Social Representations of the Relationship Between Immigration and Minoritized Language in Diglossic Bilingual Contexts: A Discursive Analysis of the General Population in the Basque Country and Catalonia

This study explores social representations of the relationship between immigration and minority languages in the Basque Country and Catalonia. Using a word association task with a double stimulus, it analyses how these representations are discursively constructed and socially anchored in two diglossic contexts. Results reveal differentiated discursive patterns across contexts. In the Basque Country, discourses ranged from inclusive narratives of integration and coexistence, emphasizing empathy, solidarity, and cultural recognition, to accounts highlighting linguistic difficulty, sociolinguistic barriers, and critiques of institutional support. In Catalonia, clusters included defensive narratives framing the language as a source of tension and threat, inclusive discourses promoting mutual respect and cultural diversity, and pragmatic perspectives emphasizing institutional and community support. Discursive patterns were associated with national and linguistic identification, language use, ideological orientation, and perceived linguistic victimization. Findings indicate that social representations of minoritized languages in migration contexts are ambivalent, shaped by historical power asymmetries, identity processes, and institutional frameworks. Inclusive discourses are linked to strong subaltern identification and openness to linguistic integration, whereas defensive discourses correlate with low linguistic identification or conservative ideology. Overall, the study highlights the symbolic, relational, and instrumental roles of minoritized languages in shaping integration dynamics and social cohesion.