As a publication prior to Euskera Ikerketa Aldizkaria, the review Euskera was the official publication of the Royal Academy of the Basque Language-Euskaltzaindia, published from 1920 to 2022. From 2023 onwards there are two publications: Euskera Ikerketa Aldizkaria and Euskaltzaindiaren buletina. The former publishes original research papers, book reviews and other content in the research area of Euskaltzaindia, and is published on paper and in electronic format. The second documents the academic life and work of Euskaltzaindia, and is published electronically. Euskera Ikerketa Aldizkaria comes out twice a year: the spring issue (January-June) published between March and April and the second (July-December) between September and October. To publish research papers the Editorial Committee requests the opinion of external assessors, using the double-blind PEER REVIEW system.
Los nombres de persona de raigambre indoeuropea de la Antigüedad: Álava y occidente de Navarra
Copyright (c) 2026 Luis Mari Zaldua Etxabe https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Informal speech in primary school children in their leisure time: the influence of Spanish or French on their spontaneous expressivity
This study was funded by the Mintzola Project of the Royal Academy of the Basque Language (Euskaltzaindia), by the Basque School Association (Ikastolen Elkartea) and by Mondragon Unibertsitatea. Our purpose was to examine whether speech among friends in a formal setting can have a positive effect on increasing informal speech in Basque among students. We present the first steps of this research here. Ten schools (ikastolas) from different territories in the Basque Country were selected, and the language habits of students in their fourth year of Primary Education at home, outside the home and at school were initially examined via a questionnaire in order to obtain baseline information about the sample in as much detail as possible. We then observed the participating children in the recreational areas of the schools in order to determine which language(s) they speak with their friends during their free time.
Copyright (c) 2023 Euskera ikerketa aldizkaria
The phonological evolution of the Basque language in Igeldo on the coast of Gipuzkoa
Copyright (c) 2026 Igor Yugueros Egunez https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
An analysis of the pronunciation of Basque spoken in Hernani
Copyright (c) 2026 Andoni Rey Ortiz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Acoustic analysis of the basque vowels produced in formal and informal styles
Copyright (c) 2026 Garazi Irastorza Arza https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The synthetic potential of the synthetic verbs to be, to go and to walk in the Basque of Leitza
The synthetic potential form of the synthetic verbs to be, to go, and to walk is still alive in the town of Leitza. Thanks to the testimonies of older people, we have managed to carry out a full compilation of the synthetic potential verbs in all their variants: the present, past, and hypothetical potential; the verbal forms in a neutral register, as well as the allocutive, to be used when we choose the «you» treatment (hi) that inflects the verb according to the gender of the conversation’s partner.
Copyright (c) 2026 Fernando Oiartzun Sagastibeltza https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The Presence of Basque Cultural Creators in Selected Digital Print Media of the Basque Country: Applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the Analysis of Large-Scale Content Sets
This study aims to analyze the media visibility of Basque cultural creators, based on the content from the «culture» sections of 11 digital media outlets in the Basque Country during 2023. By applying text mining and artificial intelligence techniques, 5,637 cultural creators were identified (2,679 of whom work in Basque). The results show that the language of production (whether media content is created in Basque or in another language) is a key factor in the visibility of Basque culture. Furthermore, the research offers an innovative contribution by combining a quantitative and technological approach.
Copyright (c) 2026 Libe Mimenza Castillo, Ane Martinez Juez, Naroa Burreso Pardo, Josu Amezaga Albizu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Core Academic Language Skills: A Theoretical Framework for Defining and Characterizing Their Features
This study offers a bibliographic review of academic language with a focus on the Core Academic Language Skills (CALS) framework. A total of 44 research studies are reviewed, encompassing both theoretical and empirical contributions from diverse disciplinary and cultural contexts. It examines key definitions, linguistic and cognitive features, links to writing and reading skills, and its broader social and educational value. The review provides a comprehensive theoretical foundation and outlines pedagogical implications from linguistic, cognitive, and sociocultural perspectives.
Copyright (c) 2026 Artzai Gaspar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Research on the use of female informal adress form in Goizueta
The main objective of this study is to analyze the ways to recover the Basque informal address form hika, based on the participative action-research methodology. In this context, a workshop to revitalise the female form noka has also been organized in Goizueta, which have had 19 participants. In this research, the use of noka has been analyzed from two points of view. On the one hand, from the sociolinguistic point of view, the impact of this workshop was analyzed regarding the different starting points and the evolution of these women in the knowledge and use of this linguistic treatment. On the other hand, from the gender point of view, the participants have reflected on noka. The main conclusion has been that the noka sessions have served to influence its use on participants and that they are eager to continue learning and using it.
Copyright (c) 2026 Oihana Lujanbio Begiristain https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
A didactic proposal to learn the expressive resources through theater
The sociolinguistic situation of Pamplona is reflected in the limited use that young people make of Basque, which results in a form of Basque that tends to lack expressiveness. It is in this context that a didactic proposal has been put forward. In structuring the proposal, on the one hand, contributions on metalinguistic awareness have been considered, aimed at developing students’ ability to manipulate language. On the other hand, theatre has been the main tool for exploring the features of formal and informal language.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ines Marguerite Azkarate Etxeberria https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Copyright (c) 2026 Andres M. Urrutia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Karmelo Etxenagusia, nire gomuten olatu irakinean
Copyright (c) 2026 Lontzo Zugazaga Martikorena https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Early functional morphemes: study of language acquisition in Basque monolingual children
The study of language acquisition focuses on analysing how humans acquire language naturally. In this paper we investigate the acquisition of functional morphemes. As studies in English and French have shown, their frequency of occurrence and whether they are free or bound influence the perception of the first functional morphemes. The aim of this paper is to analyse whether frequency and their free vs bound status influence early morpheme production. Specifically, we will analyse the order of occurrence of these morphemes in infant productions. The functional morphemes we will analyse are, with regard to nominal morphology, the grammatical cases, articles, partitive, pronouns, demonstratives and, with regard to verbal morphology, the modal morphemes and particles. To calculate the frequency of morphemes we have used the EHME corpus (Acha et al. 2014). We have analysed the speech of four monolingual Basque-speaking children (Valle and Alonso 2015), using the transcriptions of the CHILDES database. The results show that the frequency of morphemes and whether they are bound or free influence the production of the first functional morphemes.
Copyright (c) 2026 Garazi Domínguez Mezquita, Ane Berro, Irene De la Cruz-Pavía https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Arikala: organised leisure and the practice of informal Basque speech in a formal educational context
The following pages present a research study framed within a theoretical model that interrelates informal language, structured leisure, formal education, motivation, and linguistic attachment. The study explores the experiences and impact of interventions following the implementation of informal Basque language use through playful methodologies and organised leisure activities. The research employed a mixed-methods approach with a concurrent design. Parti­cipants included children from two ikastolas in Navarre (n = 86) who took part in the Arikala programme, as well as teachers and leisure-time educators (n = 32) who implemented the same programme in eight additional ikastolas across the Basque Country. Findings were analysed through the triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data. Among the main conclusions, it was found that the interventions fostered increased motivation and attachment to the Basque language among the children. Although the programme generally had a positive impact on most participants, statistical analyses revealed significant differences based on first language (L1) and gender: those who spoke Basque as their L1 and girls reported experiencing greater benefits. Furthermore, based on the experiences of teachers and leisure-time educators, the study concludes that there is a clear need for specific training aimed at developing informal language use.
Copyright (c) 2025 Odei Guirado Irasuegi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The erosion of female allocutive form of address noketa in Ortzaize
This fieldwork-based study seeks to analyse the use and more specially the decline of the female allocutive form of address noketa in Ortzaize, in Nafarroa Beherea (Lower Navarre). Based on a corpus made up of interviews with 18 residents of that place, the analysis of the use of the noketa familiar form of address hinges on two lines of research. On the one hand, from a morphological perspective, this work aims to analyse the variation of the verbal allocutive forms of the noketa collected from ten speakers, and specially the variants that would reflect its erosion. On the other hand, from a sociolinguistical point of view, the investigation plans on describing the accounts of practices and ideologies in relation to the noketa familiar form of address of the whole group of participants —including the younger generation—, and analysing their variation according to age. Indeed, the results obtained indicate that, from one generation to another, i) the influence exerted by sociolinguistic variants on the use of the noketa varies, ii) the usage domain narrows, but iii) that a gradual valorization of the noketa emerges in ideological discourses.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ana Jaunarena Mendiondo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
In this research, we analyze rhythm across Basque varieties, a topic that remains largely understudied. While the scarce studies available to date classify the Basque language as syllable-timed, some studies argue that it might approach other rhythmic classes, such as mora-timed. It has also been discussed if there are differences among Basque varieties. In fact, the different Basque varieties exhibit phonological alternations such as deletions, syncopes or apheresis. As all of these partially affect their syllabic structure, they could lead to cross-dialectal differences in their rhythm. The goal of this paper is thus to systematically analyze the varieties of Bermeo, Bilbo, Donostia and Baztan. Our results show that the different varieties do not differ in their percentages of vocalic intervals (V %), but do differ significantly in the standard deviation of their consonant intervals (ΔC), specifically between the varieties spoken in Baztan and Donostia. Furthermore, they suggest that, in certain aspects, these Basque dialects are closer to other languages classified as mora-timed than to the languages traditionally classified as syllable-timed.
Copyright (c) 2025 Maddi Ormazabal Sudupe, Ane Berro, Irene Delacruz-Pavía https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Demolinguistic projections: a tool for defining and discussing language policy in the Northern Basque Country?
The sociolinguistic survey conducted every five years is today the main tool used to assess the vitality of Basque language in the Northern Basque Country. With the 2021 survey being the seventh of its kind, actors and political decision-makers working in favor of the Basque language now have a solid data source on the evolution of Euskara’s situation in the territory, which can be put into perspective with the initiatives undertaken over the past 30 years in the field of linguistic policy planning. However, until now, these sociolinguistic data have not been exploited for the purpose of planning future linguistic policies for the Northern Basque Country territory. Furthermore, while multiple processes and dynamics influence the revitalization process of Euskara, there are currently few or no projection tools, especially for the long term. Demographics is one of these processes that influences the sociolinguistic situation, yet it remains little studied from this angle. The work that follows is therefore a methodological proposal for articulating sociolinguistic and demographic data with the aim of constructing 3 hypotheses for the evolution of the number and proportion of Basque speakers in the Northern Basque Country over the next 25 years. Taking into account the methodological, theoretical, and philosophical limitations of these hypotheses, the main objective of the team that developed this tool is to provide decision-makers and actors in linguistic planning with one tool among others, to serve the debate on the future directions of Euskara in the Northern Basque Country.
Copyright (c) 2025 Amande Anin, Christian Malmose, Virginie Boillet https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Ander Manterola Aldekoa: zeanuriztar etnografoari elkarrizketa
Copyright (c) 2025 Jon Mentxakatorre Odriozola https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Speech among friends at the ikastola: implementation and results of a two-year intervention
This research was carried out together by the Mintzola Project of Euskaltzaindia, Ikastolen Elkartea association, and Mondragon University. During the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years, we worked both in the classroom and during the students’ leisure time on various expressions commonly used in informal speech; the participants were primary school students in the fourth and fifth grades in ten ikastolas in different territories of the Basque Country. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the development of informal speech in a school context had an effect on informal speech among friends.
Copyright (c) 2025 Idurre Alonso Amezua, Aritz Bereziartua Arruabarrena, Jon Mentxakatorre Odriozola, Xabier Lasa Agirrezabal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Youth colloquial Basque in the BAB (Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz) area and its surroundings
This article investigates the linguistic practices of some young Basques aged 18 to 24 in the BAB (Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz) area, focusing on vernacular language and «Basque-French» code-switching. It aims to describe these practices by examining phonetic innovations influenced by French and standard Basque, as well as loan translations and Internet-related vocabulary. The conclusions reveal that this new language register incorporates features of vernacular French and that the teaching of the standard Basque also influences this language of young people.
Copyright (c) 2025 Maddi Kintana Morcillo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Months of the year: an ethnolinguistic perspective
Some authors have made reflections from linguistic and anthropological perspectives about the names traditionally used for months in Basque. Given that this is such a deeply rooted and everyday matter in Basque culture, many people have expressed their opinions in one way or another, often inappropriately, as they have not used the proper tools. With the aim of giving this interesting topic a clear and structured treatment, the author proposes the use of an ethnolinguistic methodology, combining lexicon and culture, since they inevitably influence each other.
Copyright (c) 2025 Kepa Diéguez Barahona https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Charrando aragonés. La lengua aragonesa en su Zona de Uso Predominante
Copyright (c) 2025 Jon Artza https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Lights and shadows of the poetry of the Northern Basque Country, from the 1940’s
The objective of this article is to provide a general overview of the poetry of the Northern Basque Country since the 1940’s, taking into account works from both oral and written traditions. We see a giant on the subject, Itxaro Borda, whose prolific work could leave the productions of all the other poets in the shadows: we will not mention her, in order to bring to light the poets who remained in obscurity. We have not noticed a poetic group: each poet must be presented according to his own singularity. Finally, we will reflect on the future of poetry in the Northern Basque Country.
Copyright (c) 2025 Katixa Dolhare Zaldunbide https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Jean-Baptiste Elizanburu (1828-1891) idazlearen lo-kanta ezezagun bat: Haurcho bati
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;">Artikulu honen helburua bikoitza da. Batetik, Louis Dassanceren funtsean dauden Jean-Baptiste Elizanburu idazle saratarraren hamabi olerki autografodun bildumaren berri ematea. Bestetik, erran delako bilduma horretako Harcho bati izenburuko lo-kanta ezezagun bat transkribatzea jatorrizko doinu eta letrarekin.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jabier Kaltzakorta https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Secondary Education students’ scientific argumentation: writing in Basque, Spanish and English
The present study aims to explore the written production of scientific arguments of Secondary Education students in Basque, Spanish and English at the discourse and lexicogrammatical levels. Argumentation elements (following Toulmin) were analysed in the texts written by 34 years 9 students, and the employed lexicogrammar was identified through a discourse analysis. Across-language similarities were found both in the use of argumentation elements and in the lexicogrammatical resources employed.
Copyright (c) 2025 Roberto Arias-Hermoso, Amaia Lersundi, Eneritz Garro Larrañaga, Ainara Imaz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
De noms, de cognoms i de llengües subordinades
Copyright (c) 2025 Joan A. Argenter https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The names of the seasons have always given a great deal of importance to linguists and other scholars. So deeply rooted in Basque culture, many people have expressed their views in one way or another. In order to give a proper structure to this subject, the author proposes to use ethnolinguistic methodology, that is, to bring out the indispensable bridge between lexicon and culture. To this end, this study is guided by a classification based on general notions.
Copyright (c) 2024 Euskera ikerketa aldizkaria https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Basque sermons from Luisena in Redin (18th-19th c.): presentation, catalogation and first research results
In this work I present a collection of old sermons in Basque discovered in Lizoain valley (Navarre). It is so far the sole extensive documentary testimony in the Basque language of that area. I explain how the discovery was made, I describe, date and catalogue the corpus and, after identifying the authors, I collect biographic data. Then, I describe some linguistic features, document the sources and talk about translation habits. I conclude that the use of Basque for predication was starting to decline in the area.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ekaitz Santazilia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The Basque language in the early years of sound cinema (1930-1936)
This article analyzes the relationship between Basque and cinema in the early years of talking cinema. Firstly, the debates that emerged in the 1930s around linguistic diversity in cinema and the presence of other languages of the Spanish state on screen are presented. From there, the focus is placed on the discourses that were mobilized in favor of cinema in Basque, and after verifying the impossibility of creating Basque cinema, the first three films in which the Basque language could be heard are analyzed.
"Too many times they ask me where I come from". Newcomers in immersion programs and the question of identity
In this article we will report on a study, based on the statements of 32 teachers who work with newcomers in immersion programs (10-14 years); They are Basque teachers in the immersion program (specifically in the Eusle and HIPI language strengthening programs). The purpose of the research is twofold: 1) to find out what difficulties, obstacles and incidents the newcomers in immersion programs express in relation to identity, and the teachers’ reflections on them; 2) to know the interventions and practices that teachers implement in relation to the identity of newcomers in immersion programs, as well as their thoughts on the subject. The data were taken during a training process carried out by these teachers, in the “Course to specialize in the immersion of newly arrived students”, at the Faculty of Humanities and Educational Sciences (HUHEZI) of the University of Mondragon; the data come from the explanations written by the teachers in answer to question about the identity of the students. The data are analysed and categorized through content analysis. The results show that until now the teachers and students of the research have not been familiar with the concept of plural identity, nor have they taken it into account. Some have considered that identity is generally associated with a single society or territory, mostly with the original one. The teachers believe that in the future their beliefs and that they will have to revise their practices.
Copyright (c) 2023 Euskera ikerketa aldizkaria https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0