According to the 1996 Municipal Register of Inhabitants, there are 539,467 young people in the BAC born between 1996 and 1990, who lived at home with their parents (both mother and father). For the purposes of our analysis, we have divided this group into five categories, according to the language skills of the parents: (11)

• Category X: both parents are Spanish speakers; this category accounts for seven out of every ten young people analysed (390,731 - 72.4%).

• Category A: one of the parents is either a native or new Basque speaker and the other is a Spanish speaker; this category accounts for one out of every ten young people analysed (57,978 - 10.7%).

• Category B: both parents are new Basque speakers; this category accounts for 9,848 young people, two out of every hundred (1.8%).

• Category B reinforced: one of the parents is a Basque speaker and the other is a new Basque speaker; this category accounts for a total of 7,167 young people, one out of every hundred (1.3%).

• Category D: both the father and the mother are Basque speakers; this is a large category that accounts for just over one out of every ten young people analysed (73,743 - 13.7%).

We have analysed the evolution of intergenerational and family transmission of the Basque language for each of the five aforementioned categories, after dividing the young people into another five groups in accordance with their date of birth (those born between 1966 and 1970; 1971 and 1975; 1976 and 1980; 1981 and 1985 and finally, those born between 1986 and 1990). The results are as follows:

• Category X: evidently there can be no family transmission (except in very isolated and specific cases) and intergenerational transmission of the Basque language is very low (less than 40% in all groups), despite the fact that a significant increase has been observed among the youngest subjects.

• Category A: intergenerational Basque language transmission is high and has increased considerably up to 80%; this is basically (in over 60% of cases) owing to family transmission, which has also increased significantly thanks to those who have transmitted both Basque and Spanish simultaneously as joint first languages.

• Category B: intergenerational Basque language transmission is found in almost all cases (over 90%), but in more than two thirds this is the result of transmission through the school environment rather than family transmission; in any case, we should note that the latter method (family transmission) increases exponentially from 6.2% in individuals born between 1966 in 1970 to 31.1% in those born between 1986 and 1990; in the latter group, the results were more or less the same for those who transmitted Basque as the sole first language and those who transmitted it in conjunction with Spanish.

• Category B reinforced: here too, intergenerational Basque language transmission is found in almost all cases but, in contrast to the previous group, it is mainly the result of family transmission; we should also point out that in almost two thirds of the cases studied, Basque was transmitted as the sole first language.

• Category D: again, intergenerational Basque language transmission is found in almost all cases and is almost exclusively the result of family transmission.

Finally, a comparative analysis between those born between 1966 and 1970 (pdf 12KB) and those born between 1986 and 1990 (pdf 12KB) showed an increase in parents from category A, formerly a very small group, and categories B and B reinforced, which were practically residual. From the result of the analysis we can underline the very positive evolution not only of intergenerational Basque language transmission, but also of family transmission in this type of family.

4. Final conclusions

In light of the indicators studied, we can perhaps draw two final conclusions:

• In the BAC, significant progress has been made by the Basque language from the perspectives of demography (universalisation of bilingualism), geography (particularly in urban areas) and functionality (progressive increase in both use and intergenerational family transmission, even by parents who are new Basque speakers). Rather than a decrease in Spanish speakers in general, this phenomenon has simply led to a decrease in monolingual Spanish speakers. In short, extreme cases on both sides have decreased rapidly, giving way to situations of linguistic and cultural integration and merging. This is the result of firm social support and the positive action programmes implemented in favour of the Basque language at the beginning of the 1980s.

• On the other hand, much less progress has been made in Navarra, where Basque language promotion policies were introduced later and are much less intensive than in the BAC. Finally, in the Northern Basque Country, the Basque language is suffering an uninterrupted decline and its intergenerational transmission is by no means guaranteed.

5. Sociolinguistic studies carried out by the Deputy Ministry for Language Policy

These information is available at: http://www.euskadi.net/euskara/indicei_i.htm

- Euskal Herriko III. Soziolinguistikazko Inkesta / IIIª Encuesta sociolingüística de Euskal Herria. Vitoria-Gasteiz. (2001).

- Evaluación del impacto económico de las actividades relacionadas con la promoción del euskera en la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco. Vitoria-Gasteiz (2000).

- IKEI. RECLUS, euskararen eredu prospektiboa / RECLUS, modelo prospectivo del euskera (1998).

- Nekane JAUSORO. Gazte-helduak. Hizkuntza-gaitasunetik erabilerara. (1997). (Contract signed by the Department of Sociology II of the Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitateko).

- Evaluación del impacto económico de las actividades relacionadas con la promoción del euskera en la Comunidad Autonoma del País Vasco. Vitoria-Gasteiz (1997)

- Euskal Herriko II. Soziolinguistikazko Inkesta 1996 / IIª Encuesta sociolingüística de Euskal Herria (1996). Vitoria-Gasteiz. (1999).

- II Mapa Sociolingüístico / II. Soziolinguistikazko Mapa. Vitoria-Gasteiz. (1997/1998/1999).

- "La utilidad de las encuestas en el proceso de planificación lingüística" (1998). On June 5, 1998 Mr. Padraig O’Riagain on behalf of The Linguistics Institute of Ireland signed the contract 98-06-NOR-0074-00 with the DG XXII of Education, Training and Youth of the European Commission in order to coordinate the project in which the Vice-Ministry of Language Policy of the Basque Government took part.

- "Planificación lingüística en el contexto europeo" (1998). On April 14,l 1997 Dr. Glyn Williams on behalf of the University College of North Wales signed the contract 97-06-NOR-0040-00 with the DG XXII of Education, Training and Youth of the European Commission in order to coordinate the project in which the Vice-Ministry of Language Policy of the Basque Government took part. (1998).

- "Política a desarrollar para la conexión entre la producción lingüística y el uso de la lengua" (1997). On November 25, 1996 Mr. Padraig O’Riagain on behalf of The Linguistics Institute of Ireland signed the contract 96-06-AUT-0145-00 with the DG XXII of Education, Training and Youth of the European Commission in order to coordinate the project in which the Vice-Ministry of Language Policy of the Basque Government took part.

- Euskal Herriko I. Soziolinguistikazko Inkesta (1991) / Iª Encuesta sociolingüística de Euskal Herria (1991). Vitoria-Gasteiz. (1992).

- Soziolinguistikazko Mapa. 1986. urteko erroldaren araberako Euskal Autonomi elkarteko azterketa demolinguistikoa / Análisis demolingüístico de la Comunidad Autónoma Vasca derivado del Padrón de 1986. Vitoria-Gasteiz (1989).

We have tried to give an overall view of the sociolinguistic studies being carried out by the Deputy Ministry for Language Policy and the principal results thus obtained, attempting to present the information as attractively and comprehensively as possible through the use of graphs and images. If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact:

Miren Mateo
Xabier Aizpurua
m-mateo@ej-gv.es
x-aizpurua@ej-gv.es
Directorate of Coordination
Deputy Ministry for Language Policy
Department of Culture
Basque Government