Intergenerational transmission based on language socialization: the case of Basque

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the theoretical-methodological development of the study of the intergenerational transmission of minority languages. The proposal is based on the paradigm of language socialization. After a critical review of research on the continuity of the Basque language, the author has applied the framework of linguistic socialization to the study of Basque in the recent history of Navarre and the circumstances under which children from this region become Basque speakers. Research has demonstrated that the paradigm of language socialization is suitable for the study of generational linguistic continuity. The constructs transmission and reproduction, which have been traditionally used to address this issue, reveal an understanding of the process that makes some determining factors in children’s linguistic development invisible.

Keywords: Basque language, transmission, socialization, rupture, revernacularization.