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Sociolingüística catalana


Mother Language, Father Language, Nanny Language: Who Learns What from Whom in Catalonia, per Paul O'Donnell


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6d) Without larger access to the guarderies, we can only draw tentative conclusions. Some school directors were frankly unwilling to open their doors to outside scrutiny; meanwhile, others, advertised services and methodologies that they did not actually offer or practice. (This information came from students who were "teachers’ aides" at various guarderies. Finally, some pre-schools acted as straight business ventures: the directora (school director or principal) did not even possess the proper diploma to administer the school. A "friend" or partner had "lent" his (or, usually, her) name and credentials to be the nominal (but absent) school administrator. Nevertheless, 90% or more of the schools I visited were staffed by dedicated, caring, young, mostly female employees. The schools operate relatively well, considering the monetary, size, and staffing limitations in Catalonia, as well as the linguistic mix.

6e) The question of the traditional live-in "nanny" rarely arises today in Catalonia. Despite maternity leaves and attentive avis (‘grandparents’), in Catalonia, the hand that initially rocks the cradle does not necessarily rule the linguistic world. Thus, the key question we should ask is not who is having the children, or who is watching the children, but rather: "What language do the children speak when someone else is watching them?

Paul O'Donnell és professor a la University of Michigan-Flint.
Properament podreu consultar una versió traduïda d'aquest article.

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