Cover not available
Part of
Catalan Sociolinguistics: State of the art and future challenges
Edited by Miquel Àngel Pradilla Cardona
[IVITRA Research in Linguistics and Literature 32] 2022
► pp. 245–260

Chapter 16
Language and social psychology research in Catalan sociolinguistics

| Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya
| Societat Catalana de Sociolingüística

This chapter reviews research in language and social psychology (LSP) as an academic area and investigates to what extent global trends are followed in Catalan sociolinguistics. The chapter is organized into three main sections. The first section reviews the relation between social psychology and sociolinguistics and provides definitions of the field and lays out the evolution of prominent themes in the study of LSP. The second section provides a chronological account of the main research topics in social psychology in Catalan sociolinguistics and shows that in the 1990–2010 period LSP research regarding Catalan was mostly dominated by studies in linguistic attitudes. In a later period, LSP became much more prominent in Catalan sociolinguistics, with a focus on attitudes, linguistic ideology, and issues connected to demographics (e.g., immigration). The third section concludes that LSP research is at the crossroads of research and practice, what is universal and what is contextual, and that the social impact of research in LSP in the Catalan-speaking territories (e.g., research on language attitudes) has been rather low.

Keywords: Catalan sociolinguistics, language and social psychology, language attitudes
Article outline
  • 1.The relation between social psychology and sociolinguistics
  • 2.Language and social psychology in Catalan sociolinguistics
    • 2.1Language and social psychology (1990s-2010s)
    • 2.2Language and social psychology (2011-present)
  • 3.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 1 December 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ivitra.32.16com
References
Arnau, J., & Vila, F. X.
(2013) Language-in-education policies in the Catalan language area. In J. Arnau (Ed.), Reviving Catalan at school: challenges and instructional approaches (pp. 1–28). Multilingual Matters. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Boix, E., & Vila, F. X.
(1998) Sociolingüística de la llengua catalana. Ariel.Google Scholar
Bretxa, V., Comajoan, L., Ubalde, J., & Vila, F. X.
(2016) Changes in the linguistic confidence of primary and secondary students in Catalonia: A longitudinal study. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 29 , 56–72. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Brown, R.
(1967) Social psychology. Free Press.Google Scholar
Comajoan, L.
(2010) Multilingüisme i recerca a Catalunya. In P. Comellas & C. Lleó (Eds.), Recerca i gestió del multilingüisme. Algunes propostes des d’Europa (pp. 253–268). Waxmann.Google Scholar
Fraser, C., & Scherer, K. R.
(1982) Advances in the social psychology of language. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Giles, H., Hansen, K., Angus, D., & Gallois, C.
(2021) Prologue: history, themes, analysis, and rationale. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 40 , 3–20. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Harwood, J., & Tracy, K.
(2021) Language – AND – social psychology: Epilogue. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 40 , 172–178. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Holtgraves, T.
(2014) Language and social psychology: Introduction and overview. In T. Holtgraves (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of language and social psychology (pp. 1–26). Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Ianos, M. A., Huguet, À., Janés, J., & Lapresta, C.
(2017) Can language attitudes be improved? A longitudinal study of immigrant students in Catalonia (Spain). International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 20 , 331–345. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lambert, W. E.
(1967) A social psychology of bilingualism. Journal of Social Issues, 23 , 91–108. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lambert, W. E., Hodgson, R. C., Gardner, R. C., & Fillenbaum, S.
(1960) Evaluational reactions to spoken language. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 60 , 44–51. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lapresta, C., Huguet, À., & Janés, J.
(2008) Anàlisi discursiu de les actituds lingüístiques de l’alumnat nouvingut a Catalunya. Una aproximació qualitativa. In Secretaria per a la Immigració (Ed.). Recerca i immigració. La recerca sobre la immigració a Catalunya (pp. 133–152). Generalitat de Catalunya.Google Scholar
Mollà, T., Viana, A.
(1989) Curs de sociolingüística. Vol. 2. Bromera.Google Scholar
Mollà, T., & Viana, A.
(1991) Curs de sociolingüística. Vol. 3. Bromera.Google Scholar
Peal, E., & Lambert, W. E.
(1962) The relation of bilingualism to intelligence. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 76(27), 1–23. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Puig Moreno, G.
(2007) Enquestes sociolingüístiques a la Catalunya Nord. Aïnes Noves, 1 , 5–97.Google Scholar
Querol, E.
(1999) Cap a un nou marc teòric per a l’estudi de les variables dels processos de substitució lingüística. Unpublished doctoral disseration. Universitat de Barcelona.
(2000) Els valencians i el valencià. Usos i representacions socials. Denes.Google Scholar
Sorolla, N.
(2009) Casa, escola i pati: usos lingüístics quan s’acaben les classes. Síntesi i anàlisi de l’estudi sociodemogràfic i lingüístic als centres d’educació secundària de Catalunya. Noves SL. [URL]
Strubell, M.
(2011) Psicologia social. Treballs de Sociolingüística Catalana, 21 , 169–181.Google Scholar
Suay, F., & Sanginés Sáiz, G.
(2005) Un espai per als parlants d’una llengua. Llengua i Ús: Revista Tècnica de Política Lingüística, 34 , 27–39.Google Scholar
Taylor, S. E.
(1982) The availability bias in social perception and interaction. In D. Kahneman, P. Slovic, and A. Tversky (Eds.), Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases (pp. 190–200). Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Taylor, D. M. & Giles, H.
(1979) At the crossroads of research into language and ethnic relations. In H. Giles & B. Saint-Jacques (Eds.), Language and ethnic relations (pp. 231–241). Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Viladot, M. A.
(2008) Lengua y comunicación intergrupal. Editorial UOC.Google Scholar
Vila, F. X.
(2004) Aportacions de les altres ciències socials a la sociolingüística catalana. Caplletra, 37 , 89–152.Google Scholar
Vila, F. X., & Galindo, M.
(2012) Sobre la història i l’extensió de la norma de convergència lingüística a Catalunya. In F. X. Vila (Ed.), Posar-hi la base: usos i aprenentatges lingüístics en el domini català (pp. 31–45). Institut d’Estudis Catalans.Google Scholar
Woolard, K. A.
(1989) Double talk: Bilingualism and the politics of ethnicity in Catalonia. Stanford University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(1992) Identitat i contacte de llengües a Barcelona. La Magrana.Google Scholar
Woolard, K. A., & Gahnh, T. J.
(1990) Canvis en les avaluacions i les actituds lingüístiques a Barcelona (1980–1987). Treballs de Sociolingüística Catalana, 8 , 79–88. [URL]