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Article published In:
Language Problems and Language Planning
Vol. 45:1 (2021) ► pp.31–55

The recent evolution of first languages in Catalonia

Between minoritization and language maintenance

ORCID logo | Universitat de Barcelona
ORCID logo | Universitat Rovira i Virgili
| Universitat Rovira i Virgili
ORCID logo | Universitat de Barcelona

The case of Catalonia has often been pointed out as a case of success in the field of language policy, based on the improvement in its legal situation, the increase in the number of people who know it, and the extension of its use in certain fields. To contribute to a complete evaluation of the current language policy model in Catalonia, this article assesses the evolution of the first languages of the population over the last fifteen years. The study shows that during this period, despite some oscillations, Catalan has remained in stable numbers of L1 speakers in absolute terms, thanks essentially to very strong patterns of intergenerational transmission in both linguistically homogeneous and mixed couples. However, significant immigration during this period has substantially increased the weight of other languages and, to a lesser degree, Castilian, so that in relative terms Catalan has been reduced as a first language between 2003 and 2018.

Keywords: demography, demolinguistics, language policy, language maintenance, linguistic minoritization, first language, Catalan language, Catalonia
Article outline
  • Introduction: The crisis of the native speaker concept and its role in demolinguistics
  • Catalan: A language between minoritization and normalization
    • A language with a complex diagnosis and a difficult prognosis
    • Language policies
    • Demographic and demolinguistic dynamics
    • The challenge of attraction
    • The 2018 results and the new controversies
  • Goals
  • Methods
  • Results
    • The global evolution of first languages from 2003 to 2018
    • Global evolution by age group
    • The impact of immigration vs. endogenous demolinguistic trends
    • Language reproduction within the family and transfers among groups
    • The dynamics of language transfers: An age-graded perspective
  • Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 15 July 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/lplp.20028.flo
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