Discussion and Closing Remarks

This final chapter highlights the basic takeaways of my research, as well as the meaningful outcomes derived from working with a community of speakers of a dying language variety. Successful efforts and shortcomings of my own experience in terms of community outreach are highlighted. These can easily apply to most endangered languages and language varieties around the globe. While it might probably be regarded as excessively ambitious to save the studied language variety from endangerment at this point, this research has allowed me to make every possible effort in preserving this heritage in terms of language documentation, and also instilling a renewed interest and sense of self-worth among its speakers. Along these lines, this chapter highlights a number of initiatives that, as a language researcher, I have either conducted in or proposed to the community. Firstly, I have made an economic contribution to the Agrupación Mallorca San Pedro and personally met with its new Chair, Mr. Daniel Gayá, to discuss a proposal of bilingual Catalan-Spanish signage on the Agrupación’s premises. Following member approval, this project is already ongoing, which I expect will raise visibility and awareness of the heritage language in the community. Secondly, while conducting the experiments, a hopeful outcome was encountered in some speakers “learning” for the first time that they were perfectly capable of speaking the language of their ancestors. Specifically, some of these speakers had been raised as receptive bilinguals (i.e., they were spoken to in Catalan, but would respond in Spanish). This type of bilinguals are typically unaware of their own potential for speaking their heritage language, since they have likely never tried this before. When prompted through an ad-hoc designed sociolinguistic experiment, some of these speakers eventually realized—even emotionally—their effective ability to speak the language, even in contrast to their preassumptions. Thirdly, among some participants my study has led to a (re)new(ed) interest in practicing and learning the language. As of today, some of the former participants still like to communicate with me informally (e.g., via instant messaging), even attempting at writing in Catalan in a rather “phonological” manner. I have suggested a series of resources which should allow them to practice and expand their knowledge of their heritage language (e.g., online Catalan streaming service 3Cat, word game Paraulògic), and I know for a fact that many have followed my recommendations. This chapter, thus, conveys some of the multifaceted, long-term impacts that sociolinguistic fieldwork can make on a community of speakers of a dying language or variety thereof. Finally, I refer to the networking bond I have been fortunate to establish with local San Pedro writer Jorge L. Sagrera, whose literary pieces (both poems and narratives) are full of what I designate as “Majorcanness”, as well as Majorcan motives. Specifically, Sagrera entrusted me with the translation of one of his novels from Spanish into American English (published in 2023), in an attempt to expand his target readership.