La Llei d'ús i ensenyament del valencià, en via morta

Abstract

This paper purports to make what is perforce a critical assessment of the fruits of the basically non-existent language policy of Valencia. While on the one hand recognizing the value of the Law Governing the Use and Teaching of Valencian (LUEV), especially in the encouragement of teaching in and about the autochthonous language for the Valencian Community, the authors also review a myriad of aspects that affect the extremely delicate issue of language rights. The article does assume the basic criteria of the dual official status of Valencian and Spanish within the government of Spain and its derivative bodies. It questions, however, the standard that, ignoring international norms such as the European Charter on Regional or Minority Languages, is used to protect the languages of Spain that are distinct from Spanish, Furthermore, the authors do not shy away from mentioning some aspects that some consider to be controversial, such as the debate of an undoubtedly political nature as to whether Valencian and Catalan are the same language. That the two are the same language is obvious, although the authors resort to a euphemistic turn of phrase by admitting that they are part of the «same linguistic system». The article criticizes the allegedly ambivalent position of the Valencian government and some manipulations with regard to the creation of the Academy of the Valencian Language. For the sake of «pacification», however, the article does respect the work of the Academy as long as that body adheres to academic and scientific criteria. The article, then, points out the limitations of the LUEV: a lack of implementation and precepts that after 20 years no longer have any meaning. The authors stress that the LUEV is still a basic statute whose potential is still untapped. As a matter of fact, a recurrent criticism is the questioning of the role of some branches of the government in the respect, promotion and use of the autochthonous language, which statutorily speaking is Valencian, but academically speaking, is Catalan, in the legal system, according to the Constitutional Court and other lower courts. The legal and political analysis is completed with strictly sociolinguistic data on the situation of the Catalan language in Valencia. The situation is one of stagnation, and the article provides specifics on language use in both the public and private sectors of the mass media and, especially, in primary and secondary education. The use of Catalan for general communication in some public universities is the rare exception. In short, the article takes stock of the language situation in Valencian territory. Reality demonstrates that the situation is not very encouraging, which explains the title of the paper, but the article does not shy away from proposing more incisive action that should involve all of Valencian society.