A focus group study of linguistic ideologies: the case of the University of the Balearic Islands’ Social Sciences students from Palma

Abstract

This paper presents a research study conducted at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) one year after the regional elections of 2011. The implementation of the first regressive measures with respect to the linguistic normalisation of Catalan in Majorca redefined the language conflict. In this scenario, language ideologies may be decisive to future public and private linguistic uses. On the basis of four focus groups, an analysis has been made of the linguistic ideologies of Social Sciences students from the city of Palma. The groups were designed to allow analysis of two factors that may be of key importance in the university students’ linguistic ideologies: their family language and their choice of university studies.

Keywords: linguistic ideology, linguistic normalisation, coexistence of languages, Catalan language, first language, Majorca.