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Abstract
In the Basque Country, Northern Spain, Basque (Euskera) and Spanish are official languages. In recent decades, Basque language revitalization and the efforts to make this an unmarked language (normalization) have co-existed with the rapid increase in immigration from outside the Basque region, and most recently from outside Spain. Given the critical role of schools and teachers in the incorporation of newcomers, this study examines 201 teachers' and 96 education students' (pre-service teachers, university students who will be teachers. Informants were practicing teachers and future teachers.) perceptions of normalization and the new immigrants in the Basque Country. The issues addressed in this article are the following: (i) the rate of normalization (movement toward universal usage and high prestige across domains) of the Basque language; (ii) acquisition rates of Spanish and Basque languages by the children of new immigrants; and (iii) likely maintenance of the immigrant students' home language. Results indicate slow advancement toward normalization of the Basque language. Immigrant students are expected to obtain higher levels of fluency in Spanish and their home language than in the Basque language. Important differences in perceptions are found related to the linguistic profiles of the informants. Based on the findings, language policy recommendations are advanced. These recommendations might be applicable to the Basque region and wherever similar challenges and opportunities may be found.
Notes on contributors
Concepción M. Valadez, Professor of Education, Division of Urban Schooling, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her specializations include language education, language policies, and teacher education. She has conducted extensive studies on the language and schooling issues of her home country, the USA, as well as those of Paraguay and Spain.
Feli Etxeberria, Professor of Language Education, Department of Methods of Research and Diagnose in Education, University of the Basque Country. Specializations include bilingualism and education, and language and culture in multicultural educational settings. She is a member of international research groups such as ‘The Socrates Programme of the European Community, with a focus on teaching in second languages.’
Nahia Intxausti has a PhD in Education and is a Lecturer in Didactics and School Organization at the University of the Basque Country. Her research focuses primarily on issues of intercultural education and citizenship, and language learning in diverse contexts.