The Filipino languages in Catalonia and their transmission

Abstract

The community of people of Filipino origin in Catalonia is of considerable dimensions and underwent large growth in the first decade of the 21st century. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire on linguistic competence and the use of Filipino languages in the family environment. The sample consists of 177 informants of this community, both of the migrant generation and of the first native generation, of several different ages and with different years of residence in Catalonia, living in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. The declared linguistic data are described and analyzed and it is found that even between the migrant generation and the first native generation there are indications of interruption of intergenerational linguistic transmission as well as of disruption between the initial language and the habitual language within the same generation.

Keywords: intergenerational linguistic transmission, Filipino immigration, language and immigration, languages in Catalonia.