Linguistic Attitudes, Perceptions and Accommodations of Spanish-Speakers in Switzerland

A Pilot Study

Abstract

This article reports the results of a pilot study on linguistic and cultural attitudes, perceptions and accommodation among six Spanish-speaking immigrants (from three different areas: Spain, Ecuador and Rio de la Plata) living in Switzerland. The speakers were interviewed individually and also conversed in pairs. Using this material, we have conducted a qualitative study to examine their attitudes towards other languages and their own variety, as well as their own and others’ perceptions of potential linguistic and cultural accommodation, which are then compared with the instances of linguistic accommodation that actually occurred during the study.