Abstract

In this chapter, we examine the role of language skills beyond communication, using a broad notion of linguistic preferences. In the empirical analysis, we study the effects of a language-in-education reform implemented in the bilingual region of Catalonia. We show that such reform has improved the Catalan language skills of native Spanish speakers without significantly affecting the Spanish language skills of either speech community. We provide evidence supporting the idea that those additional language skills, that are redundant from a communication point of view, have fostered intermarriage.