Article publicat a la revista Migraciones Internacionales, núm. 24. Disponible on-line.
Linguistic Integration of the Descendants of Foreign Immigrants in Catalonia
Amado ALARCÓN ALARCÓN (Universidad Rovira i Virgili)
Sònia PARELLA RUBIO (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
Abstract
This article analyzes the linguistic integration of the second generation of immigrants
in Catalonia on the basis of the theory of segmented assimilation. The
main objectives are to discover which factors help to determine the preference for
the Catalan language (to the detriment of Spanish and the languages of origin)
and the acquisition of written skills in Catalan among these young people. The
sample comprises 3 578 descendants of foreign immigrants aged between 12 and
17. Various multivariable logistic regression models have been carried out on the
basis of theoretically relevant predictors. The results of the analysis show that there
are different itineraries for linguistic adaptation among the teenage children of
immigrants, reflecting a linguistic segmentation. Th e text examines the theoretical
and political implications of the results in the Catalan context.
Keywords: 1. segmented assimilation, 2. linguistic preferences, 3. linguistic
skills, 4. descendants of immigrants, 5. Catalonia.