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The Language

The "Homilies d'Organyà" is the first preserved literary text in Catalan, which dates back to the late 12th century

The fact that the vernacular language spoken in the Valencian Country is Catalan is recognized by over 50 universities worldwide. NO university around the world acknowledges the existence of a supposed "Valencian language".

Likewise, we observe how this specific fact is also declared by prestigious dictionaries from different cultural fields across the globe. Dictionaries are a fully neutral and scientific tool, and because they stem from different countries that are outside our area, it cannot be asserted that they are manipulated by people from here (when Blaverists are shown this, they usually accuse the scientists who remark anything contrary to their ideas of "Catalanists" or "paid by Catalans").

Enciclopedia Italiana. V. IX [Milano. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana. 1931. Pp. 418-9. Entry “Catalogna”]:

Let’s see how this encyclopedia discusses the Catalan language and the territories through which its scope extends:

“Il territorio catalano si estende a occidente del Mediterraneo da Salces sullo stagno di Leucate in Francia (dipartamento dei Pirenei orientali) sino a Santa Pola a Guardamar (Valenza). Esso comprende inoltre le Isole Baleari, le Pitiuse e la città di Alghero in Sardegna.”

The Catalan territory extends from Salses, near the Étang de Leucate, in France (Pyrénées-Orientales department) to Santa Pola and Guardamar (Valencian Country). It also includes the Balearic Islands, the Pityusic Islands and the city of Alghero in Sardinia.

Later on, the encyclopedia specifies the dialectal varieties of the Catalan language, particularly specifying the inclusion of Valencian within the scope of Western Catalan:

“I dialetti catalani sono due: l’orientale e l’occidentale. Il rossiglionese, il balearico e l’algherese appartengono al catalano orientale; le parlate di Lérida e di Valenza all’occidentale. Le condizioni storiche di questa differenziazione dialettale vanno cercate nelle fasi della riconquista della zona orientale della Penisola Iberica sui Musulmani: i paesi della casa di Barcellona, con le Baleari, spettano al catalano orientale, mentre l’Urgel con Pallars e Ribagorça con Valenza formano il territorio del catalano occidentale”

There are two Catalan dialects: Eastern and Western. Northern Catalan, Balearic Catalan and Algherese belong to eastern Catalan; the subdialects of Lleida and València to Western. The historical conditions of this dialectal differentiation are to be found in the several phases of the Reconquista: the countries of the House of Barcelona and the Balearic Islands, belong to Eastern Catalan, while the traditional comarcas of Urgell, Pallars and Ribagorça along with València form the territory of the Western Catalan dialect.

Encyclopaedia Britannica. V. 5 [Chicago. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. 1973. P. 60. Entry “Catalan”]:

“Catalan is a romance language with nearly 6.000.000 speakers; it is spoken over an area of about 22.000 sq. mi., comprising Catalonia (approximately 3.400.000 speakers), an adjacent strip of Aragon with an average width of 15 mi. (100.000), Roussillon (260.000), Valencia (1.800.000) and the Balearic Islands (440.000)”

Afterwards, in a similar way, the encyclopedia describes the dialects of the Catalan language, emphasizing their great unity in comparison with other languages:

“Dialectal and chronological differences within Catalan are very small: a 13th text of Raymond Lully is still generally understandable by modern speakers. There are two main dialect groups: occidental, which is subdivided into West Catalan (Ebro and Segre valleys) and Valencian; and oriental, which is subdivided into East Catalan, Balearic and Roussellonnais and which also includes the speech of Alghero, Sardinia, where Catalan was brought in the 14th century. These varieties present only minor differences (some details in pronunciation, conjugation and vocabulary)”

Encyclopaedia Universalis. V. 3 [Paris. Encyclopaedia Universalis France S.A. 1968. Pp. 1045-6. Entry “Catalogne”]:

The entry begins by specifying the area where the Catalan language is spoken:

“Le catalan est une langue romane parlée par environ six millions de personnes, réparties en un aire qui comprend la Catalogne, la partie de l’Aragon (d’une largueur approximative de 14 Km) qui la jouxte, le Roussillon, la province de Valence et les Baléares”

Catalan is a Romance language spoken by about six million people, spread out over an area that comprises Catalonia, a neighboring strip of Aragon that is approximately 14 kilometers wide, Roussillon, the Valencian Country and the Balearic Islands.

And then it specifies its dialectal varieties, again emphasizing their unity:

“Le catalan a peu varié au cours des siècles: un texte de Raymond Lulle remontant au XIIIe siècle est encore compris par les Catalans d’aujourd’hui. Ses dialectes, qui se regroupent en catalan occidental et en catalan oriental, ne présentent que des différences mineures qui apparaissent seulement dans la langue parlée (détails de prononciation, de conjugaison et de vocabulaire). Le catalan occidental comprend le catalan de l’Ouest (vallées de l’Ebre et de le Sègre), et le valencien. Le catalan oriental comprend le catalan de l’Est, les dialectes des Baléares et du Roussillon, les parlers d’Alghero, et de Sardaigne où le catalan pénétra au XIVe siècle”

Catalan has varied little over the centuries: a text by Ramon Llull dating back to the 13th century is still understood by modern Catalan speakers. Its dialects, which are grouped together in Western Catalan and Eastern Catalan, show only minor differences that appear only in the spoken form of the language (details in pronunciation, conjugation and vocabulary). Western Catalan includes West Catalan (Ebro and Segre valleys), and Valencian. Eastern Catalan encompasses East Catalan, the dialects of the Balearic Islands and Roussillon, and the local variety of Alghero in Sardinia, where Catalan was introduced in the 14th century.

Metzler Lexikon Sprache [Stuttgart. Verlag J. B. Metzler. 2000. P. 334. Entry “Katalanisch”].

This dictionary is an specifically philological one. Thus this book is a more scientific reference one that is more delved into the specific subject we are talking about than the other encyclopedias, that could be described as more generic.

“Romanische Sprache Kataloniens (Principat), der Provinz Valencia, eines Teils des französischen Roussillon, der Balearen und einiger Sprachinseln wie Alghero (Sardinien). Offizielle Sprache Andorras. Ca. 7-8 Millionen Sprecher, beinahe ausschließlich zweisprachig (katalanisch-spanisch beziehungsweise katalanisch-französisch); örtlich bis 80% Katalanischsprecher”

Romance language spoken in Catalonia (the Principality), the Valencian Country, most of the French Roussillon, the Balearic Islands, and some linguistic islets such as Alghero (Sardinia). Official language of Andorra. Approximately 7-8 million speakers, almost all of which are exclusively bilingual (Catalan-Spanish or Catalan-French); in its territory up to 80% of Catalan speakers.

Is it possible that such prestigious publications, led by prestigious and at the same time neutral scientists, are wrong?