Sociolinguistic Contacts in Spanish Immigration to France since Beginning of 20th Century

Abstract

Since 1914 to nowadays, Spanish immigration to France has been realized in six waves, according to different types (exile o economic migration). In a sociolinguistic way, these waves vary, not only by place of origin and destination but also by motives and circumstances of the migration, sociocultural and sociolinguistic background, modalities and circumstances of settlement and individual and/or family expectation of returning to homeland. All these living parameters have an influence on emigrant’s and sons linguistic production which, depending of acquisitional or scholar learning, moves between interferences and code-switching. Some examples from French-Catalan speaking border area of Northern Catalonia will highlight it.