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The Long-Standing Traditionalist Approach to Language Studies

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The Long-Standing Traditionalist Approach to Language Studies Chapter 4 The Long-Standing Traditionalist Approach to Language Studies Not only was the language of the troubadours, as it appeared in the po- ems of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, never that of Catalonia, but I believe that it was never spoken anywhere, and that whilst it was in- cluded and enjoyed throughout southern Europe, each small State also had its own specific idiom.1 f.-r. cambouliu, 1858 During the first half of the nineteenth century, research into language in France continued to pursue the aim of preserving the country’s linguistic heritage – given its stated intention of studying literary ‘monuments’ prior to definitively archiving patois. During the second half of the century, however, the approach began to change gradually, but with much sharper intent. The foundation of the Société pour l’étude des langues romanes in 1869, and the periodical Romania in 1872, contributed to this process considerably. The na- scent interest in Romance philology and linguistics gained credence towards the end of the century and coincided with a substantial change of method and the professionalisation of linguistic studies, to such an extent that the study of Romance languages was transformed from a simple amateur hobby, reserved for ‘lazy’ provincial scholars, into a real scientific discipline controlled by the academic centres of the capital. In the meantime, the cultural and linguistic revival in Occitan, thanks to the creation of Félibrige (1854), an association of young Provençal poets, also contributed to the success of langue d’oc; the consecration by Parisian literary society of its most illustrious representative, Frédéric Mistral, ensured the phenomenon did not remain regional, but had a national flavour. 1 ‘Non seulement la langue des troubadours, telle qu’elle se présente dans les poésies du XIIe et XIIIe siècle, n’était point celle de la Catalogne, mais je crois qu’on peut affirmer qu’elle ne fut jamais parlée nulle part, et que, tandis qu’elle était comprise et goûtée dans toute l’Europe méridionale, chaque petit État avait en outre son idiome particulier’. François-Romain Cam- bouliu, Essai sur l’histoire de la littérature catalane. Deuxième édition augmentée de la Comedia de la Gloria d’amor de Fra Rocaberti, poème inédit tiré des Manuscrits de la Bibliothèque im- periale; et d’un nouveau fragment de la traduction catalane de Dante d’Andreu Febrer (Paris: Durand, 1858), 13. © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ���9 | doi:�0.��63/9789004390�70_006 <UN> 156 Chapter 4 Yet in this context, Roussillon scholars were remote and struggled to find their place. Amateurs of Catalan studies were pretty much overshadowed by the success of langue d’oc at both national and regional level, on the one hand, and the growing popularity of the Catalan Renaixença in the South Pyrenees, on the other. Nonetheless, as we have already seen, the contributions made by Roussillon scholars were fundamental in asserting the specificity of Catalan with respect to Occitan language, and giving impetus to the scientific study of the language, as we are going to see. This chapter deals with the years 1870– 1880, which can be considered as a ‘transition’ period from a pure antiquar- ian approach to the study of language as a more scientific discipline, with the Roussillon scholars actively involved in this change. 1 A Step Further: Differentiating Catalan from Occitan The key to the future lay in the debate regarding Limousin and Catalan ques- tion. The linguistic issue about the distinction between Catalan and Occitan dates back to the use of the term llemosí to define all the languages having ‘an origin or specific traits of the Occitan from Limoges’.2 The issue of the name of a language is not of minor importance, since it deals with the domain of ‘linguistic ideas’ that enable us to analyse and understand how Catalan intel- lectuals perceived their own language. The fact that they employed the term llemosí to define their language for a long time, does not amount to a ‘simple onomastic option’, but reveals a certain ‘identity awareness’ originating in, and firmly rooted in language.3 Since the beginning of the twelfth century, the cultural exchanges between the Catalan earldoms and Occitan seigneuries had been numerous and multi- faceted, thanks to the earlier Romanisation of Northern Iberian territories and Southern Gaul, relations between Catalan earldoms and Frankish monarchy, a southward migratory flow coming from Occitan lands, and the interventions of the Catalan Counts in Occitan affairs. Such exchanges gave rise to ‘the rapid spread of a literary model and “troubadour poetry”, which became the ideal lyric expression for poets from Occitania, Catalonia and North of Italy thanks to its codified language and topics’.4 The language accompanying this poetic transition was successively called llengua romana, llengua d’oc, provençal, and 2 August Rafanell, Un nom per a la llengua (Vic: Eumo/Estudi General de Girona, 1991), 8. See also August Rafanell, El català modern (set estudis d’història cultural) (Barcelona: Empúries, 2000). 3 Ibid., 8. 4 Francés & Amorós 2005, 63. <UN>.
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