Acceso usuarios
Anselm Bodoque Arribas
The language situation in Valencia has, for the last 25 years, been marked by a first, very conflictive initial phase in which two diametrically opposed positions are profiled: those who advocate giving Valencian an entrée into all aspects of public life and those who believe it is not necessary to take steps to increase its presence. On one end of these two tendencies may be found minority Valencianist groups, who support more effective measures to ensure the presence of Valencian in public life; on the other, the anti-Catalanist right, which is opposed to any type of measures and which favors a language secessionism that does not recognize Valencian as a variant of Catalan. The passage of the Autonomy Statute (1983) meant the introduction of language policies. During the first phase, under the socialists (1983-1995), Valencian was introduced into the educational system and some campaigns to promote the language were carried out. The psoe¿s (Spanish Socialist Workers Party) attitude towards the dissemination of the language was positive, but not very decisive. Since 1995, the pp (People¿s Party) Administrations in the Generalitat Valenciana (Autonomous Government of Valencia) have accentuated the voluntary nature of language policy. The starting point is the preponderance of Spanish and the secondary presence of Valencian in issues of identity and regional matters. Nevertheless, the pp has questioned neither the teaching nor the unity of the Catalan language (although it may not have recognized it openly). The consensus reached in recent years, during which extremist points of view have lost ground, has meant the acceptance of a political praxis that does not provide for language balance, but which guarantees minimal levels of Valencian language presence and dissemination
