Exploring the Identity and the Multilingual Repertoire of Basque Primary Students in the European Framework

Abstract

Language transmission and negotiation are part of complex social practices, as linguistic behavior play a central role in the creation of identity, as does the learning of additional languages (De Fina, 2016). This study takes place in the European region of the Basque Country, specifically in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC). There are 24 official languages, in the European Union, in addition to around 60 minority or regional languages such as Frisian, Welsh and Basque, which is the a co-official language together with Spanish in the BAC (European Parliament, 2016). This qualitative study aims to explore the linguistic awareness and identity of a group of primary school students. Basque is the main language of instruction in the school, and Basque, Spanish and English are also taught as school subjects. Situated in a sociolinguistic environment where the use of Basque (22.7%) and other languages (1.9%) is lower than Spanish (75.4%), the majority of students have Spanish as their first language (58.3%). The group (n = 24) comprises (56.7%) female students and (43.3%) male students in fifth (38.5%) and sixth (61.5%) grades of primary education. Classroom ethnography was conducted to explore students’ identities, attitudes and opinions towards the Basque language over a period of four months. The results indicate that certain students show a fluid sense of identity. In general, the attitude toward the minority language is positive, though some students express uncertainty about the language’s future.