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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

LDS missionary, Basque Country, language, Mormon studies

College

Religious Education

Department

Church History and Doctrine

Abstract

Basque Country is a relatively small region composed of three (arguably four) provinces in North Central Spain and two in Southern France. Statistics state that there are two million people in Spanish and French Basque provinces that claim Basque as their first language. 70-80 percent of those people also speak Spanish or French, although at varying levels of fluency. That leaves about 400,000 people who speak only Basque. These people can only be taught discussions in Basque, and can only read church literature in Basque. On top of those 400,000, there are many more (around one and a half million people) that speak Basque better than Spanish. They could also benefit from Basque-speaking missionaries and from Basque church literature. In the larger cities of Basque Country in Spain, Spanish is the predominate language. However, once outside of the city, Basque is more commonly spoken. The LDS church has branches established in each capital city of the three provinces of Basque Country where all meetings are held in Spanish. There are Basque members that attend church meetings in these cities, but they all speak Spanish as well as or better than they speak Basque.

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