To pets, in Catalan: the surprising sociolinguistic habit of future bilingual teachers

PalmThe pets of future bilingual teachers have ended up occupying an unexpected role: that of perfect interlocutors for practicing Catalan without pressure, without corrections, and without possible linguistic debate. The first survey on linguistic uses of students at the Faculty of Education. The study reveals that talking to pets is one of the few contexts in which Catalan clearly gains ground. On a scale where 6 means "six" and 1 "never", the use of Catalan reaches 3.35, while that of Spanish remains at 2.96. In fact, this is one of the few areas —along with the relationship with one of the parents— where Catalan prevails over Spanish among students bilingual in the two official languages.

In the case of students whose usual language is Spanish, the Catalan usage score drops to 0.74, while the Spanish usage score rises to 4.54. Among Catalan speakers, however, the use of Catalan with pets rises to 5.33, and Spanish usage remains at 0.74. Regarding usage with friends, grandparents, partners, siblings, and parents, the linguistic dynamics follow the usual logic: Catalan predominates among Catalan speakers and Spanish among Spanish speakers. In the case of bilinguals, Spanish prevails in all areas except for use with pets and with one of the parents.

Negative perspectives

The Faculty of Education presents itself as a linguistic oasis within the UIB and in relation to society as a whole, but the report confirms that Catalan is receding there. Students predominantly use Spanish in personal relationships and 67.7% believe that Catalan will be spoken less in five years' time. Despite remaining the predominant language in teaching and in the administrative sphere, it is losing presence in informal spaces among students, in a context described as growing diglossia.

The study is part of a broader Faculty project to analyze the linguistic dynamics of the center. Regarding the initial language, bilingual students predominate (34.95% among men and 38.19% among women), followed by Catalan speakers (31.07% and 32.23%), Spanish speakers (29.61% and 24.04%), and English speakers (4.37% and 5.53%). In the language of identification, bilingualism also leads (39.15%), ahead of Catalan (30.60%), Spanish (23.51%), and English (6.74%).

More proficient in Spanish

One of the highlighted elements of the report is the perception of linguistic competence: out of 40 points, students score Spanish with 38.9, Catalan with 36.21, and English with 24.93. This difference reinforces, according to the researchers, an asymmetry in self-declared competence, as Spanish is perceived as the most dominant language in all skills.

Regarding its uses, the report shows a strong division between academic and personal spheres. In informal settings, Spanish predominates, while Catalan maintains a presence in teaching and, above all, in administration, considered a “bastion of linguistic survival”. In the personal sphere, Catalan is receding among friends, partners, and a good part of family relationships, with the exception of specific bonds like grandparents.

Despite this, 56.07% of students are committed to reinforcing Catalan within the faculty. In parallel, 19.92% consider it a priority to boost English and 16.63% Spanish. The concern is particularly relevant because the Faculty trains future teachers, in a context where, according to the study's leaders, Spanish is increasingly perceived as the common language among Magisterio students. And all this at a time when Catalan-medium schooling is more necessary than ever, as an element of integration and transmission of the native language.