Of every ten interviews, eight are held in Basque in the streets of Azpeitia. As a center of inspiration for the Basque Country, Hitano is also alive and used by many citizens. In recent years, however, concern has increased in the village, where young people have noticed that they use it less and that the quality of the Hitan is losing, such as not differentiating noka and toka. In order to enhance the proper character of the language of Azpeitia, they have worked with the Cluster of Sociolinguistics in two directions: in the educational centers they have created units to work the Hitano and in 2016 the use of the Hitano street was measured.

Work in schools began in 2010. The three schools of Azpeitia – the Iraurgi College, the ikastola Ikasberri and the ikastola Karmelo Etxegarai – joined the project and during these years have collaborated with the members of the Sociolinguistics Cluster in the design and consolidation of didactic units to work the Hitan. Before the Azpeitia project, the Cluster carried out the issue in the same Urola valley, in Zumaia, and when news of the initiative was known in Azpeitia, they were encouraged to do it right there. Since then, social norms and Hitan forms are being transmitted through schools.

From the 5th grade of Primary Education we work at the 4th grade of Compulsory Secondary Education and in each of the levels there are two didactic units. Olatz Bengoetxea, from Soziolinguistika Klusterra, explained that “being the Hitano a live and friendly record, it has been proposed that students work a little juicy and close to the context”. For example, LH students survey others about Hitan, and with what they have worked in class they have mounted the exhibition of AzpeitHika posters in Sanagustin Kulturgunea in recent years. Sketch, surveys, recording of the experiences of the Azpeitiars with the Hitan… there are many paths that are used to work the Hitan.

Difference between boys and girls

For students, Hitano is not a strange thing; to a greater or lesser extent, he has lived around them since his childhood. In the words of the professor of ikastola Karmelo Etxegarai, Ana Garate, “there will be a few who will start work from scratch, but most have a relationship with Hitano since childhood.” Those who have Euskera as their mother tongue often listen to it at home and among friends, while those who do not have Euskera as their mother tongue are later aware of this way of communicating in Euskera.

Knowledge, the use of knowledge, is an obvious difference between boys and girls. Iraurgi school teacher Edurne Illarramendi explained that “boys do, they use it among themselves, but for some girls it is strange.” The reasons are not clear, but they have found that for some girls the Hitano has no prestige: “There are girls who say at home that you can’t talk like this, that it’s bad education.” The sessions focus on turning those ideas around and valuing Hitan.

In addition, teachers have explained that the use of noka in classrooms is scarce. Marijo Ezama, from ikastola Ikasberri, is a professor of ESO and has explained that “boys often target girls, and girls sometimes also touch each other.” According to Ezama, influencing these habits is not easy, much less in adolescence: “If we tell them how it is right or how it is, they oppose us, because they are at that age.” At least it is doing awareness-raising work, and hopes that this will also influence its use over time: “Maybe 18-20 years old will have another clac.”

Edurne Illarramendi added that some boys, despite tuteing among them, take the juice of the girls: “If you are asked why you don’t know how to answer,” it’s what comes out unconsciously. In Ana Garate’s words, “as girls have less hika, maybe that’s why boys tutee less.”

The three professors have explained that the subject for students is motivating. Although the influence on use is not so easy, they see that concepts are being assimilated, and believe that over the years this work will influence its use.

Street data

The Sociolinguistics Cluster has years of experience in measuring the use of Euskera on the street. In 2016, for the first time, among these street measurements the use of Hitano has also been measured, in Azpeitia and Usurbil. In the measurement of Azpeitia, 18.1% of the street interviews were held in Hitano.

The measurement confirms the perception in the village that the teachers of Azpeitia have perceived in the classrooms: men use Hitano more than women, while among men 28.2% of the interviews have been measured in Hitano and among women 10.6%. The use of Nokia is also low in relation to the toka: in the interviews received 45.1% was occupied, in 37.2% in neutral hika – in what way the hika was treated that could not be valued – and in 17.5% noka.

Regarding age, the older adults used the most, with 29.8% of the cases. In the case of conversations between adults, the percentage has been 23.5% in Hitano and 25% among young people. Among children, on the other hand, 5% have done so according to the measurements of the streets of Bilbao. Due to the use of Noka, the older ones use the most, with the younger and younger partners being less noka. In the age group of young people, 15.1 per cent of the conversations were toka, 8.1 per cent in neutral hika and 1.7 per cent noka.

When assessing the results of the measurement, Basque councilor Josu Labaka said that the data should be taken with care: “Research has shown that Hitano is used, I don’t know how to say much or little; we would have to compare it with other peoples.” Labaka has attached importance to having a picture of the situation we are in. It is about continuing with the transmission of the Hitano and making a new analysis in a while, to see how the Hitano of Azpeitia will evolve in the coming years: “It’s about building a path around the Hitan to study and promote it.” The councillor of the Basque Country has trusted that the experience of Azpeitia will also be useful for other localities.

In Azpeitia, at least, they are not standing. Regarding the transmission of local language, a number of initiatives are taking place. In fact, in addition to the work of Hitano, the work of the Natul association should be highlighted, which tries to recover the words and expressions in the Basque language of Azpeitia, with the objective of valuing street language. Josu Labaka stressed that “working the wealth and expressiveness of our variety is a way to encourage use. The objective is to put on the table the tools provided by the Basque Country itself and promote them”.