Multilingual learning in the Valencian context. An interview-based sociolinguistic approach

Abstract

This research focuses on the qualitative analysis of a series of life stories of different people in relation to language learning, based on semi-structured interviews carried out between February and March 2021. The aim of this research is to determine the effects of education on bilingual subjects (use of languages, prejudices, etc.) and these subjects’ assessment of their multilingual education (methodology, difficulties, etc.). In order to do this, a polyphonic design was applied with a view to ensuring that the people interviewed reflected a wide range of individual experiences on the subject under study, even though the sample (n = 44) does not pretend to be representative of Valencian society as a whole. From the interviewees’ knowledge, experiences, behaviours and beliefs about their languages, a series of good practices, methodologies and strategies for the improvement of Catalan language learning emerged. The results obtained highlight the Catalan language’s difficult sociolinguistic situation as well as the need to ensure a suitable multilingual education. It has been found that the knowledge of the Catalan language based only on what the interviewed young people learned at school is not sufficient and that it would be advisable to work on linguistic attitudes in teaching and on the linguistic assertiveness of minority language speakers.