Ибероамериканские тетради (Jun 2016)
SPANISH IN CATALONIA (Conditional Languages and exalted nationalism)
Abstract
For the last decades the coexistence of Spanish and Catalan has experienced an identity crisis, a clash between the languages that is not apparent in other ambilingual territories or other Catalan-speaking regions. This paper will show the reasons behind these misunderstandings and will advance a procedure to analyze them. It will also consider principles of respect between each of the language speakers as well as how linguistic politics clash with basic principles related to the evolution and reciprocity of languages. These concepts will be grounded in general socio-linguistic theory concerning the feelings of belonging (mother tongue) and of learning (forein language) and the respective communication codes of their users. This presentation draws from my recently published book Las batallas de la eñe: lenguas condicionadas y nacionalismos exaltados, a study that reveals the discrepancies among the Central and autonomous Spanish governments’ blueprints and arrangements, natural selection principles and language usage.
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