Lauberge espagnole

3RD PROJECT LINGUISTIC FILM ANALYSIS

Alena tefaniskov | Language usage in the Media | 1.st January 2015

Film description
Lauberge espagnole is film which was released in 2002. Its co-production of
Spain (Mate Producciones S.A., Via Digital) and France (BAC Films, Ce qui me
meut, France 2 Cinma, Studio Canal). In some English speaking territories the
name was translated and presented as Spanish Apartment, or as Pot Luck.
Director: Cdric Clapisch

Plot
Xavier is French economist student which is finishing his degree. As the part of
the job promised by his fathers friend in European Union institution he goes to
Barcelona for Erasmus programme to study Spanish language. The movie is
centered on Spanish apartment with chaotic flat-share experiences of Erasmus
students which learn to cope with the linguistic and cultural diversity which at
final reveals to be a miniature model of the Contemporary Europe.

Main actors
Romain Duris as Xavier
Judith Godrche as Anna-Sophie
Audrey Taotou as Martine
Ccile de France as Isabelle
Kelly Reilly as Wendy
Cristina Brondo as Soledad
Federico D'Anna as Alessandro
Barnaby Metschurat as Tobias

Audience
Lauberge espagnole is typical coming of the age comedy, which is targeted on
younger audience.

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Research questions & Hypothesis

1. How are represented stereotypes of the nationalities according to the
language choice
2. How sociolinguistic difference contribute and represents cosmopolitan
and multi-national city as Barcelona

Repertoire Analysis
The repertoire analysis of this movie is consisting of the various sociolinguistic
codes including: French, English, Spanish, Catalan, and little bit of Danish, Italian
and German.
French Used by main character Xavier, his mother and girlfriend Martine, Belgic
student Isabelle, and doctor with her wife which he met in the plane to the
Barcelona, and where he lives first nights
English English language is the most widely used in this movie, chose as most
universal language for the students, considering that every of them is from
different country.
Spanish used by local, but also foreign students where we can hear lots of
different accents according to original nationality
Catalan used by local people (students and professors at university);

Main characters
Xavier Main character, which is also narrative speaker, is using most of the
languages, and he is code-switching according to the situation, with whom he is
speaking. With family, girlfriend and French doctor and his wife he speaks in the
French. He is also using the French when he is speaking with the Belgic lesbian
student Isabelle. When it comes to his flat-mates he is using only the English.
Outside of the apartment he is using Spanish

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English speaking actors - all of the people living in apartment; but every of them
has typical foreign accent (according to their nationality) in the English; main
characters
French speaking actors (mother, girlfriend, married couple) secondary
characters -are monolingual in this movie (just Xavier and Isabelle are
exceptions),
Spanish & Catalan speaking actors secondary characters

Representation of stereotypes according to language choice

Despite of the fact that the whole movie is sharing the optimistic atmosphere of
cross-national, and cross-cultural Europe togetherness, we can find classic
stereotypes to each nationality. We could say, that every person is representing
some stereotype in this movie, and is something like walking caricature of every
nationality. Not only actors are representing some stereotypes, but even Spain on
itself. Defined just like a country with the sex and fiestas.
British Wendy matriarchal, and sexually repressed, for instance when Xavier
is doing interview with the upcoming flat-mates she is asking him if he is riding
horse

(another

stereotype

about

British

people).

Later the complete look of the British people is finished with her brother, which
is xenophobic, and making fun of the most other nationalities
German defined like a well-organized, and very hard-studying student, which
has always in everything system
Italian is representing typical stereotype of the Italian people disorganized but
in fact very friendly and sympathetic
Spanish well represented by Soledad passionate, disorganized, volatile, and
the same stereotype is with the other actors which are Spaniards
Catalan very proud of their identity, and language. For instance in the scene
where is Xavier with other students in economic class, and Martine is asking the
teacher if he cant speak in Castellan, because the foreign students dont

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understand Catalan, he responds to her, that its no possible because most of the
students in the class are Catalan therefore it will be not fair (although all of the
students speaks Castilian), he ends the conversation with the student with the
words If you want to study in Castilian go to Madrid

Sociolinguistic difference and representation of the

multinational city Barcelona
The director of the movie Klapisch in the film is focusing on explicit discussion
between the linguistic and cultural differences of the national, subnational, and
transnational identities which are living in modern-day in Spain, especially in
Barcelona. Which is portraying the example of city with the globalized
transnational identity.

Conclusions
Analyzed movie is polyglot. We can hear more than 4 languages French,
Spanish, Catalan, English and other languages spoken by people of different
nationalities and different accents. Apart from the brief reference to cultural
disputes and tensions between Catalan and Castilian speakers in Spain, LAuberge
espagnole seems bent on presenting multilingualism as a key factor in producing
intercultural understanding.

The film is stereotypically representing the

sociolinguistic differences between small Europe and urban ethnic minority

settings in the cosmopolitan environment. In the scenes which are consisting of
the code-switching the language is chose according to the narrative-relevance. In
conclusion the Lauberge espagnole is a movie is shaping the new understandings
of the language and national identities.

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