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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Another "Wichita" in Navarre: Basque Language



Wichita is an American Language that is close to disapear. A documentary has been done aboid it (click on the title). This reminds me something is happening in my "country". The elections are close here in Navarra... and in the Community of the Basque Country. This morning I have heard a member of the UPN party (Union del Pueblo Navarro) talking about the Language Policy they are going to put into practice. He says they are going to promote the plurilinguism (English + Spanish + another "modern" language). They say that the "D educational model", the one which is "just in Basque" (his words), is a non-sense, so they are going to promote with their full heart English in the Navarrese Education System.
The thing is that Basque is one of the languages originary from this piece of land. The thing is that they have approved a law (1986) that was intended to promote this language in the public sphera: adminsitration, education, media. The thing is that the European Union is making observations to this Government in order to take care of one language that is suposed to be protected by this Government.
What is more painful is the manipulative language used by that candidate, telling us that the "D model" is just in Basque. This is false: the students belonging to this model finish their High School years speaking in Basque, in Spanish and in English and they achieve a higher level of competence (than in other models in the Navarra Education System).
It is well know that it would be good news for them that the Basque Language, spoken by the Bascones (the nave given to the peoble of the Old Kingdom of Navarre), becames another Wichita language (see the link in the title), here, in Navarre.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

learned a lot