The local governments of four towns in the Oarsoalde region (Errenteria, Lezo, Oiartzun and Pasaia) in Gipuzkoa have joined forces to promote the use of Basque in their towns. One initiative is this
one, where inhabitants take a public commitment of some kind to use more Basque.
Here is one such person called Aintzane Toledo Lardi, who has ticked all the boxes. Unsurprisingly she studied Basque Philology and Linguistics and so can be expected to be a highly motivated social agent for promoting her language. The dream of all Basque language initiatives is to create social agents who are aware of their linguistic habits so that they can
consciously change said habits.
The following list of 'I shall, I shall not' reminds me of what Foucault wrote about the act of confession, or technologies of the self that Christianity used to create a new subjectivisation of the self. When one confesses, either publicly or privately, there's the purely verbal meaning of what one is admitting 'I have sinned in such and such ways', but the ritual act
itself of listing actions, thoughts and behaviours to another person has another meaning: a transformative one. Confession is meant as a practice to change the person, so that the admitting of the wrong becomes a motive to promise
not to do these things in the future.
When new adult language learners are talked about in the context of minoritised languages, people who have consciously adopted a language that was not their own, the terminology used is quite undescriptive. They 'acquire' or 'learn' a language, they become 'proficient' speakers etc. I think a more interesting comparison would be
religious conversion, with all the consequences that follow: creation of new social networks (friends, workplace), new places of worship (the new places to speak in said language, the piligrimages to places where the language is spoken) and new behaviours. Also notice the extra commitment to 'bring people closer to Basque'. Have you heard that phrase, 'if you want to change the world, change yourself'? Well once you have changed yourself, you can proselytise the good word...
- Kotxean noanean euskarazko irratiak entzungo ditut
- Kotxean noanean euskarazko abestiak entzungo ditut
- Parrandan euskarazko musika eskatuko dut
- Tabernan euskarazko musika jarriko dut
- Korrikan parte hartuko dut
- Abizenak euskaratuko ditut
- Dendetan euskaraz eskatuko dut
- Lehenengo hitza beti euskaraz egingo dut
- Aurten libururen bat euskaraz irakurriko dut
- Urtean antzerkiren bat euskaraz ikusiko dut
- Nire haurrei euskarazko ipuinak irakurriko dizkiet
- Mugikorrean euskarazko sistema eragilea jarriko dut
- Euskarazko filmak edota euskarazko azpitituluekin ikusiko ditut
- Sare sozialetan euskaraz arituko naiz
- Koadrilakoekin euskaraz egingo dut
- Euskarazko hedabideak kontsumitzen hasiko naiz
- Euskaraz hasitako esaldiak euskaraz amaituko ditut
- Atzo baino gehiago hitz egingo dut euskaraz gaur
- Euskal Herriko jatetxetara noanean, karta euskaraz eskatuko dut
- Ahobizi izango naiz: ulertzen dutenei euskaraz egingo diet beti, eta beraiei gaztelaniaz erantzuteko lasaitasuna transmitituko diet
- Nire haurrarentzat aisialdi edota kirol jardueretan begirale euskaldunak eskatuko ditut
- Finantza eragiketak euskaraz izateko eskatuko diot nire entitate finantzariari
- Nire buzoian gaztelania hutsean publizitatea jasotzen dudanean, nire kexa adieraziko dut udal euskara zerbitzuan
- Udalari, nirekiko komunikazio guztiak, euskaraz izateko eskaria egingo diot
- Nire enpresa, komertzio edota lantokian jendaurreko idatziak euskaraz (ere) jarriko ditut
- Errenta aitorpena euskaraz egingo dut
- Unibertsitate eta lanbide heziketako ikasketak euskaraz egingo ditut
- Euskarazko wikipedia elikatuko dut
Bestelako konpromisorik
Euskalduna naiz eta hala izan nahi dut. Orain arte bezala segiko dut nire bizitza euskaraz egiten. Horrez gain, jendea euskarara hurbiltzen saiatuko naiz. Euskaraz ulertu baina egiten ez dutenekin, gutxienez, elkarrizketa elebidunak edukiko ditut.
I will listen to the radio in Basque when I'm in the car
I will listen to songs in Basque when I'm in the car
When I'm in a party, I'll ask for Basque music to be played
I will put Basque music on in the bar
I will take part in the Korrika initiative
I will write down Basque last names in the Basque orthography (I will Basquify Basque names)
In shops, I will order in Basque
My first word to another person will always be in Basque
This year I will read a book in Basque
I will see a theatre performance this year in Basque
I will read Basque stories to my children
I will set up the operating system of my mobile phone in Basque
I will watch Basque films or with Basque subtitles
On social media, I will use Basque
With my group of friends, I will use Basque
I will start to consume Basque news media
I will finish in Basque sentences that I started in Basque
I will speak more Basque today than I did yesterday
When I go to a restaurant in the Basque Country, I will ask for a menu written in Basque
I will be an 'Ahobizi' in the Euskaraldia initiative. To those who understand Basque, I will always speak in Basque and to those who answer in Spanish, I will act in a calm manner.
I will ask for Basque speaking minders for my children in sports or recreational activities.
I will ask my bank to do my financial transactions in Basque.
When I receive publicity in my letterbox only in Spanish, I will address a complaint to the town's Basque language department.
I will ask the town hall to send all of their communication with me in Basque.
I will write all my public messages in my business, commerce or work place (also) in Basque.
I will do my tax forms in Basque.
I will do my university studies and career training in Basque.
I will feed Basque Wikipedia with content.
Other commitments:
I am a Basque speaker and I want to be as such. I will continue to live my life in Basque as I have done up until now. On top of that, I will try to bring people closer to Basque. With those who understand Basque but don't speak it, at the very least, I will have bilingual conversations with them.