Our elders brought the carriage up here. Now it’s our turn,” concluded Malores Etxeberria, a Basque technician at the Hernani City Hall. It is legitimate to start with the end, since the Basque chariot has arrived so far, and not in vain. Although a great effort has been made to integrate the transmission of Euskera in education, all the rapporteurs agreed that in the transmission of the language the house and the family are of fundamental importance.

Pello Jauregi, PhD in Education Sciences at UPV/EHU. The paper presented a study by Lasarte-Oria, in which data were collected from a study carried out in 2012, among other results: nine out of ten fathers and mothers have a very high Basque level, while when they have one of their parents in Spanish, six out of ten have a good Basque level, and when the two fathers are Castellanoparlantes, only two out of ten speak well in Basque.

Sometimes, even if the parents are Euskaldunes, they tend to speak Spanish among them, which causes collateral damage in the linguistic transmission. Etxeberria published a study on family transmission: the discourse of the Basque parents. He believes that parents attach too much importance to the environment: “It seems to them that it is enough for them to speak in Basque outside the home, even if they do so in Spanish, especially in very Basque areas.”

There is a difference between knowledge and use. The study presented by Jauregi shows that linguistic competence is closely linked to use: the more it is known, the more it is used. In fact, those who don't master the language well, out of fear of making mistakes, often tend to speak Spanish. Bertsolari and BA in Basque Philology Miren Artetxe performed a parallel with Bertsolari: “Bertsolari will not be able to sing suddenly until he loses the fear of doing it wrong.” For this, according to Artetxe, the atmosphere of empathy created in the bertso-eskolas is essential. Pulling this thread, Etxeberria believes it is important to value the effort of those who do not master the language and create pleasant environments to increase its linguistic use. She also considers that the key to transmission is that fathers and mothers who know Basque are related to the modern values of the Basque language: actuality and practicality.

Programmes for parents in Eibar and Vitoria-Gasteiz

Aware of the importance of fathers and mothers in the transmission of Euskera, several initiatives have been launched in different localities. For example, Eibar…and it’s already! the Gurasoak berbetan project of the Euskara Elkartea association and the Sundays of the Geu Euskara association of Gasteiz. Initiative in Basque in the family sphere.

The aim of the project is for parents and children to speak in Basque. To do this, they have created small groups with the fathers and mothers who want to practice Basque, to be able to speak in Basque in a quiet and informal space.

Maider Aranberri… and it’s done! The technician of the Basque Association says that, although on many occasions the parents speak Basque to the child, they tend to speak Spanish among them. In the 2010-2011 course, the Gurasoak berbetan initiative was created, with the aim of turning this initiative around.

Today they are related to all Eibar Elementary and Child Education schools, although the number of participants has barely increased in recent years: “We have difficulty reaching more fathers and mothers.”

The Basque association Geu of Vitoria-Gasteiz has also created Igandeak with similar objectives. Initiative in Basque in the family sphere. On the last Sunday of each month they meet in the afternoon and perform a children's show and games in Basque. The objective is for families to relate in Basque with each other and with other families. This project aims to work on the family transmission of Euskera, strengthen ties between Euskaldunes families and enjoy the Basque family.

Holding the language

Parents are not the only key to the transmission of Euskera. Jáuregui considers it essential to promote the use of Euskera in natural families, that is, in collective areas. For this purpose, the Eusle methodology is proposed. For the time being, it has only been put into practice in the workshops, but it can also be extended to others to mbitos.La application of the Eusle methodology is conditioned to all its members understanding it in Basque. Once this requirement is met, the members of the workshop must legitimise the activity only in Basque through a collective agreement, more than half of the agreement. The group will then choose one or two Eusles – a small number depending on the size of the group. It will be the task of the Basque Country to speak in Basque at all times and with everyone during the agreed time. As the Basque people are chosen by the group, they can always speak in Basque without fear and legitimately.

Jáuregui has been convinced that the Basque language is a methodology for coping with the conflict.” For example, when talking to a speaker who, although understood in Basque, speaks only in Spanish, the bilingual will normally use Spanish to communicate naturally. On the contrary, with this methodology, the person who does so will necessarily have to do so in Euskera, as the group has adhered to this commitment, and thus, in certain circumstances, will also encourage the person who speaks Spanish to do so in Euskera.

The Eusle methodology can also be applied to other uniform groups, such as groups of friends or families.