Some features of the development of Basque L2 in a context of revitalisation through school immersion

Abstract

This investigation aims at identifying some features of the development of Basque L2 in a context of language revitalization through school immersion. The study is based on the analysis of oral story retelling in Basque by the same Spanish L1 students at ages 5 and 8. These students live in a Spanish-speaking environment but attend an immersion school program in Basque. These data are compared with those of another group of Basque L1 students living in a Basque-speaking environment and being schooled in Basque. The analysis of diverse aspects of the stories suggests that schooling in Basque through immersion fosters the development of Basque in a context of language revitalization. The analysis also permits to identify some specific features of Basque L2 different from Basque L1.