Irene Arrarats was inducted as a full member of Euskaltzaindia this Saturday, delivering a discourse titled Hitzak haizean, hitzak erauntsietan. Her speech addressed the influence of media language on language itself, the contribution of daily press and style guides to linguistic normalization, and the importance of collaboration between Euskaltzaindia and media outlets to socialize the Academy's normative production.
The second part of the discourse focused on the ideological manipulation of language and propaganda. Responding to Arrarats's speech, Miriam Urkia, Euskaltzaindia's delegate in Gipuzkoa, focused her remarks on artificial intelligence (IA) and its impact on various languages, including Basque.
The event was led by Andrés Urrutia, president of Euskaltzaindia, and Xabier Lertxundi, the mayor of Hernani. The ceremony commenced with a performance of the song Haize hegoa by musician Joxan Goikoetxea and singer Amaia Azkue.
Following the speech, Arrarats took her oath and received the medal, diploma, and symbol distinguishing full members of Euskaltzaindia from Andrés Urrutia. The ceremony concluded with a performance of the piece Lau haizetara, also by Goikoetxea and Azkue.
Born in Hernani in 1967, Irene Arrarats holds a degree in Geography and History from the University of Deusto. Throughout her professional career, she has been involved in writing and editing in Basque, particularly in the journalistic field. She worked at Euskaldunon Egunkaria from 1991 to 2003, initially as a proofreader and translator, and later as the Basque language manager. Since 2003, she has held the same position at Berria.
Furthermore, she co-authored the latest style guide for Euskaldunon Egunkaria, published in 2001, and currently directs the style guide for Berria. She is also a co-author of the podcast Ezer ez eta festa and has maintained a close relationship with Euskaltzaindia since 2007, participating in several of its commissions.
