Language politics in Francoist Spain

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Language politics in Francoist Spain centered on attempts in Spain under Franco to increase the dominance of the Castilian language over the other languages of Spain. The regime of Francisco Franco had as one of its bases Spanish nationalism and many speakers of other languages had supported the Second Spanish Republic, which Franco's forces defeated in the Spanish Civil War, bringing Franco to power.

In the areas conquered by Franco's army, Spanish was declared the only official language. The use of other languages was variously banned, frowned upon or despised depending on the circumstances. The situation evolved from the harsh years of the immediate afterwar (1939) to the relative tolerance of the last years; Franco died in 1975, and his successor Juan Carlos of Spain began the Spanish transition to democracy.

Contents

1 Previous situation
2 The Spanish language
3 Evolution
4 Situation by areas

4.1 Andalusia
4.2 Aragon
4.3 Asturias
4.4 Balearic Islands
4.5 Basque Country
4.6 Catalonia
4.7 Galicia
4.8
4.9 Navarre
4.10 Spanish North Africa
4.11 Land of Valencia

5 Caló
6 See also
7 External links

Previous situation

The Republic had created regimes of autonomy for some regions with a local language.

The Spanish language

As part of the nationalistic efforts:

Spanish films were produced only in Spanish. Foreign films were required to be dubbed. As a consequence, Spanish dubbing actors achieved a high level of quality, but knowledge of foreign languages is even today lower in Spain than in most other European countries.
Person names were restricted to Spanish versions of Catholic and classical names. Leftist names like Lenin and regional names like the Catalan Jordi were forbidden and even forcefully substituted in official records.

Other languages were officially considered "dialects" in the sense of speeches that were not developed enough to be "real languages". Basque was different enough that it could not be taken as a debased form of Spanish but was despised as a rural language of limited currency, unfit for modern discourse.

Evolution

The Press Law of Manuel Fraga Iribarne replaced the pre-publication censorship with after-the-fact punishments.

Situation by areas

Basque Country

Basque language
The Catholic Church had supported the Basque nationalists aligned with the Republic.
Creation of Standard Basque by Euskaltzaindia
Unofficial Basque-language schools (ikastola).

Catalonia

Catalan language
Montserrat
Salvador Espriu
Joan Manuel Serrat is not allowed to sing La la la in Catalan for the Eurovision Song Contest 1968.

Galicia

Galician language
The exiles and emigrants in Buenos Aires took a great role in Galician literature.

Pichinglis
Fernando Póo
Río Muni
History of Equatorial Guinea: The Spanish also helped Equatorial Guinea achieve one of the continent's highest literacy rates
Annobonese language (Fá d'Ambô)

Navarre

CA Osasuna was allowed to maintain its Basque name, unlike other football teams with non-Spanish names.

Spanish North Africa

Ceuta, Melilla, Spanish Morocco, Spanish Sahara, international Tangier

Land of Valencia

Valencian

Caló

Caló (Spanish Romani)

External links

[Cronologia de la repressió de la llengua i la cultura catalanes] ("Chronology of the repression of Catalan language and culture", in Catalan with Spanish quotations).
[Ministerio de la Gobernación (Gazeta of 17/05/1940)] (CCITT T.& G4 Facsimile TIFF). Order of 16/05/1940 forbidding the use of generic foreign terms in lettering, samples, advertisements, etc.

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