Bilingualism and

multilingualism in Basque
education
Jasone Cenoz

Outline
1. Basque, Spanish and English in the
Basque Country
2. Learning Basque and learning through
Basque
3. English as an additional language
4. "Continua of multilingual education
5. Challenges and future perspectives

1.
Basque, Spanish and English
in the Basque Country

THE BASQUE COUNTRY

Iparralde
Comunidad Autnoma del
Pas Vasco
Navarra

Size

Basque C.
BAC

20.664 km2
7.234 km2

Population
Basque C.
BAC

3.000.000
2.155.546

Euskara

Gwynek liburua eman dit

Gwyn me ha dado el libro
Gwyn has given me the book

Sociolinguistic surveys
-1991, 1996, 2001, 2006
-To confirm census data and to get
additional information

Methodology
Sample: 7200 telephone interviews (16 or
older)
1. Language proficiency
2. Transmission of the language
3. Use of Basque
4. Attitudes

Proficiency in Basque

Proficiency in Basque

Use of Basque

Use of Basque on the street

Data based on direct observation of the
language used

Use of Basque and Spanish at a given

time in a specific location

Methodology
Year

1993

1997

Sample

275,335

254,914 241,708 185,316

Towns

112

160

173

62

+5,000
+ otros

+5,000
+otros

+5,000
+otros

+1000

Variables

age
group size
gender
children

2001

2006

Street measurement
1989

1993

1997

2001

2006

3.9
8.1

3.9
9.1

3.8
9.7

3.3
11.0

4.7
10.4

Gipuzkoa 23.3

25.5

29.2

29.9

32.7

Nafarroa 6.5
Garaia
Iparraldea

6.7

6.8

6.7

6.6

6.5

6.3

5.8

4.6

Euskal
Herria

12.0

13.0

13.5

14.2

Araba
Bizkaia

10.8

Linguistic landscape

Languages on signs
Bas &
E
2%

B,S & E
10%

Sp & E
6%

S pan.
36%

Bas&S
p
22%
Other
Eng lish
8%
4%

Basque
12%

2.
Learning Basque and learning
through Basque

Models of bilingual education

Model A: Spanish
Model B: Basque and Spanish
Model D: Basque

Models in primary education

6-12
58,9
60
50
30,5

40

A Spanish
BB&S
D Basque

30
20
10
0

9,8

Models in secondary education

12-16
60

51,5

50
40
26,2
30
20
10
0

21,5

A Spanish
BB&S
Basque

Development of the models

400.000
350.000
300.000

250.000

200.000
A
150.000
X

100.000
50.000

06 07

04 05

02 03

00-01

98-99

96-97

94-95

92-93

90-91

88-89

86-87

84-85

82-83

The University of the Basque

Country
Basque and Spanish official languages
Students have the right to use any of the
two languages

Official documents in both languages

Credits taught through the

medium of Basque
76
68

37
20

Humanities

Technical

Health

Science

Evaluation of bilingual
education
Basque: D>B >A
Spanish: No significant differences
English: D>B >A
Other subjects: No significant differences

PISA evaluation
510
500
490

500

501
498

495

492
488

487
480

480
470
461

460
450
440
Science

Math

Reading

OECD
BAC
Spain

3.
English as an additional
language

English at school
1991: Some schools L3 from age 4
(kindergarten)

Most schools English as L3 from the age of 4

Some schools English as an additional language
of instruction in secondary education

English at the university

Possibility of using additional languages of
instruction

Different roles for Basque, Spanish and other

languages

88 courses through the medium of English

Research on multilingualism in
education
The effect of bilingualism on L3
acquisition

The effect of the early introduction of

English

Cross-linguistic influence

English as L3
80
68,6 70,6

70
60
50
40
29,4

30
20

31,1

33,5

24,6
12,6

13,6

15,4 15,8

10
0
Listening Reading Speaking Writing Grammar

A model
D model

The effect of the early

introduction of English
1996: Longitudinal/cross-sectional study
Achievement in English, cross-linguistic
influence, attitudes towards the three
languages

Achievement: Sample
AGE OF AGE OF YEARS HOURS
ONSET TESTING
PRIMARY E

11.09

700

PRIMARY L

11.04

650

SECONDARY E

15.41

800

SECONDARY L

11

15.17

690

English proficiency at the end

of primary

60

54
48

50
40
30

28

30

Primary E
17

20

20
12

10
0

Primary L

18

4
Listening

Speaking

Writing

Reading

Cloze

English proficiency at the end

of secondary

80

73 74

60
40

31 32

Secondary E
Secondary L

30 30
21

21

20
0

19 20

21 21

13 12

Listening Speaking Writing

Reading

Cloze

Oxford 1 Oxford 2

Summary of results
Primary: Learners who started at 4
obtained lower scores than learners who
started at 8

Secondary: No significant differences

between starting at 8 and at 11

Early starters do not achieve better

results

Cross-linguistic influence
Transfer lapses are non-intentional switches
which are not preceded by a pause or
false start and can be regarded as
automatic
Interactional strategies are intentional
switches into languages other than the
target language and their presence will
depend on language mode

Transfer lapses and supplier

language
72,6

80

67,9

70
60
50
40

4th Primary
6th Primary

26,8

30
14,8

20
2,5

10
0
Basque

Spanish

B/S

5,3

Interactional strategies and

supplier languages
90

80,5

83,9

80
70
60
50

4th Primary
6th Primary

40
30
14,2

20
5,2

10

5,5

0
Basque

Spanish

B/S

10,5

Implications
Need to develop curricula to benefit from
language interaction

Define the specific aims for English taking into

account the limited number of hours of
instruction

Develop other programs using English as an

additional language of instruction.

4.
The Continua of Multilingual
Education

L ING U IS T IC D IS TANC E
<------------------->

S C HOOL

MA C R O
<------------->
S P E AK E R S
S T AT US
ME D IA
L A ND S C AP E

S UB J E C T
<---------------->
L A NG UAG E
OF
INS T R UC T IO N
<---------------->
T E AC H E R
<---------------->
S C HOOL
C O NT E X T
<---------------->

S OC IOL IN G U IS T IC
C ON TE X T
C ontinua of Multiling ual E ducation

MIC R O
< -------------->
P AR E NT S
S IB L ING S
PEERS
NE IG H B O UR S

Definition of multilingual
education
Multilingual education refers to schools
that teach more than two languages and
aim at multilingualism and multiliteracy

Typologies of multilingual
education
More diversity: languages involved,
program designs and sociolinguistic
variables.
Ytsma (2001) already has 46 types just
by looking at three variables

LINGUISTIC DISTANCE
<------------------->

SCHOOL

MACRO
<------------->
SPEAKERS
STATUS
MEDIA
LANDSCAPE

SUBJECT
<---------------->
LANGUAGE OF
INSTRUCTION
<---------------->
TEACHER
<---------------->
SCHOOL
CONTEXT
<---------------->

SOCIOLINGUISTIC
CONTEXT
Continua of Multilingual Education

MICRO
<-------------->
PARENTS
SIBLINGS
PEERS
NEIGHBOURS

Continua of multilingual
education:
Sociolinguistic
MICRO
Less multilingual

More multilingual

Parents
Siblings
Peers
Neighbours

Continua of multilingual
education:
Sociolinguistic
MACRO
Less multilingual
More multilingual
Speakers
Status
Media
Landscape

Continua of multilingual
education:
Educational
SUBJECT
Less multilingual
More multilingual
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION
Less multilingual
More multilingual

Continua of multilingual
education
Educational
TEACHER
Less multilingual
More multilingual
SCHOOL CONTEXT
Less multilingual
More multilingual

Continua of multilingual
education:
Linguistic distance

Less distant

More distant

LINGUISTIC DISTANCE
<------------------->

SCHOOL

MACRO
<------------->
SPEAKERS
STATUS
MEDIA
LANDSCAPE

SUBJECT
<---------------->
LANGUAGE OF
INSTRUCTION
<---------------->
TEACHER
<---------------->
SCHOOL
CONTEXT
<---------------->

SOCIOLINGUISTIC
CONTEXT
Continua of Multilingual Education

MICRO
<-------------->
PARENTS
SIBLINGS
PEERS
NEIGHBOURS

Continua of multilingual
education
The complexity and dynamics of
education by looking at the interaction
of linguistic, sociolinguistic and
educational variables
Tool to describe and compare different
types of multilingual education

5.
Challenges and future
perspectives

Main challenges in the past

-Legal recognition and funding
Teachers proficiency
Teaching materials
Standard Basque (Euskara batua)

New challenges
The use of Basque
The need to improve proficiency in
English
Inmigrant students (6.3%)

Future research

Holistic view of multilingualism:

multicompetence in real practice:
language allocation, mixing, switching

Added value of multilingualism

Multilingual competence
This type of competence is more than
the sum of the parts, and constitutes a
qualitatively different whole
(Canagarajah,2007)

Added value of multilingualism

There are communication, cultural,

cognitive, character, curriculum, cash and
career advantages associated with
bilingualism. (Baker, 2000:12)

Diolch yn fawr!
Eskerrik asko!
Thank you!
Gracias!