Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Evolution of Linguistic Identity in a Super-Region: The Case of Catalans and Occitans in Occitanie

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
French Language Policies and the Revitalisation of Regional Languages in the 21st Century

Abstract

As the French language spread over the national territory, so did the notion of a single French identity. Yet, successive waves of revitalisation have highlighted the persistence of a more local identity. From this perspective, two views on the possible relationship between (national vs. regional) language and identity as well as two ways of theorising the nature of linguistic identity have emerged and are often opposed: an essentialist view of language, which would establish de facto a regional language speaker’s identity, and a constructive approach, which considers language as a construct building a sense of separateness. This chapter examines both stances for the neighbouring Occitan and Catalan linguistic communities that were administratively merged, in 2016, in the region named Occitanie and explores this complex situation through a critical-discourse analysis of speakers’ attitudes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Félibres and Occitanists do not share the same view of the language with the former more specifically centred on the Provençal variety and the latter which considers the ensemble of Oc varieties as a language (Bec 1995).

References

  • Anderson, B. (1991). Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. London: Verso.

    Google Scholar 

  • Austin, J. L. (1962). How to Do Things with Words. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barker, C., & Galasinski, D. (2001). Cultural Studies and Discourse Analysis: A Dialogue on Language and Identity. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barth, F. (1998). Ethnic Groups and Boundaries: The Social Organization of Culture Difference. Boston: Little, Brown.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bastardas, A. (1988). Sociolingüística i llengua catalana. Barcelona: Empuries.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bec, P. (1995). La langue occitane. Que sais-je? Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhabha, H. (1994). The Location of Culture. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blommaert, J. (2005). Discourse: A Critical Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Blommaert, J. (2010). The Sociolinguistics of Globalisation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1982). Ce que parler veut dire: l’économie des échanges linguistiques. Paris: Fayard.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bucholtz, M. (2003). Sociolinguistics Nostalgia and the Authentication of Identity. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 7(3), 398–416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Courouau, J. F. (2005). L’invention du patois ou la progressive émergence d’un marqueur sociolinguistique français. XIII–XVIIe siècles. Revue de linguistique romane, 69, 185–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diesnis, J. (2016). Occitanie: Ces Catalans qui réclament un Occitanixit. Retrieved February 20, 2018, from https://www.20minutes.fr/montpellier/1887975-20160712-video-pyrenees-orientales-groupe-catalan-denonce-musique-choix-nom-occitanie.

  • Eckert, P. (2000). Linguistic Variations as Social Practice. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, J. (2009). Language and Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Fairclough, N. (1989). Language and Power. Harlow: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical Discourse Analysis. Harlow: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feltin-Palas, M. (2017). Philippe Richert et l’identité blessée des Alsaciens. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/l-identite-blessee-des-alsaciens_1948123.html.

  • Fishman, J. A. (2010). Sociolinguistics: Language and Ethnic Identity in Context. In J. A. Fishman & O. García (Eds.), Handbook of Language and Ethnic Identity: Disciplinary and Regional Perspectives (Vol. I, pp. xxiii–xxxxv). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gadet, F. (2007). Identités françaises différentielles et linguistique du contact. In W. Ayres-Bennett & M. C. Jones (Eds.), The French Language and Questions of Identity. Leeds: Legenda.

    Google Scholar 

  • García, O. (2012). Ethnic Identity and Language Policy. In B. Spolsky (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Language Policy (pp. 79–99). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • gouvernement.fr. (2017). La réforme territoriale. [ONLINE] Retrieved February 20, 2018, from http://www.gouvernement.fr/action/la-reforme-territoriale.

  • Hall, S. (1990). Cultural Identity and Diaspora. In J. Rutherford (Ed.), Identity: Community, Culture Difference. London: Lawrence and Wishart.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkey, J. (2018). Language Attitudes and Minority Rights. Basingtoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Heller, M. (2003). Globalization, the New Economy and the Commodification of Language and Identity. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 7(4), 374–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoare, R. (2000). Linguistic Competence and Regional Identity in Brittany: Attitudes and Perceptions of Identity. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 21(4), 324–346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hornsby, M. (2015). The “New” and “Traditional” Speaker Dichotomy: Bridging the Gap. International Journal of Sociology of Language, 231, 107–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hua, Z. (2014). Exploring Intercultural Communication: Language in Action. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, J. (2004). Language and Identity: National, Ethnic, Religious. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Joubert, A. (2015). Occitan, a Language That Cannot Stop Dying. In M. C. Jones (Ed.), Policy and Planning for Endangered Languages (pp. 171–187). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kremnitz, G. (1993). Multilingüisme Social. Barcelona: Edicions 62.

    Google Scholar 

  • L’indépendant. (2016). Occexit: Carole Delga face aux auteurs de la chanson des Al Chemist. [ONLINE] Retrieved March 2, 2018, from www.independant.fr/2016/08/25/occexit-carole-delga-face-aux-auteurs,2247588.php.

  • La Région Occitanie/Pyrénées-Méditerranée. (2018). Profil géographique et administratif du territoire. [ONLINE] Retrieved March 25, 2018, from https://www.leregion.fr/Profil-geographique-et-administratif-du-territoire.

  • Labov, W. (1963). The Social Motivation of Sound Change. Word, 19, 273–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lafont, R. (1997). Quarante ans de sociolinguistique à la périphérie. Paris: L’Harmattan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Point. (2017). Le Conseil d’Etat valide le nom Occitanie pour la région Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrenées. [ONLINE] Retrieved March 25, 2018, from http://www.lepoint.fr/societe/le-conseil-d-etat-valide-le-nom-occitanie-pour-la-region-languedoc-roussillon-midi-pyrenees-19-07-2017-2144311_23.php.

  • LePage, R. B., & Tabouret-Keller, A. (1985). Acts of Identity: Creole-Based Approaches to Language and Ethnicity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martel, P. (2004). Langue d’Oc, French and the Construction of a State in France. In T. Judt & D. Lacorne (Eds.), Language, Nation and State: Identity Politics in a Multilingual Age (pp. 63–79). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Paulston, C. B. (1987). Catalan and Occitan: Comparative Test Cases for a Theory of Language Maintenance and Shift. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, (63), 31–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paveau, A. M. (2017). Le discours des vulnérables: proposition théorique et politique. Cadernos de Linguagem e Sociedade, 18(1), 135–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pavlenko, A., & Blackledge, A. (Eds.). (2004). Negotiation of Identities in Multilingual Contexts. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pennycook, A. (2000). English, Politics, Ideology: From Colonial Celebration to Postcolonial Performativity. In T. Ricento (Ed.), Ideology, Politics and Language Policies: Focus on English (pp. 107–119). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Pennycook, A. (2006). Postmodernism in Language Policy. In T. Ricento (Ed.), An Introduction to Language Policy. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rampton, B. (1995). Crossing: Language and Ethnicity Among Adolescence. London and New York: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sallabank, J. (2013). Attitudes to Endangered Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Schlieben-Lange, B. (1971). La conscience linguistique des occitans. Revue de linguistique romane, 35, 298–303.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scollon, R., & Scollon, S. W. (2004). Nexus Analysis: Discourse and the Emerging Internet. London: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tabard, G. (2016). Nicolas Sarkozy brandit sa carte d’identité nationale. Retrieved March 17, 2018, from http://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/2016/06/08/01002-20160608ARTFIG00336-l-ancien-president-brandit-sa-carte-d-identite-nationale.php.

  • Tajfel, H. (Ed.). (1982). Social Identity and Intergroup Relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Dijk, T. A. (1998). Ideology: A Multidisciplinary Approach. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wodak, R., et al. (1999). The Discursive Construction of National Identity. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, S. (2004). Language Policy and Language Planning: From Nationalism to Globalization. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, S. (2012). Language, the Nation and Nationalism. In Spolsky (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Language Policy (pp. 59–78). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Arts, English and Languages, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland

    Aurélie Joubert

Authors
  1. Aurélie Joubert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aurélie Joubert .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Arts, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

    Michelle A. Harrison

  2. School of Arts, English and Languages, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland

    Aurélie Joubert

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Joubert, A. (2019). Evolution of Linguistic Identity in a Super-Region: The Case of Catalans and Occitans in Occitanie. In: Harrison, M.A., Joubert, A. (eds) French Language Policies and the Revitalisation of Regional Languages in the 21st Century. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95939-9_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95939-9_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-95938-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-95939-9

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation