The evolution of the knowledge of Valencian over two decades: the linguistic censuses from 1991 to 2011

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyse the linguistic data related to the Valencian language from the census of 2011 and to compare these results with data from previous censuses, particularly that of 2001. The interest of this analysis lies in the dissemination of data that has not been published elsewhere. The first part of the article portrays the demographic population of the Valencian Country and the second part examines the language census. The overall results show that 85% of the population of the Valencian Country aged 3 and over is able to understand the language and about half of the population is able to speak it; these levels are very similar to those found 20 years ago. In relation to formal skills, the literacy of the Valencian population continues to grow at a good pace. The results broken down by the demographic variables of age, place of birth and region of residence show important differences in both the level of knowledge of Valencian and its evolution. The section on the analysis of the territory reveals that there is a particular evolution of the knowledge of Valencian in some of the Valencian-speaking regions: Baix Maestrat, Costera, Comtat, Horta Oest and Ports. We attempt to find an explanation to these irregularities in demography and conclude by expressing suspicions about the reliability of the data from the census of 2011.

Keywords: language census; demolinguistics; knowledge of Valencian; Valencian Country.