Basque and Spanish in 19th century San Sebastián

Abstract

The present paper shows the first results of an ongoing project devoted to explore the castilianization of the city of San Sebastián in Spain. We will oer a series of data and testimonies that show the quantitative importance of both competing languages in San Sebastián during the first three quarters of the 19th century. Drawing from that information, we will also intend to imagine what the linguistic situation of the city was according to some sociolinguistic variables as linguistic situation, social class, literacy or gender. The provisional conclusions thus collected should help us to detect the groups that determined and featured the shift towards Spanish in the last years of the century. By so doing we hope to contribute to a better understanding of a process that needs to be compared with similar language replacements in the 19th century cities of Spain and Western Europe