Abstract 1

Clara Cantueso

Catalan is a Romance language that is primarily spoken in Catalonia, Valencia, and the
Balearic Islands in eastern and northeastern Spain, as well as in some regions of
France, Italy and Andorra.
In Catalonia's parliamentary elections in December 2017, pro-independence groups
narrowly prevailed. The status of Catalan and Spanish, should Catalonia ever derogate
from Spain, is a significant topic on which there is substantial disagreement, not least
within the separatist movement in Catalonia.
The theoretical framework of linguistic authority, in particular the ideas of anonymity
and authenticity, is used to examine the issue of language officiality in a hypothetically
autonomous Catalonia. The information, which comes from an online discussion
thread that was started after a conversation with a Catalan language activist, reveals a
startling range of linguistic ideological views on the nature of linguistic authority in
Catalonia as it currently exists as well as how it should be built and managed in the
event of independence, particularly with regard to issues of officialness.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Catalan-language
https://www.speakeasybcn.com/en/blog/the-languages-of-spain-which-languages-
are-spoken-in-spain

HEPI

In this part of the abstract, I will make a reference to my grandfather who was forced
to leave from Spain to Switzerland for work. As a matter of fact, the economic situation
in the country wasn't the best after the Civil War; when the war was about to end, the
Nationalists divided Republican land in half in June 1938 by driving to the
Mediterranean Sea. Franco launched a significant assault against Catalonia later in the
year. Barcelona, the region's capital, was taken in January 1939, and the rest of
Catalonia quickly followed. Republicans tried to negotiate a peace, but Franco
declined, and the cause was all but lost. The Spanish Civil War concluded on March 28,
1939, when the triumphant Nationalists marched into Madrid. The war, which was the
most devastating in Spanish history, claimed up to a million lives.

The Spanish economy suffered from an economic shock throughout the second half of
the 1950s. In accordance with the 1953 Treaty of Madrid, US loans entered the
Spanish economy. However, there was no following increase in industrial output, and
as a result, inflation skyrocketed. Living standards for the majority of Spaniards fell as a
result of price increases that were outpacing salary increases. For instance, in 1957,
inflation was around 30% while wage growth was only 20%. In some regions of Spain,
declining real wages led to workplace unrest, which Spanish police violently
suppressed. Due to the country's poor economic performance, many Spanish grew
progressively resentful with Franco's government.

Thus, my grandfather, as many other Spanish, was forced to emigrate in order to seek
for a better life opportunities and escape from misery, also because the working rate
was progressively falling in Spain. He sent the money he made from his seasonal
construction job in Switzerland to the members of his family, and lived this situation
throughout four years.

Many Spanish people fled to Europe in search of better living conditions during this
difficult and miserable period; this migratory movement pushed a mass of population
that fluctuates between a million and a half and two million Spaniards beyond the
Pyrenees, who settled in various European countries. The Stabilization Plan of the
Spanish Government in 1959, promoted by the technocratic team led by Ullastres, was
intended to be a bridge to the Development Plans, but it instead forced many
businesses to close or implement crisis plans, which resulted in the firing of employees
who swelled the unemployment rate.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/spanish-civil-war-ends
https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-visor/exiliados-y-emigrados-19391999--0/
html/ffdf03e4-82b1-11df-acc7-002185ce6064_8.html
https://www.tutor2u.net/history/reference/economic-development-in-spain-1956-75