Exploring the Identity of Spanish Heritage Students in Germany and Austria through Stereotypes and their Linguistic Performances and Proficiency

Abstract

This study examines how German-speaking university students (n = 10) at German‑speaking universities in Austria and Germany with Spanish as a heritage language negotiate identity and belonging through stereotypes, linguistic performances, and perceived proficiency. Grounded in a discourse‑constructivist view of identity, we collected individualized, semi‑structured interviews and conducted qualitative content analysis. Two issues guide the inquiry: how students understand their dual identity, and how they conceptualize their belonging to the Spanish‑speaking community. Participants often portray themselves as a “perfect mix,” yet monolingual benchmarks and ideals of “native” competence frame self‑assessment. Stereotypes circulating in both national contexts—and within Spanish‑speaking families—intersect with these benchmarks to undermine confidence, perceived legitimacy, and a sense of full membership. In interaction, code‑switching is common and translanguaging rare; both are used to sustain fluency and convey affect and can index bilingual identity in practice, even when negatively evaluated. Overall, the findings highlight the tension between affirmative self‑descriptions and the constraining effects of stereotypes and native‑speaker ideologies, showing that belonging is negotiated rather than given. The study contributes empirical evidence on Spanish heritage identities in Austria and Germany and clarifies how stereotypes, performance, and proficiency jointly shape bilingual selfhood.