Language attitudes among Muslim women in Barcelona

Date of Award

1-1-2019

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures

Program

Spanish

Content Description

1 online resource (ix, 162 pages) : color illustrations.

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Megan Solon

Committee Members

Dora Ramirez, Elizabeth Lansing

Keywords

immigrant languages, language and gender, language attitudes, language maintenance, reported language use, Muslim women, Catalan language, Spanish language

Subject Categories

Linguistics

Abstract

Given the multilingual setting of Catalonia, Spain - a region that is not only home to a diverse immigrant population, but also one that officially recognizes and heavily promotes the use of Catalan - foreign immigrant populations are presented with the unique challenge of acculturating to two cultures and acquiring both Spanish and Catalan while simultaneously being faced with maintaining or losing their heritage language/culture. The objective of this study is primarily to examine reported language use and linguistic attitudes among first and second generation Muslim immigrant women in Barcelona, how these attitudes are shaped by transgenerational processes such as acculturation and language shift, and finally, how these attitudes relate to identity construction as reflected in reported language use and learning. In concentrating specifically on female informants, this study will also reflect on how language use is a gendered social practice that is realized through socio-cultural structures present in the target language (TL) and heritage communities. Data was collected from 34 informants, all of whom identified as first or second generation Muslim of either South Asian, North African or West African descent. Data consists of questionnaires that were designed to learn about informants’ background, including their attitudes towards their native/heritage language(s)/cultures, as well as their language use in various domains. Additionally, interviews were conducted to gain a better understanding of informants’ experiences with acculturation, linguistic attitudes, language use, and gendered identity.

Comments

Requested ProQuest takedown; no end date

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