Language trajectories of Japanese parents of transnational multilingual families in Catalonia

Abstract

This article presents some preliminary results of an ongoing project on the transmission of Japanese in Japanese-heritage transnational multilingual families in Catalonia. The study explores the language trajectories of the participants and attempts to identify the ideologies underlying their language learning and practice based on data obtained through the completion of a questionnaire and the conduction of semi-structured interviews with Japanese parents. The data analysis confirmed that the participants’ language acquisition and use with their spouse was based on a dichotomous view of Spanish as a relevant language for everyone and Catalan as a secondary language. However, participants held ambivalent views regarding Catalan that depended on factors such as each parent’s lived experience, the spouse’s attitude towards Catalan and their children’s schooling.

Keywords: language transmission, linguistic trajectories, multilingual families, family language policy, Japanese.