Characteristics of L2 Catalan students outside the Catalan-speaking regions

Abstract

In spite of the substantial enrolment of students in Catalan language courses outside the Catalan-speaking regions (6,690 students according to data from the Institut Ramon Llull), second-language (L2) Catalan learners still form an under-researched population and few studies have examined the profile of these learners. This study investigates the common characteristics of L2 Catalan learners enrolled in foreign universities based on a survey of four institutions (Beijing Foreign Studies University, University of California, University of Manchester and Université de Toulouse 2 - Jean Jaurès) in the academic year 2018-2019, which obtained 194 responses. The research analyses the Catalan learners’ profile by means of variables related to sociodemographics, linguistics, education and contact with Catalan-speaking regions. Findings show that there are commonalities among the L2 Catalan students, particularly in terms of age, sex, type of studies and knowledge of L2s.

Keywords: new speakers, Catalan as a foreign language, multilingualism, universities, Catalan outside Catalan-speaking regions, adult education.