In Barcelona, Basque language expert Imanol Larrea will speak at the Forum on Linguistic Diversity from 17 to 20 June about why school recovery has not become everyday use.
The practical point for Barcelona readers is clear, language policy only works if people can use a language in shops, workplaces and public services. If you want the forum context, the event is listed by the organisers, and the discussion is relevant for Catalan speakers, schools and neighbourhood groups across the city.
What Larrea Says
According to Ara, Larrea, director of Soziolinguistika Klusterra, says recent surveys show three out of four people aged 16 to 24 now know Basque, compared with one in four thirty years ago. He links that progress to the education system, especially Model D, where Basque is the main teaching language in the Basque Autonomous Community and the Northern Basque Country.
Larrea also says daily use remains much lower, at about 13% in recent years, and that many speakers still do not feel confident using Basque in every setting. He argues that Spanish still tends to be the default in ordinary exchanges, according to Ara’s report of his remarks.
Why Barcelona Readers Should Care
For Barcelona, the relevance is direct. Larrea says Catalonia faces similar questions about how to keep a language alive in public life, not just in classrooms, and he points to migration as a growing challenge. That matters for residents, schools, shops and public services, including the Ajuntament and other local bodies that shape daily language use.
He also says social movements still matter, because language policy cannot be left to government alone. For readers following civic and language issues in the city, the forum offers a chance to compare Basque and Catalan policy debates. See our Community page for more Barcelona coverage.
According to Ara, Larrea described Basque recovery as “a miracle”, but said it is still not enough to secure the language’s future. The forum runs from 17 to 20 June in Barcelona, and readers who want updates should check the organisers’ programme before attending.
