1 3 3 1

Additional NL
support

National Languages

Additional NL
support

National Languages

Additional NL
support

National Languages
Range of language support programmes
 wide variety  limited  no specifications
1 1 1
Target groups
all restricted none
1 1 1
Curriculum
coherent and explicit general no guidelines
1 1 1
Job related skills
yes no
1 1 1
General upskilling
yes no
1 1 1
State funding available
full partial none
1 1 1
Internships in companies
built into course optional none
1 1 1
Use of EU instruments
yes no
1 1 1

Languages offered across 3 VET institutions in Basque Country

R/M Languages

Basque

Foreign Languages

English, French

Immigrant Languages

-

Higher Education (in three institutions)

 

Institution A

Institution B

Institution C

Language(s) of instruction
 national, foreign and R/M national and foreign national only
3 3 0
Languages on website
 national, foreign and R/M national and foreign national only
3 3 0
Target groups for additional support in the national language
all restricted none
2 1 0
Level to be achieved in foreign language instruction
linked to CEFR national or institution-based none
2 1 0
Recruitment of non-national students
 international and immigrant only international only native speakers of national language
1 2 0
Mobility for language students
obligatory optional no offer
1 1 0
Mobility for non-language students
obligatory optional no offer
2 2 0

Languages offered across 2 higher education institutions in Basque Country

Basque, English

With regard to university, 45% of students at the University of the Basque Country currently study in Basque, so the situation of Basque in the university sector is much better now compared to thirty years ago. At graduate and especially postgraduate levels English is progressively introduced into study programmes.

In vocational education multilingual profiles are also emerging, but at a slower rate. For instance, Basque is chosen as a language for instruction by only 25% of students.

Languages in Audiovisual Media and Press

 

Vitoria-Gasteiz

Bilbao

Donostia-San Sebastian

Number of languages on radio
>4 3-4 1-2 national language only
2 2 2
Number of languages on television
>4 3-4 1-2 national language only
2 2 2
Non-national language TV productions
subtitled dubbed
1 1 1
Non-national language films in cinema
subtitled dubbed
1 1 1
R/M language programmes outside of region
always regularly sometimes never
2 2 2
Availability of sign language on TV
always regularly sometimes never
2 2 2

Languages offered in audiovisual media and press across 3 cities in Basque Country

Radio

Basque

Television

Basque, English

Newspapers

Basque, English, French, Italian, German

In the Basque Country there is one country-wide newspaper and nearly 50 regional or local magazines published entirely in Basque. There are also two public TV channels which broadcast exclusively in Basque (and some local channels that also do so). The presence of other languages, apart from the official ones, in publications accessible to Basque citizens is progressively growing, but the situation still reflects a moderate interest in foreign languages.

Languages in public services and spaces

Institutionalised language strategies at city level

> 4 3-4 1-2  national language only

frequency of practice: widely practised occasionally practised not practised

Vitoria-Gasteiz

Bilbao

Donostia-San Sebastian

City council services

1 4 4

Website presence

5 4 4

Annual municipal reports

4 4 4

External or internal translators and interpreters

4 4 4

Competencies in languages other than the national language in job descriptions of staff members

4 4 4

Plan or scheme in place to increase skills in languages

4 4 4

Recruitment of speakers of other languages to support corporate objectives

4 1 4

Offer of training in languages to employees

1 4 1

Regularly updated record of skills in languages of employees

4 4 4

Reward or promotion schemes for being able to adequately communicate in other languages

0 0 0

Oral Communications Facilities

>4 3-4 1-2 national language only

Vitoria-Gasteiz

Bilbao

Donostia-San Sebastian

Political debates and decision-making processes at the city council level

2 2 2

Educational services

2 2 2

Emergency services

2 2 2

Health services

2 2 2

Social services

2 2 2

Legal services

4 4 4

Transport services

2 2 3

Immigration and integration services

4 4 4

Tourism services

2 4 4

Theatre programmes

1 2 2

Written Communications Facilities

>4 3-4 1-2 national language only

Vitoria-Gasteiz

Bilbao

Donostia-San Sebastian

Political debates and decision-making processes at the city council level

2 2 2

Educational services

3 2 2

Emergency services

2 2 2

Health services

2 2 2

Social services

2 2 2

Legal services

2 2 2

Transport services

4 4 2

Immigration and integration services

4 4 4

Tourism services

3 3 4

Theatre programmes

3 2 2

Languages offered in public services and public spaces across 3 cities in Basque Country (N ≥ 2)

Basque, English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Romanian, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Galician, German, Berber languages, Georgian, Spanish Sign Language, Wolof

Public services are commonly offered in Spanish and Basque, the two official languages of the Basque Country. In some cases (translation services, primary attention to immigrants, etc.) other languages are also used, such as English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Georgian or Wolof.

Languages in business - 20 companies

General Language Strategies

Widely Practised

Occasionally Practised

Not Practised

Availability of language strategy

6 5 9

Emphasis on language skills in recruitment

14 3 2

International mobility provision

8 6 6

Use of external translators/interpreters

8 6 6

Staff records of language skills

1 7 11

Use of networks for language training

5 2 13

Use of EU programmes/funding

3 1 15

Awareness of EU programmes/funding

0 10 9

Internal Language Strategies

Widely Practised Occasionally Practised Not Practised

NL

National Language

BE

Business English

FL R/ML - IL

NL

National Language

BE

Business English

FL R/ML - IL

NL

National Language

BE

Business English

FL R/ML - IL

Partnerships with education sector

1 3 4 1 2 0 15 13 13

Reward/Promotion schemes based on language skills

0 1 1 2 3 1 17 11 13

Language training provision

2 10 6 1 2 0 13 8 12

Use of CEFR

3 5 2 0 0 2 15 11 12

Language used for workplace documents/intranet

20 5 3 0 4 2 0 8 11

Language used for software, web programmes

19 8 1 0 4 1 1 6 14

External Language Strategies

Widely Practised Occasionally Practised Not Practised

NL

National Language

BE

Business English

FL R/ML - IL

NL

National Language

BE

Business English

FL R/ML - IL

NL

National Language

BE

Business English

FL R/ML - IL

Language used for annual/business reports

19 9 2 0 0 1 1 9 14

Language used for marketing

20 4 9 0 2 1 0 10 8

Language used for branding/identity

19 8 8 0 3 2 1 6 9

Language used for website

18 11 10 0 0 0 1 4 7

Languages other than English offered in business across 20 companies in Basque Country (N ≥ 2)

Basque, French, Catalan, German, Galician, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic, Chinese

Basque companies are trying to integrate language-management practices into their daily work. This aspect of their business strategy goes far beyond official bilingualism, as other languages, mainly, but not exclusively, English, are absolutely necessary for their relationships with companies all over the world. An aspect that should be improved is the promotion of language competencies among employees.

Key Findings overall

It seems that the Basque Country exhibits comparatively strong multilingual profiles in primary and secondary education for Spanish, Basque and the main foreign languages (with English in top position). However, immigrant languages, for instance, have a very weak or non existent presence in the educational system.

In higher education, printed media, public services and private companies, multilingual profiles are emerging at quite a fast rate. This shall be improved and consolidated in the future by the development of an adequate educational basis oriented towards multilingualism.

Promising initiatives and pilots

Multilingualism is a challenge for a society which is far from being 100% bilingual. The gradual move towards a bilingual society must therefore be combined with the growing need and demand for multilingual strategies. One of these strategies is already on track: a pilot has been developed to introduce a trilingual framework into primary and secondary education. Around 120 schools have adopted this new framework, which will probably extend to the entire educational system eventually.

Within the realm of new technologies, a big effort is currently being directed towards creating a machine-translation system that can translate texts and websites from Spanish and English to Basque and vice versa. This new tool will be based on a powerful grammatical analyser and a big public repository of translation memories.

The goal of these (and other) initiatives is not easy to achieve, but it is, at the same time, a very attractive one: to develop and strengthen multilingual profiles in a society that wants and is trying to increase the use of Basque, the socio-linguistically weakest language.

References

Euskara Biziberritzeko Plan Nagusia / Plan general de Promoción del Uso del Euskera (EBPN), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Eusko Jaurlaritza/Gobierno Vasco, 1999.

Euskararen egoerari eta bilakaerari buruzko adierazleak / Indicadores de situación y evolución del euskera, Viceconsejería de Política Lingüística, 2011. [http://www.euskara.euskadi.net/r59-738/es/contenidos/informacion/argitalpenak/es_6092/adjuntos/ebpn_txostena/EBPN%20Txostena%20cast.pdf].

Fourth Sociolinguistic Survey (2006), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Eusko Jaurlaritza/Gobierno Vasco, 2008.

Itun berritu baterantz / Hacia un pacto renovado, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Eusko Jaurlaritza/Gobierno Vasco, 2009 [English version: http://www.euskara.euskadi.net/r59-738/es/contenidos/informacion/7041/es_ 2447/adjuntos/Maketa-Pacto_Baja-1eng%202.pdf].

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