Metalinguistic evaluations of language choice in the linguistic landscape of Catalonia

This study examines language ideologies revealed by locally raised Catalans in their reflections on patterns of language choice in Catalonia’s transgressive linguistic landscape. A corpus of 10,221 unauthorised graffiti, stickers, and posters documented across 21 survey areas evidences domain divergence: Catalan predominates in signs about politics, social causes, and community issues, whereas Spanish and English dominate signs expressing sentimental and vulgar/taboo topics. Patterns are consistent across sites. Interviews with 60 participants (4 sign creators and 56 sign observers) illuminate the ideologies underpinning these distributions. Their metalinguistic evaluations indicate that Catalan indexes local belonging, serves as the vehicular language of community organisations and progressive groups, and aligns with pro-independence stances. Spanish is perceived as impactful for vulgar discourse and preferred among immigrants, while Spanish and English are cast as global languages associated with popular culture and youth prestige. Participants link the L1 to strong emotions and foreign languages to attention-drawing effects. Key implications include the value of collaborative practices in linguistic landscape research and the importance of Catalan use in socialisation spaces frequented by youth and newcomers. Catalonia offers a salient case for examining the interplay of minoritised and hegemonic languages in the public domain amid demographic change and political tension.