“El Euskera a Mi Me Gusta”: Parental Attitudes of Basque Country Immigrants

Abstract

Within this study, we examine the nexus of immigrant parents' language attitudes and motivations towards a lesser-spoken, endangered language and the revitalization efforts in the Basque Country, Spain. Attitudes and motivations are conceptualized as multileveled, relational, and dynamically constructed within their immediate and broader sociocultural context rather than solely as characteristics of individuals that are transmitted intergenerationally. While variations of attitudes towards Euskara, the language of the Basque, were associated with the monolingual or bilingual backgrounds of the parents, the overwhelming motivations for all parents were constructed around the immediate utility of Euskara within the Basque Country. Despite this being the case, the parents report a second generation that positions itself a bit differently —the children seem to embrace the language as they bond and identify with the Basque Country. The family networks of support and the broader social revitalization efforts play a significant role in the learning of Euskara among immigrant children.

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