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MIKEL GALLAIZTEGI High School teacher. Abstract: Recently, some have expressed their opinion on the educational model of the Western Basque Country -or Basque Autonomous Community- and have highlighted the limitations and shortcomings of Model D (teaching entirely through Basque), since many students do not reach the minimum linguistic competence in Basque even within that model. But instead of reinforcing that model, these...
The elections are already over in the Western Basque Country (or Basque Autonomous Community) and with great regret we have been able to verify that the Basque nationalist political parties have once again pushed aside the national agenda (Basque language, self-determination, territoriality ...) in their electoral campaigns. They had other priorities and ignored the request we made of them...
JOSE INAZIO LOPEZ DE LUZURIAGA Musicologist. Retired professor of the Conservatory of Donostia-San Sebastian. Abstract: In this article, the author musicologist Jose Inazio Lopez de Luzuriaga provides full support to the proposal to proclaim the “Gernikako Arbola” (The Tree of Gernika) composed by Jose Maria Iparragirre the official anthem of the Basques, so joining the manifesto recently endorsed by a significant number...
JOSU ALBERO. Basque Wikimedians User Group. To examine the vitality of a language, sociolinguists frequently consult an index: the Calvet barometer. This barometer measures the health of a language by means of certain parameters: the number of speakers, its official status, the weight the language carries in the educational field, the number of books published in that language, its fertility (i.e...
The elections to the Parliament of the Basque territories of Araba (without Trebiño), Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa will be held on July 12. Taking advantage of that important appointment with the ballot boxes, we want through this Editorial to make a series of requests to the political parties and coalitions of abertzales (Basque patriots). The first request and the most important,...
LUKEN ETXABE. When we the Basques speak of independence, Ireland is usually the first nation coming to mind. We share common traits in some way, i.e. we both have a minorized language, our Country is divided into two parts, an armed organization, etc. But would we really wish to model ourselves after Ireland in order to guarantee our identity or...
ERIC ROULET Occitan Teacher. Occitania is the biggest nation without a state in Europe is. It is located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea in most of what nowadays is southern France, an Italian region called “Valadas”, and in Spain, in the Aran Valley. What makes Occitania united as a nation is the common language. Although historically Occitania has never...
The website of the Soziolinguistika Klusterra reads as follows: “The Sociolinguistic Cluster aims at becoming a referential agent of R&D and Innovation in the area of sociolinguistics, playing an active role in the quest for Basque revitalization and normalization process”. Hence, one would gather that in the present-day situation Basque is in need of revitalization and normalization, and its...