I defended my Ph.D.: what a little -k says about Basque speakers

🗣 I defended my Ph.D. dissertation! 📜📊Languages carry weight, especially in minority contexts. Certain features get tied to "natives," to "educated" speakers, to prestige, or lack of it. In my case, I studied a very small feature in Basque: the ergative case marker. But it turns out, that little -k says a lot.

In Basque-speaking communities, when a speaker omits it, others might assume they're not native, or not educated in Basque, and even switch to Spanish or English. This isn't just about grammar. It's about identity, belonging, and who gets seen as a "legitimate" speaker.

📍 In my dissertation, I:
– Analyzed how this feature varies in two bilingual communities: my own, Getxo 🌊🍷 and Boise 🏔️🐑
– Studied the ideologies behind the judgments speakers make when someone omits it 💭
– Compared what people believe to what actually happens in speech 📊
Spoiler: it's more complex than we think. Non-natives and unschooled speakers can be just as proficient as traditional natives⚠️ What really predicts use is whether speakers self-perceive as native, authentic, or legitimate.

✋️This matters for all minoritized languages.

Understanding these ideologies helps us grasp how people use language, how authenticity is policed, and what shapes the future of bilingual communities.

📢 More soon! I'll be posting short explainers from this work in the coming months.

🙏 Thanks to all the incredible people and organizations who made this fieldwork possible:
🏔️ In Boise: the many Basque families who welcomed me and shared their stories, and to Dr Edurne Arostegui, Basque Museum & Cultural Center, Basque Center, NABO Euskara, Oinkari Basque Dancers, for making it possible.
🌊 In Getxo: the amazing participants and families, and to Bizarra Lepoan, Dr. Maite García-Ruiz, and everyone else who helped spread the word out.

💖 Deepest gratitude to my wonderful thesis director Dr. Ager Gondra, and to my great committee: Dr. Itxaso Rodríguez-Ordóñez, Dr. Andrew Lynch, Dr. Arantzazu Elordieta, and Dr. Scott Grapin. Thank you all for your feedback and generosity.

💬 Has the way someone speaks ever made you question their authenticity, or even your own? I'd love to hear your thoughts.