Language Attitudes in Rocha, Uruguay

Abstract

From 2009 to 2012, the University of Bergen carried out the first study on linguistic identity and language attitudes towards Latin-American Spanish (LIAS) in 20 Spanish-speaking countries. The project aimed to find out how Spanish natives identified with their own language and if they are loyal to it. In addition, social prejudice, stigmatization and acceptability of their language and the Spanish varieties of other countries and regions were investigated. However, the research concentrated only on the views and opinions of one major city of each country, for the most part the capitals, and neglected those of the rural areas and non-capital towns and cities. With this study conducted in the Uruguayan rural area of Rocha, the results of the LIAS project are widened. A methodology based on the former LIAS project eases and encourages comparisons between the two regions. The 50 participants from different towns and villages of the region are answering the original semi-structured LIAS questionnaire. Basing the methodology on this former project, comparisons between Rocha and the capital Montevideo could be made. The research in Montevideo, carried out by García de los Santos, shows that the Montevidean language attitudes are strongly connected with social prejudice and stigmata, whereas the Rochense language attitudes aim to draw a clear identity border between their variety and others. Furthermore, a linguistic insecurity in the rural area was observable.