🚀 go-pugleaf

Mr Trask says:

>Oh, it's not my intention to *blame* the immigrants for anything.  But
>it is a fact that very large numbers of Spaniards have moved into the
>Basque Country in this century, and that, at least since the beginning
>of the Franco era, few of these immigrants have learned Basque.  Some
>have, of course -- I've met one or two.  But most haven't.

I think you are simplifying the truth. What you say is true, but this is also true:

-Most of the immigrants moved to the big industrial areas, in which Spanish was already spoken, which explains why most of the immigrants you have met do not speak basque

-Many of those immigrants did not even speak spanish when they moved to the Basque Country. I know a few people from Galice (Galicia) who did not speak a word of spanish before coming to the Basque Country. They learnt spanish in the Basque Country

-Immigrants who moved to rural areas (not so normal, as immigrants only went to the places where there were factories) can, at least, understand basque as it is the only way they can do their shopping in the market. Maybe they are not able to speak or write in basque, but they have a big knowledge of the language in order to understand what they hear

-They way you describe the Basque Country, it looks like there are two different communities: ethnic Basques and immigrants. That is quite far from reality. People go out, work and eat together. There are also so many mixed couples...

-Do not forget either that most of the population in the Basque Country lives in the main cities. When you talk about rural Western Biscay and Guipuscoa, you are expressly excluding most of the Basques.


Berrinet