Migration and semantic change: The ichthyonyms of Valencian fishermen in Andalusia

Abstract

Catalan-speaking seamen and merchants have constantly been found on the Atlantic coast of Andalusia throughout history and have been documented since at least the thirteenth century. This presence has had linguistic consequences which can be seen in the existence of numerous loanwords between Catalan and Spanish in maritime vocabulary. In connection with this dynamic, this article studies the migration process of Catalan-speaking fishermen, especially from the region of Valencia, to the coasts of the province of Cádiz from the eighteenth century until the last third of the twentieth century. This migration was caused by the appearance of a new fishing technique, pair sail trawling, a fishing innovation that gave Valencian fishermen a decisive advantage and spurred a migratory movement towards the coasts of Andalusia. This human and linguistic contact has left a visible mark in the appearance of Atlantic ichthyonyms, such as cavalla (Atlantic mackerel), marraix (shortfin mako), bacallaret (blue whiting) and pinta-roja (catshark).