Sprach- und Identitätsdiskurse: Mallorca und die Republik Moldau im Vergleich

Abstract

Summary: This article compares the discourses on ethnolinguistic identity in the sociopolitical context of Majorca and the Republic of Moldova, highlighting a series of parallel affinities. We base or study on the analysis of some linguistic ideologies disseminated through texts produced by scholars, politicians and journalists, which shape the public discourse in both territories. Various aspects of the standardization processes of Catalan and Romanian are discussed, as well as the position of most Majorcan and Moldovan intellectuals in favour of the standard language, the controversy surrounding the “scientific truth” and the respective glottonyms, and the persistence of purist attitudes. We also allude to the “mythical bilingualism”, used to the benefit of dominant languages, and to the marks left by traditionally hegemonic Spanish and Russian. [Keywords: Majorca; Moldova; linguistic ideologies; language and identity; standardization; linguistic purism; nation-building]