Author: Lucas John Duane Bernedo
Programme: Doctoral Programme on the Information and Knowledge Society
Language: English
Supervisor: Dr Joan Pujolar Cos, Dr Julia de Bres
Faculty / Institute: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3)
Key words: Language activism, language standardisation, social media, Catalan, Balearic Islands
+ Link
Abstract:
This thesis comprises an ethnographic description of the recent development of linguistic dissidence on the Balearic Islands: the establishment of a belief within the archipelago's socio-political sector claiming that "Balearic", rather than Catalan, should share official status with Spanish as its authentic autochthonous language. Three associations of language activists created in 2013 are responsible for this development. This thesis analyses two years of these three associations' social media activity, as well as other materials. Findings show that activists engaged in a struggle to legitimize an alternative standard revolving around ideologies of authenticity, while simultaneously ensuring and advancing the level of anonymity towards Spanish. Social media was instrumental for these purposes, as it provided activists representational control to spread discourse about language and to police language practices. This thesis also examines the implications that this development represented for Catalan standardization. I interviewed 11 language planners working at different institutions on the Balearic Islands and two Catalan language advocates. The interviews provided accounts on the ways institutional figures police the standard variety of Catalan. After finding a vertical distribution of standard practices among institutional figures, the analysis focused on a local planner's social media practices. In all, this thesis advances three arguments regarding activists' strategic adoption of the standard language regime, the existence of a need to identify in the Balearic linguistic market, and the role of minoritization on standardization.