Ideological background of the intergenerational break in the Catalan language in Borriana

Abstract

This paper focuses on the intergeneracional break in the Catalan language in Borriana, a town in the Valencian Country. The twofold purpose of this study is to determine the arguments of people from Borriana who, despite being Catalan speakers, talk to their children in Spanish, and to trace the chronology of this process. In order to achieve these aims, in 2007 and 2008 we interviewed 29 people who had ceased to use their own language, Catalan, in the family setting. Specifically, it was found that the interviewees mask their arguments, adducing practical or evasive reasons, or deny the change of language in the family sphere. Two key points in time have been identified in the chronology of this process: the period when the upper class chose Spanish for the education of their children – the 1940s, 50s and 60s; and the period when the middle and lower classes adopted Spanish – the 1960s.

Keywords: intergenerational break, arguments, chronology, linguistic ideology.