Strani

petek, 14. oktober 2011

Mass Media in the Basque language

Among different types of mass media available in Basque language print has the largest amount audience. The newspapers with social initiation reach the highest amount of readers, but there are also specialist magazines in Euskara, which cover very different areas: from academic to entertainment - to approach to different specters of readers. In the case of television, programs in Basque, in comparison with those in Spanish, have larger audience while broadcasting genres with social characters, miscellaneous, cultural contents and sports - where audience can identify with the language. It is similar with radio. The media in Basque, in comparison with Spanish, in the Basque country, is never higher than 20%, but the number and the offer has been growing lately. So broadcasts in Spanish are still clearly favored and more numerous.
If we compare the case of Basque language with Catalane, which were both damaged during the Civil War – Basque was even banned, and in Catalan - a lot of books were burned and destroyed by the troops to prevent its usage. Nowadays their situation comparing to Spanish is quite similar – considering the percentages of released magazines, websites in those language and also the existence of the radios – locals and the ones broadcasting to the certain language-speaking area. Although, the number of media consumers in Catalane is much higher, we have to take into account that there is at least ten times more people literate in Catalan than in Basque. But the media in both languages is spreading its brunches – in press, TV, radio and also internet.

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