Llengua i cultura a l'Alguer. Una perspectiva concreta

Resum

The presence of Catalan in Alghero, which dates back to the 13th century, is currently quite diminished. Catalan is the habitual language of some 5,000 inhabitants (11 % of the city's population of 42,000), and 37 % know how to speak it. In recent decades, the transmission of the language from one generation to the next has been interrupted. The language is in a state of lethargy, having been replaced by Italian, which is seen as the more useful and modern language, ensuring upward social mobility. Starting in the 70's, various initiatives from different sectors of the population have been launched to try to remedy this situation: cultural associations have been established and contacts have been made with the rest of the Catalan-speaking world. The publication of a dictionary of Alghero Catalan (Pasqual Scanu, 1981), magazines, the creation of a Catalan library, and literary contests are some of the manifestations of this cultural activity. The establishment in 1991 of a branch of Òmnium Cultural in Alghero is of special significance because it has contributed to dynamize Catalan language and culture in the city through the creation of Catalan courses, radio and TV programs and continuing education courses for teachers of Catalan. The legal framework allowing for a greater dissemination of Catalan has also improved in recent years: the Sardinian Regional Act (1997) and the National Act for the Protection of Minority Languages and Cultures (1999) encourage and recommend (not mandate) the teaching and public presence of these languages, considered part of a cultural heritage that should be preserved. To this end, a provision is made for subsidies and the use of these languages in teaching as well as in local and regional government.