Linguistic Shift and Community Language: The Effect of Demographic Factors in the Valencian Region, Balearic Islands and Catalonia

Abstract

The language normalization programmes adopted by several Autonomous Communities of Spain between 1982 and 1986 involve efforts to restore the status and vitality of Basque, Catalan and Galician as historic languages of these communities, which had been undermined over the 40 years of Francoist dictatorship (see, Hamel; O’Rourke, this volume). As Map 11.1 illustrates, Catalan is the historic and official language of Catalonia, the Valencian Region and the Balearic Islands; Basque is the historic and official language of the Basque Country and Navarra; and Galician is the historic and official language of Galicia (see, Hamel; O’Rourke, this volume). There are other traditional languages in Spain, such as Asturian, Aranese and Aragonese, which do not (yet) have status as official languages, as well as many other languages of thriving speech communities both longstanding (for example Portuguese, Berber, Caló) and of recent immigrant origin (such as Arabic, English, Serbian), but Basque, Catalan and Galician are the only three to benefit from recognition as official languages of Spain and concerted normalization programmes fostered by their community governments (Mar-Molinero, 2000; Siguan, 1992; Turell, 2001).