Els grans conceptes de la doble oficialitat en la Llei 1/1998, de 7 de gener, de política lingüística

Resum

This paper examines the ways in which the concepts of autochthonous language, official language and language normalisation are dealt with in Act 1/1998 on language policy. It also discusses the application of this legislation to different areas of Catalan life. The Act goes further than its predecessors rules by declaring not only that "Catalan is the autochthonous language of Catalonia," but also that which "makes the Catalans a unique people." Because of its status as the autochthonous language of Catalonia, Catalan is the sole language of Catalan institutions and the only language used for territorial demarcation (toponyms, signs, signage, etc.) Nevertheless, at times, the position of Catalan as the autochthonous language of Catalonia and its status as an official language within Catalonia conflict with the official status of Spanish. Act 1/1998 safeguards the right of the citizenry, upon request, to receive mailings and notices in Spanish from the Catalan government. On the other hand, there is a certain amount of ambiguity regarding the use of Catalan among Spanish government agencies operating in Catalonia. The Act also stipulates that private companies operating in Catalonia should be able to service their customers in either of the two official languages, according to the preference of the customer. This does not mean listening to and understanding the customer in one official language and answering him in the other. It means answering him in his language. If the staff speaks only Spanish, the business may be forced to hire bilingual personnel. Failure to answer a customer in his own language is a violation of the Act and punishable by fine.Aside from the possible conflicts generated by Catalan's being the autochthonous language of Catalonia and its official status in Catalonia alongside Spanish, the Act's aim of acting as a force for language normalisation is clear. Article 1 sets forth its goal of "supporting, stimulating and normalising the use of the Catalan language in all spheres."