In late January, at the UPV/EHU Campus in Leioa, researcher Miren Artetxe presented to the expert court the research developed in recent years. The linguistic trajectory of the young people of the bertso-eskolas of Ipar Euskal Herria: youthful identities, linguistic changes and legitimization processes has been in charge of carrying out the work at the UPV/EHU, under the direction of professor and researcher Jone Miren Hernandez and Josu Amezaga. In particular, Artetxe's work derives from the first research contract awarded by the Mintzola Oral Workshops and the Vicerrectorados de Euskera e Investigación of the UPV/EHU and the Professorship Mikel Laboa, which was awarded in 2013 in the first call made by these entities.

As indicated in the title itself, he has analyzed the linguistic trajectory of the young people of the bertso-eskolas of Ipar Euskal Herria and observed their practices and discourses in the bertso-eskolas. The study has also focused on new speakers.

According to Artetxe, "changes in linguistic habits are strategies for the construction of youthful identities" and at every moment, in life changes, linguistic habits can be maintained or changed, that is, language can be changed.

"Bertso-eskola offers the possibility of constructing youthful identity and linguistic identity as a group and as an individual, based on a series of activities and relationships that rather than effort, enjoyment". Take the word, lose shame, build opinion -- all of that, and more, they share it in a group. "They are the hallmarks of the young people who are being built through their choice. All this in Basque."

Sneezing and Sneezing for New Speakers

In his research work, Artetxe has also focused on the trajectories of the new Bertso-eskola speakers, around what was discussed last year in the framework of the UPV/EHU Summer Courses. To this end, he has deepened the legitimization processes of two new speakers: “He legitimized his sociolinguistic roles enough to go unnoticed in the dungeon of the Bertsolaris school and have not felt distinctions for not having learned the Basque at home. However, by socializing in the world of the Bertsos and, especially, in Hego Euskal Herria, they have found a distinction between categories of speakers that implicitly questions their legitimacy”, explains the researcher.

There are two sides to the coin as far as new speakers are concerned: "Bertsolari is attributed a high linguistic competence and intensive use", so socializing in bertso-eskola can be an incentive for the legitimation of new speakers. On the contrary, Artetxe points out that it can be a hindrance, as "the canonical bertsolari is a legitimate speaker", that is, an old speaker.

Likewise, although both Euskera and the linguistic conflict have occupied a central place on the subject of Bertsolarism, according to Artetxe's study, "the reality of the new speakers has not been mentioned until today".