Basque, Spanish and Immigrant Minority Languages in Basque Schools

Abstract

In the Basque Country there has been a very strong growth in the number of pupils of immigrant origin, the main groups being from Latin America, Europe, Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia. The schooling of these pupils does not follow the same pattern as that of autochthonous pupils, as the immigrants tend to concentrate in state sector schools or in private schools serving students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. This negative selection is compounded by the tendency of these pupils to concentrate in schools following the Spanish language model; the process of ghettoisation of the community of immigrant pupils is a current and future risk. Further, the Spanish model does not enable the learning of Basque, and a lack of fluency in the latter can hinder the integration of young immigrants into the labour market and society generally. As regards mother tongues, despite the apparent chaos of languages and cultures in our classrooms, two languages stand out on account of the number of speakers involved, Portuguese and Moroccan, and call for specific programmes. While the type of programme required for Portuguese is reasonably clear, in the case of the Arabic language some basic issues about its future are still unresolved.

Countering decapitalisation: examining teachers' discourses of migration in Galicia

“…Language ideological debates continue to feature prominently in contemporary societies, with the Catalan independence movement and power sharing in Northern Ireland presenting two such examples where discussions of language rights and claims to legitimacy have taken centre stage. Despite this, research on language learning and immigration in minority language contexts specifically remains on the periphery of academic scholarship (although see Bermingham, 2018;Etxeberrias & Elosegi, 2008;McCubbin, 2010;Pujolar, 2010 for some examples). Multilingualism in European classrooms is now the norm, not exception, and while the management of linguistic diversity is increasingly at the fore of language policy discussions, engagement with the multilingual realities of schools continues to be inadequate, and the linguistic habitus of modern day education systems remains largely monolingual (Busch, 2011;Piller, 2016).…”

“…This can be seen especially in the classroom. In Galicia, where this research was conducted, and in the broader Spanish and European contexts, changes in economic structures, coupled with numerous migration waves during the 20th and 21st centuries have led to increasingly linguistically diverse classrooms (Corona et al, 2012;Etxeberrias & Elosegi, 2008;Gkaintartzi & Tsokalidou, 2011;Gkaintartzi et al, 2014;Pulinx et al, 2015;Van Der Wildt et al, 2015). Despite this, the linguistic habitus of the education system remains rooted in monolingualism (Busch, 2013;Piller, 2016), and studies in the Spanish context have demonstrated how linguistic factors can contribute to the poor academic achievement of immigrant students when compared to their local counterparts (Codó & Patiño-Santos, 2014;Patiño-Santos et al, 2015;Pérez-Milans, 2011;Pujolar, 2010).…”

Immigrant students’ minority language learning: an analysis of language ideologies

“…The Basque education system is structured into three linguistic models: In model A, the instruction is in Spanish and Basque is studied as a subject; in model B, students are instructed both in Spanish and Basque; and in model D, instruction is in Basque and Spanish is studied as a subject. In areas of the BAC where Spanish is the main spoken language in the public sphere, immigrant pupils tend to study model A or 'light' model B, meaning that Basque language instruction is very low (Etxeberria and Elosegi, 2008;Intxausti, Etxeberria and Joaristi 2010;Martínez 2014). By contrast, autochthonous students tend to study model B or D regardless of the area of the BAC in which they are located, in line with Basque language revitalisation efforts.…”

Adopting a Multilingual Habitus: What North and South Can Learn from Each Other About the Essential Role of Non-dominant Languages in Education

“…For example, a serious dilemma in the autonomous Basque and Catalonia regions of Spain is how to simultaneously promote the regional NDL and "counterbalance" the high social status of the DL while adequately developing the home NDLs of incoming immigrant learners (Cenoz and Gorter 2012). In the Basque Country, for example, programmes to promote integration of immigrant learners highlight their languages and cultures; a popular one is the Portuguese Language and Culture Programme, which is part of the school curriculum and attracts learners from a range of backgrounds including DL speakers (Cenoz 2009;Etxeberria and Elosegi 2008). Such programmes not only recognize but also celebrate and popularize learners' linguistic and cultural backgrounds, promoting mutual learning, plurilingualism and pluriculturalism.…”