The intergenerational transmission of Catalan and the sociodemographic characteristics of parents

Abstract

This article analyses differences in the intergenerational use of the Catalan language as reported by college students from Barcelona, Valencia and Palma. Their replies to a sociolinguistic questionnaire show large territorial differences which correlate to different demolinguistic vitalities. There are some positive similarities, however, such as a certain attractive power of Catalan, even in places where it seems to be threatened by the Spanish language in the light of the drop in language transmission. The correlation between social characteristics(geolinguistic origin, educational level, socioeconomic status) and language transmission is an indicator of the value of language as social capital.

Keywords: intergenerational transmission, revernacularisation, language attractiveness, Catalan language, youth.