Sociolinguistics Symposium 19
Freie Universität Berlin | August 21-24, 2012
Programme: accepted abstracts
Abstract ID: 673
Part of Session 172: Urban Language Conflict (Other abstracts in this session)
Language conflict in a globalised Barcelona
Authors: Querol-Puig, Ernest; Strubell-Trueta, Miquel; Viladot-Presas, Maria-Àngels
Submitted by: Strubell-Trueta, Miquel (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Spain)
We start by asking ourselves if the term “language conflict” is in itself contested. In the Catalan context it was devised by Aracil (1965), developed by Ninyoles (1969), discussed by Vallverdú (1980) and much later, by Conill (2007); it has also been developed, among many others, by Mattheier (1987) and Nelde (1987). We discuss the present-day validity of the term, extending it to describe Barcelona’s multilingual nature: about 300 languages are spoken in the city. We concrentate on proficiency in, and the use of, the four main ones: Catalan, Spanish, English and French.
Secondly, we analyze intergroup communication between speakers of Catalan and Spanish, referring to the subjective ethnolinguistic vitality of each group and the relation between these perceptions and those of identity, perceived barriers and injustice, and sociolinguistic attitudes (Giles & Viladot 1994; Viladot & Esteban 2011). We also compare how scores of each group’s perceived vitality have changed between 1987 and 2007 (Viladot et al. 2007).
Thirdly, we look at how the language conflict spills over into explicit politics. In Catalonia proper the term is related to the ideological clash – going back over 300 years – between the tolerance of multilingual diversity that most Catalans display – well exemplified by Ninyoles (1976), and the monolingual aspiration best illustrated by the linguistic repression implemented by two military dictatorships in the 20th century. These opposing models of linguistic diversity are well portrayed even today (Vargas Llosa et al. 2008, Strubell 2011) and the conflict has moved firmly into Spain’s courts (Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, Catalan High Court...).
References
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