For a number of reasons, in recent years, I'm moving a few kilometers away from my house. Taking advantage of the situation, I have begun to observe some facts and changes. Among other things, I have noted the changes in the use of the Basque country that have occurred in the area over the last decade.

Apparently, in the northeastern regions of Gipuzkoa, there are no bad conditions to advance in the knowledge and use of the Basque country: informal Euskera, social attitude, number of speakers, communicative need, a wide network of schools and Euskaltegis, well-established model D, grants... In fact, 10 years ago we discovered a “flourishing” of the Basque country. At the age of ten, and especially in the last two, there are positions in the opposite direction. For example, it is very difficult to listen in Basque to the crews that are immersed in adolescence. If one does not speak with an organized initiative or with an active Basque adult, these young people only use Spanish in habitual communication and the use of Euskera is as “faked” as scarce.

10 years ago the Basque Country had a great boost. To mention a few variables, I will put on the table these four aspects: the positive political situation, the paradigm shift made by the Basque Country under the motto “Euskaraz Bizi Nahi dut”, the birth and the need for the title of a large number of sons and daughters of Basque fathers and mothers born at the time of the “baby boom”. For the first time in these years of birth, the new classrooms in Model D had to be opened and many adults knocked at the door of the Euskaltegis.

After 10 years, I think those factors have changed. There has been no political transformation and neutralized the capacity of the Basque and sovereign political forces; many of those who became active speakers wearing the “Euskaraz Bizi nahi dut” t-shirt have surrendered; the birth rate has been reduced; the need for graduation, in the end, has not been so great.

Above all, I am sad to see that the children of the Basque parents are becoming socialised in Spanish and French. That old “mathematical exercise” (7 Euskaldunes + 1 erdaldun = 8 erdaldun) remains the same. It is enough for a person to be a Castilian speaker, or to be uncomfortable in Euskera, so that the whole group dominates Castilian. Obviously, today, that friend is in every corner, it's in every family. Because it's impossible that doesn't happen, because our country is much more diverse and complex than it was 10 years ago. Of course, the answer is not to close the community of speakers, because besides being absolutely impossible, it would mean the death of the Basque.

In the last few years I have followed closely the contributions of three socio-linguistic experts: Specifically, the fight between Kike Amunarriz, Patxi Sáenz and Pello Jauregi. Kike's optimistic, joyful, loving message; Patxi's sharp and deep notes; and Pello's most built and innovative proposals.

We need optimism, friendly attitude, self-esteem. As Kike says, knowing that the Basque country is not so small, that we are talking about “champions league” in Spanish, French and English. Knowing and using Euskera gives us a “plus”, as bertsolari Jon Maia rightly points out: It gives us a “special look.” A clear, deep, protracted look in this changing and fragile world to tighten the legs and move them when we want, in the direction we want.

We also need rigour. Because the Basque language is not yet official in the whole of the Basque Country, it is a minority language, seriously injured, our rights are not guaranteed. The Constitutions of the Basque States and Institutions have adopted an unequal bilingualism, guaranteeing the “right” to be a Castilian speaking monolingual. Those who have turned their backs on the Basque language know this, and that is why they do not learn it, because they know that they have the power to obstruct our linguistic choice.

Constructive proposals are also essential and in this field it has been very interesting to develop concepts of bright/smart mouth.

The world has changed, it's going to change more. Euskal Herria has completely changed and will change more. As I mentioned in an earlier article, surely now in Euskal Herria the descendants of the “long-time” for the first time throughout history are less than “the newcomers and the newcomers”. For this reason and for so many other reasons, the lines of work, strategies and references of an era are directed to an Basque Country that no longer exists. We need trends, goals and strategies adapted to this slippery stage of globalization so that the end of the Basque country does not coincide with the end of the century.

Those of us who work to make Euskera the usual language of Euskal Herria have new challenges. It is not enough for the Basque country to be something that is in the pocket as a “cultural resource”, it has to be “normal” in daily life, in all areas. We cannot take the “normalization” of two classes for granted. We can't take unequal bilingualism for granted. From Ahobizi we must continue to create monolingual Basque spaces from our multilingualism. We must work to make these spaces, spaces, activities attractive to Castilian speakers and generate curiosity and need. We're just told that we're about 300,000 active vasco-speakers. It may be the lowest rate of all times in percentage terms, but, paradoxically, due to the condition, knowledge and formation of these 300,000, the Basque Country has never been as strong as it is now.

Just as we have to continue creating monolingual Euskaldunes spaces, we also have to work bilingual communication situations, but keeping the perspective of Aho Bizi/ Entzun Prest, avoiding the appearance of new communicative situations. We must definitively eliminate the addition 1+7=8 (subtraction) and make a clear choice, from all the institutions, to guarantee and demand the minimum knowledge as soon as possible, as the life and development of the Basque Country is also in the hands of Entzun Prest.