Actitudes lingüísticas en contextos interculturales: Población asháninka bajo chirani

This study evaluates the influence of inherent and given factors that affect the attitudinal behavior of the bilingual Ashaninka population, who lives in Bajo Chirani (Central Amazonian region of Perú), from a mentalist approach. Such influence underlies in the formative dimension of linguistic attitudes towards languages in contact. There's an analysis of language preferences in terms of affective and cognitive language, as well as socio-cultural factors. These dimensions will determine the boundaries of the influences within the following variables: age, gender, and level of education, and their relationship with positive or negative attitudes towards the originary language and towards the regional Spanish. The results of this study show diversity in communicative contexts, as well as a higher level of functionality in the Spanish language in comparison to the Ashaninka used in Bajo Chirani. Furthermore, some cognitive and sociocultural factors are present on the systematisation of the ample spectrum of usefulness and prestige, that are systematically taking over the originary language, and decreasing the cultural identity of the Ashaninka population.