Do you want to learn Euskera in San Sebastián?
- Basque
- 2024 Jul 30
There are almost one million Euskera speakers, and not all of them are from the Basque Country. Some people have arrived from other places, and have decided to learn it. Before they arrive, they usually say they are going to San Sebastián. But when they get here, they realise they have actually arrived in "Donostia", and quite a few of them take an interest in learning our language, Euskera. For example, where do you think this person is from?
Italian Chiara Revolta started learning Basque four years ago. And so did Catherine Clark from England:
Chiara and Catherine work in research in Donostia, at the international interdisciplinary Basque Center On Cognition, Brain and Language. Learning Basque has helped them make more friends and given them a better insight into Basque society.
Host of reasons for learning Basque
There are a host of reasons for learning Basque. Euskera is the Basque Country's official language, but it is also the original local language. On 2021 statistics, 47% of the population of Donostia speak good Basque, and a further 21% understand it. Euskera is certainly a minoritised language, and that is why we want to invite all our visitors to discover this great little language. Did you know that, even though it does not have many speakers, it is Europe's oldest language? And not only that: it is number 33 in the Wikipedia rankings in terms of numbers of articles on the subject. Also, on the 2022 language barometer our "little" language is ranked 38th worldwide.
There are a host of reasons for learning Basque; many people in the Basque Country did not have the chance to learn it when they were children, and decided to learn it when they formed a family, so that they could speak it to their daughters and sons. Some people also learn Basque to boost their opportunities for employment.
All reasons are valid for heading towards Euskera!
And, in addition to those arriving from Europe, some people learn Basque far away from here.
Josu Bieter was born and bred in Boise in the United States, but he has a strong connection to Euskera and Basque culture, because his family has Basque origins. His mother is from Gipuzkoa, and she went to Reno to teach Basque. His father did not speak Euskera, but he came to the Basque Country for a year and learned it here. Josu spoke Euskera at home in Boise and his partner is also a Basque speaker who came to Boise from Azpeitia. Now they have both come to live in Gipuzkoa, and Josu's language situation is quite special: he speaks very good Basque and English, but does not know much Spanish.
Do you want to learn Basque too?
San Sebastián Turismo has created a few dictionaries to share our language with anyone visiting Donostia. For example, a dictionary of Basque speakers' favourite words, our mini Basque dictionary and, to learn how to pronounce all these words, the fun audio guides to speaking Basque.
