Reconstruction of Castilian Spanish identity in Catalan-Speaking areas of the Spanish state

Abstract

This paper is an exploration of the notion of identity as applied to the Spanish language in its role as a cultural artifact within the Catalan/Valencian-speaking areas of Spain. Numerous social and political changes have taken place in Spain over the last three decades which in turn have led to re-engineering the identity of the Spanish language. The Catalan/Valencian language has been subjected to an intense planning in the last three decades that has widened its space and has triggered a necessary negotiation with the Spanish language. This paper argues that Spanish is not simply a communication tool, but rather a cultural artifact with an identity that has evolved rapidly in the Catalan/Valencian-speaking areas of Spain from being a nation-state symbol to being no one's language, thereby facilitating the negotiation of its space with that of Catalan/Valencian.