Linguistic uses and representations of German-Catalan families: a case study

Abstract

The familiar and social uses of a language are decisive indicators of that language’s degree of viability. They are also a mechanism of linguistic change and, consequently, a key factor in the continued existence of a community. Language transmission takes place first of all from parents to their children and this is accordingly the individuals’ first contact with a language, specifically with the one that will be their first language. If the intergenerational chain of transmission continues over time, the survival of the linguistic community is assured. If the transmission mechanism is broken, however, the community will gradually grow weaker until it finally dissolves into one or more other communities. With this premise as its basis, this paper studies the linguistic uses and representations found in 18 ethnolinguistically mixed families formed by one member of German origin and another born in Catalonia, with children between the ages of 3 and 15 years. Firstly, a study is made of the familiar and social language behaviours reported by the individuals who formed part of the sample and the language choices made with respect to intergenerational language transmission. Secondly, consideration is given to the intergenerational language transmission strategies used by the informants, and the language acquisition and evolution of their children, as well as the uses reported by the children and the significance that the chosen line of studies at school may have on the children’s linguistic behaviour. The information about linguistic identities and ideologies is also significant in a study of this type and for this reason, in the third place it is determined whether there exists a feeling of identification on the part of the participating parents and their families. Lastly, consideration is given to the informants’ perception of the Catalan language’s present social situation and to their assessment of the degree of acquaintance with this situation in their countries. This study is consequently set within the fields of sociology of language, sociology of education and psychology of language.

Keywords: language transmission, multilingualism, linguistic uses, linguistic representations, linguistic ideologies.