City of Valéncia, October 9, 2018, day of the Valencian People The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages of the Council of Europe and the Valencian language: the point of view of the discriminated Valencian speakers English version: http://bit.ly/2018_ECRML_LRP-RACV_en Original Valencian version: http://bit.ly/2018_ECRML_LRP-RACV_va ECRML_Valencian_2014-2016_LRP-RACV_en (v1.0) The Charter and the Valencian language: the point of view of the discriminated Valencian speakers Table of Contents 1 Introduction............................................................................................................5 2 Who we are.............................................................................................................7 3 Sociolinguistic framework of the Valencian language......................................11 3.1 Autochthonism...............................................................................................14 3.2 Particularism..................................................................................................17 3.3 Annexationism................................................................................................20 3.4 Preliminary analysis of the current situation..................................................24 4 Clarifications on the previous reports of the Committee of Experts on the Charter in relation to Valencian..........................................................................27 4.1 Initial periodical report...................................................................................27 4.2 Second periodical report................................................................................29 4.3 Third periodical report...................................................................................31 4.4 Fourth periodic report....................................................................................36 5 Assessment of the fulfillment of the Charter regarding Valencian during the fifth monitoring cycle (2014-2016)......................................................................39 5.1 Section “Introduction and data on the number of speakers” (p. 120)............39 5.2 Section “Application of the Charter” (p. 122)...............................................48 6 Conclusions...........................................................................................................81 7 Next steps proposal..............................................................................................83 Annex I - Surveys on linguistic and identity consciousness of Valencian people ................................................................................................................................85 Annex II - Compilation of texts on linguistic rights applicable to Valencian speakers.................................................................................................................91 Annex III - Status of Valencian in the legislation of the Spanish State and the Valencian Community........................................................................................103 Annex IV - Evolution of the recognition or discrimination against autochthonist Valencians in the last thirty years. Some significant facts..............................123 Annex V - Documentary Appendix (external link).............................................145 –3– The Charter and the Valencian language: the point of view of the discriminated Valencian speakers 1 Introduction Valencian is the language of Valencian people, officially recognized as such by the Statute of Autonomy of the Valencian Community (Autonomous Region) in Spain. Spain ratified in 2001 the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. As one of the regional languages which are officially recognized in their respective Autonomous Regions, the Valencian language has been taken in account in the five periodic reports that the Government of Spain has elaborated, with the participation of the Valencian Government. During this time, the reports presented by the various Spanish Governments have made self-diagnosis of the degree of compliance with the Charter. Also during this time, several associations have provided complementary reports, often more critical than the official ones, and the Committee of Experts has issued their recommendations as provided for in the mechanism for the application of the Charter. As evidenced by all the initiatives carried out in their more than one hundred years of history, the civic organizations/NGOs that elaborate this report –Lo Rat Penat (LRP) and Secció de Llengua i Lliteratura Valencianes de la Real Acadèmia de Cultura Valenciana (RACV)– consider themselves as directly involved in the process of dignifying and recovering the Valencian language as other Valencian organizations which have been presenting their reports so far. Although we can mostly agree on some assessments about the deficiencies that state other reports –regarding, for instance, the use of Valencian in the fields of justice and public administrations–, we consider that there are other aspects that hinder the social normalization of Valencian language and have been omitted in those reports, due to a bias, or directly self-interested vision of the sociolinguistic situation in Valéncia. These aspects, apart from the potentially harmful effect to the health of Valencian as a minority language, directly affect a part of the Valencian civil society, whose sensitivity we represent, and especially to our organizations, writers and conscious users of the Valencian language. So, being unable to make an exhaustive report, we have considered it necessary to draw up a document that focuses on those aspects that are relevant to us and that have not been covered either by the official report or by those presented by other civic entities. We will focus on the information contained in the “Fifth report on the fulfillment in Spain of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages of the Council of Europe 2014-2016”, because it is the most recent one and because, precisely under the mandate of the current Valencian Government –which is in power since 2015 and is the author of that report– there have been unprecedented events of discrimination towards the Valencian cultural world. After this introduction, in section 2 of the document, we give a brief overview of the entities that have written this report, indicating the date of foundation, the foundational –5– The Charter and the Valencian language: the point of view of the discriminated Valencian speakers purposes and a summary of the actions of promotion of the use of Valencian that the entities have carried out so far. In section 3 we present the sociolinguistic conflict around Valencian language, identifying the most defined positions and the evolution of their weight in society, the formal academic fields and political power. This conflict, denied or obviated by some, is as real as having forced the Valencian Government in 1998 to request a report from an advisory body, the Consell Valencià de Cultura (CVC), and to create an official institution to set the official standards for Valencian language –Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua (AVL)–, in the intention to close the social wound. This proposal has so far proved unsuccessful. Moreover, a self-interested interpretation of this temporary solution has begun to be used, 20 years later, as a justification to apply marginalization and punishment measures to a part of Valencian civil society. In section 4 we analyze the four evaluation reports prepared by the Committee of Experts up to the present time, elaborating some points and giving complementary details where we believe there is a lack of relevant information in the case of Valencian. In section 5 we review those points in the Charter in which we consider that the Valencian public administrations are carrying out actions to the detriment of the rights of Valencian speakers, and that would, therefore, go against the spirit of the Charter, and against its goals and principles. In the affected areas, the information contained in the report of the Spanish Government is clarified, and additional data –not included in the official report and those submitted by other associations– are provided. Finally, in sections 6 and 7 the entities that have prepared this report make themselves available for the Committee of Experts and propose some next steps so that its members can know in greater depth the reality of the Valencian language, evidently unknown, that we have tried to reveal in these pages. This report is complemented by annexes that collect additional information on aspects dealt with in the document, as well a listing of cases of marginalization and persecution suffered by a part of the Valencian cultural and civil society, in relation to the use of Valencian language, due to disagreement with the current ideological position of some public bodies. A Documentary Appendix provides the evidence of cases of marginalization and persecution that have been exposed for ease of reference. –6– The Charter and the Valencian language: the point of view of the discriminated Valencian speakers 2 Who we are Lo Rat Penat Lo Rat Penat, Societat d’Amadors de les Glòries Valencianes (“Society of Lovers of Valencian Glories”) is a Valencian cultural society founded in 1878 under the auspices of Constantí Llombart, Teodor Llorente and Feliu Pizcueta, representatives of the central ideological tendencies at that time. Dedicated