És virtual el català a Internet? Reflexions sobre la presència del català a la Xarxa i propostes per incrementar-hi l'ús

Resum

The Internet has meant a revolution in the transmission of information and services. In the future, it shall affect every sphere of life. This new medium is one of the pillars of globalization, but, on the other hand, it is also the basis for a new glocalization, a communication system networking people and the entities of their immediate surroundings. The Internet offers a language like Catalan, which has a limited sphere of influence, new possibilities, since new technologies incorporate multilingualism. Although English may tend to assume the role of lingua franca, the other languages also have access to the networks. The use and dissemination of Catalan shall depend in large measure on the demand created by the Catalans themselves. The Internet is not only a source of information, but also a channel for business, and businesses will adapt to the language demands of their potential customers. In networking, the willingness of individuals is essential, because establishing language market shares is by no means an easy task. There are a series of providers that have a queries page in Catalan and many web pages from Catalan institutions and major companies use this language. The private sector is usually more reluctant to use Catalan. The article offers a long list of Internet addresses on a far-flung collection of subjects: culture, justice, business, banks, etc. The most salient of these addresses, according to the article, are «vilaweb». which provides information on Catalonia and new technologies and has a Catalan-language browser, and «Softcatalà », a non-profit company that makes free Catalan-language software available to users.