Opening perspectives from an integrated analysis: language attitudes, place of birth and self-identification

Abstract

There is a theoretical and empirical tradition demonstrating the influence of the place of birth and self-identification in the shaping of language attitudes. But very few works analyse their joint effects. The main aim of this study is to analyse both the disaggregated and joint impact of these variables on the shaping of attitudes towards Catalan and Spanish languages in Catalonia. The sample consists of 309 adolescents (aged 14-16 years) coming from Ecuador, the rest of Latin America and Morocco. Both variables have an influence on attitudes towards Catalan separately, but when analysed jointly in the same explanatory model, selfidentification outweighs place of birth. This is more evident among young people who develop the most and the least favourable attitudes. Furthermore, attitudes towards Spanish are only influenced by the place of birth, and by none of the variables in the case of those with the most and least favourable attitudes. These results open new lines for research and reflection on the process of construction of language attitudes and their role in a successful process of integration. Opening Perspectives from an Integrated Analysis: Language Attitudes, Place of Birth and Self-identification There is a theoretical and empirical tradition demonstrating the influence of the place of birth and selfidentification in the shaping of language attitudes. But very few works analyse their joint effects. The main aim of this study is to analyse both the disaggregated and joint impact of these variables on the shaping of attitudes towards Catalan and Spanish languages in Catalonia. The sample consists of 309 adolescents (aged 14-16 years) coming from Ecuador, the rest of Latin America and Morocco. Both variables have an influence on attitudes towards Catalan separately, but when analysed jointly in the same explanatory model, self-identification outweighs place of birth. This is more evident among young people who develop the most and the least favourable attitudes. Furthermore, attitudes towards Spanish are only influenced by the place of birth, and by none of the variables in the case of those with the most and least favourable attitudes. These results open new lines for research and reflection on the process of construction of language attitudes and their role in a successful process of integration.

Language attitudes towards Spanish and Catalan in autochthonous and immigrant families in Catalonia: analysing the correlation between student attitudes and their parents’

“…This could be explained on the basis of the international prestige of Spanish and its prominence in institutional, educational, and professional settings. We also need to note that 12.2% of the students in our study come from Latin American countries, where Spanish is (in most cases) the mother tongue, and as has been reported place of birth is the variable that most clearly influences the attitudes of immigrants towards Spanish (Lapresta, Huguet, and Janés 2016); moreover, research concurs that Latin American immigrants are the group that show better attitudes towards Spanish and worse perceptions on Catalan in the region (Madariaga, Huguet, and Lapresta 2013).…”

“…Previous studies investigating language attitudes of autochthonous and immigrant students in Catalonia concluded that the former had more favourable attitudes towards Catalan and less positive attitudes towards Spanish than their immigrant counterparts (Madariaga, Huguet, and Lapresta 2013). The language attitudes of immigrants living in Catalonia seem to be mainly modulated by their place of birth, their mother tongue, and their language competence, and recent empirical research has also reported that self-identification is a relevant construct in the development of language attitudes and, when analysed jointly with the place of birth, the former variable outweighs the latter (Lapresta, Huguet, and Janés 2016).…”

Las actitudes lingüísticas de los descendientes de migrantes en Cataluña. Análisis de sus predictores

“…En términos generales, las actitudes lingüísticas hacia el catalán y el español de los jóvenes descendientes de migrantes son mayoritariamente positivas (Huguet, Janés y Chireac, 2008;Madariaga, Huguet y Lapresta, 2013;Lapresta, Huguet y Fernández-Costales, 2017;Lapresta, Huguet y Janés, 2018).…”

Language attitudes of young Romanians in Catalonia (Spain): The role of heritage language maintenance programs

“…Differences were further found between the various immigrant groups. Students coming from Latin America were often identified as the ones with the least favourable attitudes towards Catalan (Huguet, Janés & Chireac 2008;Lapresta et al 2009 This variation in language attitudes is most likely determined by the characteristics of each group, the specific experiences in the host society, their expectations, and social prejudices they might face (Siqués, Vila & Perera 2009;Lapresta, Huguet & Janés 2018;Alarcón, Parella & Yiu 2013;Alarcón & Garzón 2013). In this regard, the Japanese respondents were mainly temporary residents with plans to return to Japan or move to another country (Fukuda, 2016), while many of the other migrant groups had long-term plans to establish themselves in Catalonia (Alarcón, Parella & Yiu 2013).…”