Aragonese is a threatened Romance language immersed in a historical process of substitution by Spanish, the official language. The number of speakers who maintained its transmission to younger generations, mainly in rural areas, has extremely declined over the last century. In the meantime, revitalisation efforts have incorporated new speakers,…

Predicting the outcome of language contact situations is complicated by the fact that the primary agents of linguistic change--individual speakers--are unpredictable (van Coetsem, 2000; Thomason, 2001). My dissertation examines the variety of Spanish spoken in Galicia, Spain, where individual language choices are often motivated not by utility but…

This regional dossier aims to provide a concise description of the European minority language, Aragonese, in education. Aspects that are addressed include features of the education system, recent educational policies, main actors, legal arrangements and support structures, as well as quantitative aspects such as the number of schools, teachers,…

This article serves as an introduction to a collection of four articles on multilingual practices in speech and writing, exploring both contemporary and historical sources. It not only introduces the articles but also discusses the scope and definitions of code-switching, attitudes towards multilingual interaction and, most pertinently, the…

Across the centuries, the question of the origin of language has captivated the human imagination. Many theories have been proposed to address fundamental questions such as: Where do languages come from? How do they evolve? What are the societal drivers of this change? Historically, one of the biggest challenges in addressing these questions has…

Content and language integrated learning has become a common practice in European higher education. In this paper, I aim to describe how this integrated teaching practice comes as a result of a paradigmatic and pedagogical evolution. For this purpose, the main linguistic paradigms will be revisited diachronically, followed by a revision of the…

This dissertation focuses on the apparent linguistic discontinuity reflected in notarial texts from the twelfth to the thirteenth century in the Iberian Peninsula. Particular attention is given to the historical development of Spanish personal a (the direct object animacy marker), which can be used to trace the communicative continuity that must…

Discusses the history of Spain and shows the influence of the many cultures that have contributed to the formation and development of present-day Castilian Spanish. Documents in the monastery of San Millan de la Cogolla testify to some of the origins. (Text is in Spanish.) (TL)

Describes the history and current usage of three minority languages: Gaelic and Scots in Scotland and Catalan in the Spanish autonomous region of Catalonia. Discusses the role of language in cultural identity, preservation, and revitalization and government policies on language of instruction, teacher education, and bilingual education. (SV)

Analyzes the ideological underpinnings of language policies in Galicia, an autonomous community in northwestern Spain where Galician and Spanish enjoy co-official status. Describes and critiques the politically hegemonic (or official) and non-hegemonic (nationalist) overt language policies in Galicia, and discusses the linguistic culture of…

Covering a 500-year span, this article traces the changes in and evolution of the Spanish language from its earliest written accounts in the eleventh century to the Spanish that was brought by the Conquistadores to the New World. (DS)

Examines the provision of Catalan and the use of Catalan as a medium of instruction in Catalonia's education system at all levels. A discussion focuses on whether resources and the support from the community are sufficient, and whether the policy favors Catalan aggressively enough to prevent Castilian remaining always the dominant partner. (22…

English and Basque versions of this booklet present information on Euskal Herria, the Basque Country that straddles the Franco-Spanish border. "Euskal Herria" designates both land and people: "the Basque speech community." The area, which constitutes the ancient Kingdom of Navarre, represents the unbroken presence of Basque…

The present status and position of the Catalan language are assessed, and the language planning activities being carried out in Catalonia to promote it are examined. The historical development of Catalan is outlined, and the current situation in Catalonia is described, focusing on its uses among immigrants and in modern mass communications. The…

Discusses bilingual educational policies in Catalonia, where the official aim is to reverse a language shift in favor of Catalan. Chamberlain's response focuses on the decline of Catalan under Franco, similarities between some minority languages in Europe and the language situation in Brunei, and the role of the school and the media in language…