Qualitative Analysis: Spatial Discourses and Language Ideologies in Northern Catalonia

Abstract

In this chapter, Hawkey analyses the qualitative data obtained through participant interviews and open-ended questionnaire responses. Discourses of geographical, social, and political space are salient in the text and talk studied. The present analysis reveals how spatial discourses address a range of themes pertinent to local identity, including authenticity and otherness. Spatial discourses are shown to contribute to the language ideological landscape of the region, most importantly in reinforcing the hegemonic position of French. However, when it comes to staking claims to local identity, a nuanced understanding of authenticity allows for the (limited) subversion of hegemony through the learning of Catalan as a second language.