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Article published In: Researching Occitan in the 21st Century: Un dialòg interdisciplinari
Edited by Marc Olivier and Anna Paradis
[Revue Romane 60:1] 2025
► pp. 101–123

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L1 and New Speakers of Aranese

Language acquisition, proficiency, and usage

ORCiD logo with link | University of Freiburg
 | University of Freiburg
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with University of Freiburg.

Published online: 25 November 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/rro.25008.wie
Abstract
This article sheds light on the current language situation in the Val d’Aran, with a focus on Aranese language acquisition, proficiency, and usage. As in many minority language settings, New Speakers bring new dynamics into the language community. The basis for this investigation was an online survey, filled out by 125 Aranese speakers, 51 of whom are New Speakers and 74 of whom are L1 Speakers.
It will be shown that New Speakers do not report acquiring a language proficiency as high as L1 Speakers, and they report using the language in fewer different contexts, but both groups indicate using the language equally in formal and informal settings. Overall, the unique situation of Aranese within the Occitan varieties can be corroborated.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Basic Concepts: L1 Speakers and New Speakers
  • 3.State of the Art
  • 4.Hypotheses
  • 5.Methodology
  • 6.Presentation of the Data
    • 6.1Sociodemographic Data
    • 6.2Language Acquisition
    • 6.3Language Proficiency
    • 6.4Language Usage
  • 7.Discussion
  • 8.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
References (32)
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