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From monolingual family background to bilingual identification: the case of pre-adolescents in Mataró and the Aragonese border area(1) by Vanessa Bretxa, Llorenç Comajoan and Natxo Sorolla


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4.3. Multivariable analysis: discriminant analysis

Descriptive analysis allows us to identify certain tendencies regarding the relationship between language of identity and language used with parents but it does not tell us which of the variables studied provides the best explanation for the figures. In this section the technique of discriminant analysis is applied to the data in the study, focusing on those pupils who use Spanish with both parents. The object of this analysis is to determine which of the variables studied best explains the language of identity of pupils who use Spanish with their parents. The pupils were therefore divided into two groups (dependent variable: those who identify only with Spanish and those who identify with both Catalan and Spanish).

Canonical correlation determines the predictive capacity of the independent variables (oral competence, social networks, attitudes, confidence and language used with siblings) included in the analysis. The value for canonical correlation ranges from 0 to 1. Values of around 0.7 are considered to indicate a good model for distinguishing between the two groups.

Discriminant analysis of the data for the Aragonese border area shows that the five sociolinguistic variables permit quite good discrimination for the two groups of language of identity (canonical correlation higher than 0.7). A large number of respondents could not be included in this first analysis, as many of the pupils left one or more questions unanswered and discriminant analysis excludes them completely, even if they have answered all the other questions. Only 22 individuals could be considered, those who had answered all the questions. To improve the analysis a neutral value was assigned to missing cases (they totalled 59). The value assigned was the average obtained from the other pupils who spoke Spanish with their parents and who had given a valid response. In this second analysis the value for canonical correlation was lower (0.548), as had been expected, since the missing values were replaced by values which neutralised the initial differences between cases.

The matrix of correlations between discriminant variables and functions shows that of the five independent variables two are fundamental in determining the function which gives the best discrimination between those Spanish speakers who identify with Spanish and those whio identify with both Spanish and Catalan: the presence of Catalan in the social network of friends (0.67) and knowledge of spoken Catalan (0.642). The predictive value of the other three variables - confidence in Catalan (0.443), attitude to Catalan (0.427) and language spoken with siblings (0.416) – is noticeably lower. These three variables can be excluded from the model with hardly any reduction in prediction of the dependent variable.

Table 13. Matrix of correlation between discriminant variables and canonical discriminant functions for the Aragonese border area.

Independent variables

Value of the canonical discriminant functions

Presence of Catalan in the social network of friends

0,670

Knowledge of Catalan: speaking

0,642

Confidence in Catalan

0,443

Attitude to Catalan

0,427

Presence of Catalan in interaction with siblings

0,416

Discriminant analysis of the data from Mataró shows that the power of prediction of the five independent variables is not so great as in the case of the Aragonese border area. In the analysis without substitution of missing values (141 valid cases) a canonical correlation of 0.332 is obtained. If the missing values are replaced by the average for those who speak Spanish with their parents (324 cases), an even lower canonical correlation is obtained (0.258).

Data from the correlation structure matrix for discriminant variables and functions shows, as in the case of the Aragonese border area, that it is the presence of Catalan in social networks that best discriminates between the two groups of pupils who speak Spanish with their parents (those who identify with Spanish and those who identify with both Catalan and Spanish). Moderate correlation is given by confidence and attitude to Catalan. However, oral competence and the use of Catalan with siblings show relatively little correlation with the discriminant function and the model is not weakened if they are excluded.

Table 14. Matrix of correlation between discriminant variables and canonical discriminant functions for Mataró.

Independent variables

Value of the canonical discriminant function

Presence of Catalan in the social network of friends

0,648

Confidence and anxiety when using Catalan

0,644

Attitude to Catalan

0,528

Knowledge of Catalan: speaking

0,485

Presence of Catalan in interaction with siblings

0,154

5. Discussion and conclusions

The results of this study show that in the population of sixth-year primary pupils in the two areas studied, bilingual identification (Catalan and Spanish) is much more common than in the adult population. It also shows that the language which these pre-adolescents use with their parents does not necessarily coincide with the language with which they identify. Discriminant analysis of the population who use Spanish with their parents has revealed that it is the presence of Catalan in social networks which leads some pupils to include Catalan as one of their languages of identity, both in Mataró and in the Aragonese border area. It was also observed that in the Aragonese border area, as well as social networks, oral competence in Catalan discriminates the two groups, while in Mataró discrimination depends on confidence and the attitude to Catalan.

Two main differences can be observed between the populations of Mataró and the Aragonese border area. Firstly, in Mataró a greater number of Spanish speakers report that they identify with both Catalan and Spanish. In Mataró this category accounts for 40% of all those who speak Spanish with their parents (Table 4), while in the Aragonese border area the figure is just over a quarter (Table 5). In addition to this major difference we also find two distinct situations regarding oral competence in Catalan. While in Catalonia self-assessment of competence is very high in the two groups studied (Spanish as language of identity vs. both Catalan and Spanish), with very little difference between them, in the Aragonese border area the figure is high only for those who identify with both languages. These low levels of competence for many Spanish speakers in the Aragonese border area may be a factor impeding greater identification with both languages. However, as shown by data from Mataró, once high levels of oral competence are generalised in all groups, this factor does not normally enable us to discriminate between the two groups studied and the differences are best explained by the social network and other variables (confidence and attitude).

The second difference between the two populations studied is precisely the type of variable that discriminates between the two groups. While the first variable (social networks) is the same, those which follow are not. In the Aragonese border area it is competence which largely explains identification with a single language (Spanish in the majority of cases) or two. The fact that in the Aragonese border area competence in Catalan is not so widespread may make it a differentiating factor for some speakers, affecting whether they identify with the language or not. In Mataró, on the other hand, we find that the majority of respondents report that they have a high level of competence in Catalan (as a result of the education system). This makes it easy for a larger number of young people to identify with Catalan. It is, however, possible that competence in both languages may reach a maximum level, after which this factor will no longer favour identification with the two languages, and will therefore cease to be a discriminating factor. Other factors, such as confidence and attitude, are then likely to be those which allow us to discriminate between the two groups. The data thus shows that language competence may be a factor which explains identification with a language but that, once competence is guaranteed, there are other factors (less linguistic and more social) which help to explain the language identification of Spanish speakers.

 

   


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