Language variation as a conscious strategy in audiovisual media

Abstract

When TV3 was founded in 1984, an oral standard was created for product development and dubbing. However, the implementation of the first television channel exclusively in Catalan was not without controversy over the language trends that were observed. Noting the focus placed on the centrality of Barcelona, scholars and linguists from the Catalan-speaking areas criticised the lack of representation of the varieties of Catalan within the model at a time when TV3 was seen as a tool for language reunification after the dictatorship. Thirty years on, the presence of numerous television channels demonstrate that Catalan is used actively in audiovisual media, both public and private. However, the profusion of linguistic models is palpable, and symptomatic of a linguistic reality that is far from promoting one model or ‘standard’, and characteristic of a pluricentric language model. In this article I will explore whether the media platforms in Catalan are effectively creating various linguistic centres. I will compare the situation with other audiovisual spaces in English as a reference point of the use of variation in media. I will also discuss the inevitability of the increase in visibility of language variation in media. The conclusion will assess ways in which the pluricentricity of Catalan can be positive for the vitality of the language if, as is the case of the BBC, audience design develops with the entire linguistic community in mind.

Keywordsds: audiovisual media, pluricentric language, language variation, audience design, language model, language planning.