Tools for the implementation of Catalan in Catalonia and Northern Catalonia: a theoretical analysis of two different education systems

Abstract

This article examines the role of the education system in the processes of implementing the Catalan language (and particularly its normative variety), and focuses on two Catalan-speaking regions: Catalonia and Northern Catalonia (in France). Theoretical links are established between language-in-education policy decisions and the implementation of linguistic norms, and three relevant sociolinguistic schemas are outlined (based on Cooper 1989, Schiffman 1996 and Baker 2011). These are then used to classify and provide deeper insight into the situations under investigation. The two regions are addressed in turn: they are evaluated using the theoretical schemas, and any data concerning the implementation of the norm is duly addressed and analysed. This is of particular relevance in the case of Northern Catalonia, whose education system has received relatively little academic attention. The two regions will be shown to differ on almost all fronts, from the degree of implementation to the presence of Catalan language (intermediate) education. However, much more research needs to be undertaken (particularly on Northern Catalonia) before any firm conclusions can be drawn.

Keywords : Northern Catalonia, normative language, implementation, language-in-education policy.