Cecilio Lapresta

A Study on Language Attitudes Towards Regional and Foreign Languages by School Children in Aragon, Spain

Abstract The study of language attitudes has proved vital in order to guarantee the success of any proposal for language teaching in schools. Nevertheless, in Aragon, a region of Northern Spain close to the Pyrenees, three regional languages coexist. The number of studies on this phenomenon is scarce, and we can only associate this lack of research with the absence of enthusiasm with which language attitudes have traditionally been treated. In this context, based on a sample of students in one of the four years of compulsory secondary education, the study has two objectives. First, attitudes towards the three languages present in the area are explicated (i.e. Aragonese, Spanish and Catalan), and are also approached in relation to the two other foreign languages that are more present in the curriculum (French and English). Secondly, the influence of some of the main factors causing these attitudes is analysed. A great diversity in the different linguistic areas of Aragon can be observed in our data, and this should make us reflect upon future alternatives for schools located in areas traditionally considered as Aragonese, Spanish or Catalan speaking.

Can language attitudes be improved? A longitudinal study of immigrant students in Catalonia (Spain)

This study explores changes in attitudes towards Catalan, Spanish, and English over a 2-year period, on the part of secondary education students of immigrant origin residing in Catalonia. It aims to provide new data by adopting a longitudinal design and by focusing on the immigrant population, which has raised new challenges for the Catalan society and education system. Data were collected from 72 secondary education students who answered a language attitudes questionnaire twice, at a 2-year interval. The instrument chosen has been successfully used in the area previously [Huguet, Janés, and Chireac. 2008. “Mother Tongue as a Determining Variable in Language Attitudes. The Case of Immigrant Latin American Students in Spain.” Language and Intercultural Communication 8 (4): 246–260; Madariaga, Huguet, and Lapresta. 2013. “Attitudes, Social Pressure and Inclusive Education in Classrooms with Cultural and Linguistic Diversity.” Educación XXI 16 (1): 305–328]. The findings showed that attitudes towards Catalan improved, while attitudes towards Spanish and English remained stable, based on which we discuss the strength of language attitudes in this particular context. Furthermore, the socio-demographic and affective variables traditionally investigated as determinants of language attitudes were not found to influence the processes of attitude change.

Identidad colectiva, ciudadanía e inmigración. Consecuencias para la lengua y la Escuela

Resumen El proceso de construcción de la identidad colectiva supone la definición de un “nosotros” el cual determina en gran medida las percepciones de los que consideramos como los “otros”. En el caso del Estado español, la llegada de inmigrantes en los últimos años ha supuesto que, de hecho, se desarrollen discursos y representaciones sociales de la inmigración que están lejos de facilitar su integración. Unas representaciones ancladas en un concepto de ciudadanía anacrónico y parcial. En este artículo se reflexiona acerca de estas cuestiones, concluyendo en varios aspectos significativos: uno, el uso que se realiza de la propia formulación de la ciudadanía, de los discursos y representaciones sociales de la inmigración como legitimadores de las desigualdades sociales y la exclusión social, dos, la traducción de estos discursos en el ámbito educativo y del aprendizaje de las lenguas y, tres, el necesario reenfoque de los elementos en los que anclar el proceso de construcción de la identidad colectiva y sus implicaciones educativas.

Identidad etnolingüística en contextos multiculturales y multilingües: El caso del Valle de Arán

Resumen Las situaciones de contacto entre lenguas y culturas diferenciadas son una realidad cada vez más frecuente en las sociedades occidentales. Estos contextos multiculturales suponen la coexistencia y la convivencia de diferentes colectivos etnolingüísticos. La comarca del Valle de Arán se encuentra situada en el extremo nor-occidental de la provincia de Lleida, en plenos Pirineos. En las últimas décadas, esta comarca está experimentando un profundo proceso de transformación sociodemográfica y cultural. La situación viene determinada por varios aspectos: a) un fuerte incremento de población, proveniente principalmente de la inmigración; b) la coexistencia en el territorio de tres lenguas oficiales; el occitano-aranés, como lengua propia de la comarca, el catalán y el castellano; y c) como consecuencia de los dos primeros aspectos, una situación de contacto entre lenguas y culturas diferenciadas. Bajo el marco de la Teoría de la Identidad Etnolingüística (Giles y Jonhson, 1987; Sachdev y Bourhis, 1990), proponemos realizar un análisis de la población de la comarca del Valle de Arán, así como examinar la influencia de dos de las dimensiones que conforman la Identidad Etnolingüística, la dimensión cultural y la dimensión lingüística.

Redefining cultural identity through language in young Romanian migrants in Spain

ABSTRACT This article presents an analysis based on theories of interactionism of the Self on how young Romanian immigrants in Catalonia (Spain) redefine their cultural identity in the host country. The article also discusses how interactions with their significant others and access to different symbolic worlds through different languages condition this redefinition. The results have been obtained through the completion and analysis of 22 in-depth semi-structured interviews. The main results show there is a tendency to construct a fluctuating identity regulated by the interactions that the youngsters maintain with their significant others. In their self-identification, the valuation appears about what it means to be included in or form a part of the host society, which can in time make their cultural identity of origin invisible. It is observed how the length of stay factor leads to a progressive loss of their culture of origin, made evident when they begin to stop making use of Romanian in a family context. Finally, the role played by progressive access to diverse symbolic worlds in a plurilingual context in the said redefinition is explored.