Communication across the Sea: how digital technologies support the development of linguistic and cultural identities of Spanish-speaking bilinguals in Scotland

Abstract:
Previous research in the Scottish context has focused on either the most prevalent or most vulnerable migrant communities. Therefore, little is known about the Spanish-speaking community. My research gives voice to bilingual children and their parents to address this gap through a case study approach that investigated the extent to which the fourteen families of Latin American and Spanish heritage were able to nurture their linguistic and cultural identities, and crucially to understand why and how they did so.
From a bioecological perspective, family, friends and community play a vital role in shaping children’s linguistic and cultural identities, and in supporting their socio-emotional wellbeing. Despite this, my research discovered this to be challenging for Spanish-speaking bilingual families in Scotland due to the small size of their community. I offer empirical data that highlights a lack of opportunity to interact with extended family and a wider Spanish-speaking community, and, crucially, the implications of this on the development of their linguistic and cultural identities. This was further magnified for Latin American families compared to their European counterparts due to geographical distance. Nevertheless, families used digital technologies heavily to mitigate the absence of Spanish-speaking communities, and to interact with extended families and friends. I will discuss the heightened, constructive role of digital technology in bilingual children’s lives and present an adapted bioecological model incorporating a new ‘digital trans-system’ dimension, which illustrates how digital technology transcends international borders to support communication and the development of linguistic and cultural identities.