Does school create new speakers of Catalan? The Catalan and Valencian cases compared

Avel·lí Flors-Mas UOC – CUSC-UB | aflors@uoc.edu

the Catalan language area

Source: Wikipedia

Language-in-education policies in Catalonia and Valencia

Methods Data

analysis Discussion

Linguistic goals

Balanced (high) proficiency in Catalan and Castilian

Promotion of social usage of Catalan

1.1. Catalonia: the ‘conjunction-in-Catalan model’ (model de conjunció en català)

“Integrationist ideologies” (Vila 2005)

Single system and joint schooling

Avoid segregation on the basis of L1

Catalan as the language of instruction

Linguistic goals

Balanced (high) proficiency in Catalan and Castilian

Weaker promotion of Catalan language and culture

1.2. Valencia: the ‘two-stream’ system (sistema de línies)

Double system of schooling

Catalan-medium Program (Programa d’Ensenyament en Valencià-PEV)

Progressive Incorporation (to Catalan) Program (Programa

d’Incorporació Progressiva-PIP)

Unequal implementation: 29% enrolled on PEV (primary school) (STEPV 2011)

1.3. Language choices in the school transition

Language competence ≠ interpersonal usage of Catalan (Vila 2004)

Majority of Catalan L1 speakers > Catalan intergroup language

Majority of Castilian L1 speakers > Castilian intergroup / Catalan intragroup language (Galindo 2006; Vila & Galindo 2009)

Demolinguistic composition and sociolinguistic trajectories (Bretxa 2014)

School transition, linguistic mudes and new speakers (Pujolar & Gonzàlez 2012; Pujolar & Puigdevall in press)

Which are the likely linguistic trajectories in the primary-secondary school transition? Making of new speakers of Catalan in the school milieu?

2. Methods

Mataró (Catalonia) Castelló de la Plana (Valencia)

10 schools

16 interviews

41 informants

21 Castilian-speakers

6 schools

33 interviews

115 informants

41 Castilian-speakers

2.1. Data collection and sample Group interviews 4th grade of ESO (Compulsory Secondary Education) Selected on the basis of their L1:

Catalan-speakers

Castilian-speakers

native bilinguals (Catalan-Castilian)

allophones

2.2. Sociolinguistic background of the cities

Mataró (Catalonia)

124.099 inhabitants (2013)

69,75% can speak Catalan (2007)

Immigration settled in peripheral neighbourhoods: linguistic consequences

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

MTC1 School

MTP1 School

MTP4 School

MTP3 School

MTC5 School

MTC3 School

MTP2 School

MTC4 School

MTC6 School

MTC2 School

Catalan

Catalan and Castilian

Castilian

Other languages and combinations

Graphic: L1 of 4th grade secondary students in the schools of Mataró

2.2. Sociolinguistic background of the cities

Castelló de la Plana (Valencia)

182.204 inhabitants (2013)

57% can speak Catalan (2001)

Immigration settled in peripheral neighbourhoods + language shift to Castilian (Montoya & Mas 2011)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

CSP4 School

CSP1 School

CSP2 School

CSP3 School

CSC2 School

CSC1 School Catalan

Catalan and Castilian

Castilian

Other languages and combinations

NR

Graphic: L1 of 4th grade secondary students in the schools of Castelló de la Plana

Iker: jo a primària sempre parlava en castellà i ara: sempre parlo en català […] a la meva antiga escola jo: o sigui, pràcticament amb tothom parlava en: castellà, i aquí:: doncs bé,

la gent es sent més còmoda parlant en català: i a mi m’és igual, així que parlo en català

[...] Iker: em segueix agradant més [el castellà]

perquè em sento més còmode però: ara, abans no em sentia còmode parlant

català i ara sí

Iker: at primary school I always spoke Castilian and now I always speak Catalan […] in my former school I … well, I spoke Castilian almost with all the people, and here … well,

people feel more comfortable speaking Catalan and I don’t care, so I speak Catalan

[...] Iker: I still prefer it [Castilian] because I feel

more comfortable but … now, in the past I didn't feel comfortable

when speaking Catalan and now I do

3.1. Language choices in the school transition in Mataró

General trends in discourses in Mataró

Claims of competence in Catalan (Flors & Vila in press)

Availability to speak Catalan (if addressed in this language)

Uses of Catalan in other socialization spheres (e.g. leisure)

3.2. Language choices in the school transition in Castelló de la Plana

Inés: antes el valenciano me gustaba mucho más pero como: ya no se habla: o sea, se habla ya: como en el colegio era todo en valenciano pues: te interesabas más por él pero ahora ya no tanto, o sea me gusta pero:

Ent: o sigue com més te’l trobes diguem que te:: no? Enrique: como que te sentías más: valenciano en el colegio Ent: mhm vale, i en quin moment diríeu que va començar a:: a

sentir-vos menos o a: parlar menos Rocío: no sé cuando te vas haciendo mayor aprendes más: sobre

otros idiomas: y vas dejando de hablar el valenciano: y piensas que es más importante también el inglés o el francés

Héctor: cuando empiezas a salir con los amigos por ahí ... ya: vas hablando más castellano y ya

Enrique: en el instituto, en el instituto se pierde:: yo al menos considero que se pierde un montón de nivel de valenciano, como en: en: valenciano hablábamos todos los días en el colegio ... pues: a lo mejor yo ahora me pongo a hablar valenciano y lo hablaba mejor hace: tres o cuatro años

Ent: mhm sí, tots penseu això?, que heu perdut? Rocío: sí: porque a parte era sólo un profesor para todos: y ahora

vas cambiando cada cincuenta minutos y no es lo mismo Ent: ja ja ja mhm ... vale, o sigue que diguem que el valencià com

menos:: bueno, te mous en atres llocs no? que no se parle el valencià i entonces [...] perds nivell [...] i t’interesse menos també [...]

Enrique: como no es:: ... relevante Rocío: no es fundamental no? Enrique: claro Tots: @

Inés: in the past I liked more Valencian but since now it’s not spoken, you know… in primary school it was all in Valencian, then… you were more interested in it but now not to the same extent, you know, I like it but…

Int: that is, the more you find it the more we can say that you… isn’t it?

Enrique: it’s like you felt more Valencian in the primary school Int: OK, so… in which moment would you say you started to feel

less, or to speak less Rocío: I don’t know, when you grow up you learn more about other

languages and little by little you stop speaking Valencian and you think that English or French are more important

Héctor: when you start hanging out with friends … then you start speaking more Castilian and

Enrique: in the secondary-school, in the secondary-school you lose, at least I consider you lose a lot of proficiency in Valencian… as in the primary school we spoke Valencian every day, so now perhaps I start speaking Valencian and I did it better three or four years ago

Int: OK, yes, do you all think the same?, that you’ve lost? Rocío: yes, because besides this there was only one teacher for all,

and now you are changing every fifty minutes and it’s not the same

Int: OK OK OK, right, so let’s say that Valencian, when you less… well, you move around other places, aren’t you?, where Valencian is not spoken and then you lose level and you’re less interested in it too

Enrique: it’s like it’s not… relevant Roció: it’s not fundamental, is it? Enrique: sure They all: @

3.2. Language choices in the school transition in Castelló de la Plana

Enrique: […] in the secondary-school you lose […] a lot of proficiency in Valencian … as in the primary school we spoke Valencian every day, so now perhaps I start speaking Valencian and I did it better three or four years ago

Int: OK, so … in which moment would you say you started to feel less, or to speak less Rocío: I don’t know, when you grow up you learn more about other languages and little by little you stop speaking Valencian and you think that English or French are more important Héctor: when you start hanging out with friends … then you start speaking more Castilian and

General trends in discourses in Castelló de la Plana

Lack of confidence in Catalan & decreasing competence Weaker position of Catalan as

language of instruction

Non-availability to speak Catalan (if addressed in this language)

Absence of Catalan in other socialization spheres

Motivations toward Catalan as a linguistic capital (?)

” Inés: […] in primary school it was all in Valencian, then … you were more interested in it but now not to the same extent

”

4. Discussion Mataró

Different sociolinguistic trajectories (Bretxa 2014)

Adoption of Catalan in the access to new social fields (?)

(Bretxa & Parera 2012, Pujolar & Gonzàlez 2012, Pujolar & Puigdevall in press)

Castelló de la Plana

Maintenance of monolingual practices in Castilian

Increasingly minoritised language (AVL 2005, SIES 2010)

Contraplanificació lingüística (‘language counterplanning’) (Pradilla 2002)

The role of school in the making of new speakers

Crucial sphere of the (linguistic) socialization of teenagers

Main agent in the provision of language skills

Conjunction-in-Catalan model

Catalan-medium program (PEV) VS Castilian-medium program (PIP)

Moltes gràcies! Thank you!

aflors@uoc.edu

References

ACADÈMIA VALENCIANA DE LA LLENGUA (2005): Llibre blanc de l’ús del valencià. Enquesta sobre la situació social del valencià 2004. València: Publicacions de l’AVL. Accessible at http://www.avl.gva.es/data/colleccions/Col-lecci---Recerca-/Llibre-blanc-de-l--s-del-valenci----I--br-Enquesta-sobre-la-situaci--social-del-valenci---2004/contentDocument/Recerca_02.pdf

BRETXA, Vanessa (2014): El salt a secundària. Els canvis en les tries lingüístiques i culturals dels preadolescents mataronins en la transició educativa. PhD Dissertation. Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona. Accessible at http://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/bitstream/2445/55203/1/VBiR_TESI.pdf

BRETXA, Vanessa & M. Àngels PARERA (2012): «“Et dóna la base”. Itineraris biogràfics d’adquisició i ús del català del jovent castellanoparlant de Sabadell i Santa Coloma de Gramenet», in F. Xavier Vila (ed.): Posar-hi la base: usos i aprenentatges lingüístics en el domini català. Barcelona: IEC (47-56). Accessible at http://publicacions.iec.cat/repository/pdf/00000187%5C00000082.pdf

FLORS, Avel·lí & F. Xavier VILA (in press): «Justificant les preferències. Com argumenten les opcions lingüístiques els adolescents catalans», in Treballs de Sociolingüística Catalana 24.

GALINDO, Mireia (2006): Les llengües a l’hora del pati. Usos lingüístics en les converses dels infants de Primària a Catalunya. PhD Dissertation. Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona. Accessible at http://www.tdx.cat/bitstream/handle/10803/1681/MGS_TESI.pdf?sequence=1

MONTOYA, Brauli & Antoni MAS (2011): La transmissió familiar del valencià. València: AVL. PRADILLA, Miquel Àngel (2002): «La política lingüística contemporània al País Valencià», in Treballs de Sociolingüística Catalana 16 (101-119).

Accessible at http://revistes.iec.cat/index.php/TSC/article/view/5675/10773 PUJOLAR, Joan & Isaac GONZÀLEZ (2012): «Linguistic “mudes” and the de-ethnicization of language choice in Catalonia», in International Journal of

Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 16(2. Special Issue: Catalan in the Twenty-first Century) (1-15) PUJOLAR, Joan & Maite PUIGDEVALL (in press): «Linguistic mudes: how to become a new speaker in Catalonia», in International Journal of the

Sociology of Language 231 (167-187) SERVICI D’INVESTIGACIONS I ESTUDIS SOCIOLINGÜÍSTICS (2010): «Coneixement i ús social del valencià. Enquesta 2010: síntesi de resultats». Accessible at

http://www.cece.gva.es/polin/docs/sies_docs/encuesta2010/index.html STEPV (2011): De l’entrebanc a la involució. Informe sobre l’ensenyament en valencià. València: STEPV. Accessible at

http://www.intersindical.org/stepv/polival/informevalencia2011.pdf VILA, F. Xavier (2004): «“Hem guanyat l’escola però hem perdut el pati?”. Els usos lingüístics a les escoles catalanes», in Llengua, Societat i

Comunicació 1 (8-15). Accessible at http://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/bitstream/2445/20513/1/524198.pdf — (2005): «Language, Education and Ideology in an Integrationist Society», in E. Witte et al. (ed.): Language, Attitudes & Education in

Multilingual Cities. Brussels: Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van België voor Wetenschappen en Kunsten (53-86). Accessible at http://130.206.88.7/cruscat/web/files/Vila%202005%20Barcelona%20Language,%20Educationa%20and%20Ideology%20in%20an%20Integrationist%20Society.pdf

VILA, F. Xavier & Mireia GALINDO (2009): «El Sistema de conjunció en català en l’educació primària a Catalunya: impacte sobre els usos», in Treballs de Sociolingüística Catalana 20 (21-69). Accessible at http://publicacions.iec.cat/repository/pdf/00000110%5C00000025.pdf