Abstract
The study reports on adults’ linguistic use of Nahuatl in the bilingual community of Santiago Tlaxco, Mexico. Using a survey approach, adults were asked to indicate their language choices (i.e., Spanish, Nahuatl or both languages) when interacting with people in various linguistic domains including personal, public, occupational, and educational. Findings showed that Nahuatl was used predominately with family members, with the exception of children aged 12 and younger with whom bilingual use was the norm. Similarly, in the public domain, bilingual language use was preferred for interactions with young people (less than 18 years), indicating a trend toward a gradual displacement of Nahuatl. However, Nahuatl was still the preferred language for interactions in the occupational domain, in places of worship and within social circles. Spanish was preferred for the educational domain, at the clinic, and in unfamiliar settings, such as with strangers. While adult use of Nahuatl facilitates language maintenance, there is a need for increased intergenerational transmission. Results are discussed in the context of language planning.
Highlights
Language Practices in Mexico.Mexico (Estados Unidos Mexicanos) is a large country, uniquely situated in NorthAmerica, where it shares borders with the United States of America to the north and with two Central American countries, Guatemala and Belize, to the south
In addition to Spanish, Mexico boasts of 68 Indigenous languages as its national languages, with Nahuatl and Maya being the most spoken (INALI 2012)
Having reviewed some of the causes of language shift and maintenance which touched on several factors such as intergenerational transmission, language attitudes of adults, children/adolescents and society, and governmental support, the present study focuses on language use, another important factor in assessing the vitality of a language
Summary
Mexico (Estados Unidos Mexicanos) is a large country, uniquely situated in North America, where it shares borders with the United States of America to the north and with two Central American countries, Guatemala and Belize, to the south. The majority of the country’s population resides in urban areas, with only 22.2% living in rural areas, compared to 1950 when 54.6% of the population resided in rural communities (INEGI 2010a). It has 32 states, with Mexico City being the federal state where governmental power and functions are situated. The languages of the Indigenous peoples are enshrined in the 2003 General
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