Die Sprachpolitik auf den Balearen

Abstract

This article deals with the linguistic normalization process in the Balearic Islands. It first
presents basic data on the Catalan-speaking population of the archipelago and the influence
of Castilian on the local Catalan, e.g. through television and tourism. Secondly, it gives
information about linguistic policy strategies such as, for example, the promotion of linguistic
standardization by the Government of the Balearic Islands, which uses Catalan as the official
language in administrative acts. It insists on the fact that the normalization process must
include the entire population and must also promote the acquisition of the language (also by
the non-Catalan-speaking part of the population) through language courses and above all with
the help of television and radio, and the knowledge of Catalan. This favors the use of Catalan
in situations of contact between the non-Catalan-speaking population and the Catalan-speaking population and its use with speakers of other languages.