Beñat Muguruza, winner of the 17th edition of the José Antonio Loidi Scholarship, presented the details of his research on the decline of Basque usage in Irun during the first third of the 20th century at a press conference today. Josu Iguiñiz, the Delegate for Euskera of the Irun City Council, also attended the presentation.
The study, which received a grant of 9,000 euros, indicates that as early as 1900, Irun was one of the municipalities with the least Basque speakers in Gipuzkoa. Its border location, customs, railway, and immigration were key factors in this linguistic substitution process, particularly in the urban center where Spanish gained ground over Basque.
To conduct the research, Muguruza consulted newspaper archives, city census data, and interviewed elderly individuals, creating a coherent chronological narrative of the social and linguistic reality of the era.
Josu Iguiñiz emphasized the importance of the work: "The research focuses on the period between 1900 and 1936 and is essential for understanding our origins." The public presentation will take place on Wednesday, December 2nd, at 6:00 PM, in the CBA library. Admission will be free.
Beñat Muguruza, after studying English Philology and a master's degree in language acquisition, began his doctoral thesis on multilingual education. He has worked as a professor at Mondragon University, a Basque language lecturer at the Sorbonne, and a professor and researcher at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU).
Jose Antonio Loidi Bizkarrondo (Errenteria, 1916 – Irun, 1999) was a pharmacist and researcher, with studies in anthropology, philology, and literature. He wrote the first detective novel in Basque, 'Amabost egun Urgainen', and was a member of Euskaltzaindia.
