Tratamenduen bilakaera, to eta no

Abstract

The author describes from his own personal experience the types of known treatment, situates the current state of the matter and analyzes the evolution of the use of the allocutive form. In so doing, he envisages its disappearance in the not too distant future.

By overcoming the dialectical field, he emphasizes the fact that in order for standard Euskara –Euskara “batua”– to preserve the different forms of treatment, unification of the paradigm of the allocutive verb regulated by Euskatzaindia (the Basque Language Academy) is not enough. A unified model of the different roles of speakers and their social relationships is required.

He concludes by suggesting that, although a change in direction may prove very difficult, it might be possible to achieve this if social preferences, institutions and majority agreement on the part of speakers should happen to converge.