Valencian writers against the politicization of the language
More than 300 authors have signed a manifesto in support of the AVL and demanded that language issues be technical and not a matter of partisan debate.
BarcelonaMore than 300 writers, such as Manel Baixauli, Martí Domínguez, Ferran Torrent, Mercedes Clemente and Rafa Lahuerta They sign a manifesto rejecting the politicization of the language, as in the case of change of nomenclature from Valencia to Valencia/ValenciaThe text also expresses support for the Valencian Academy of Language (AVL) as the sole regulatory body.
The signatories denounce "the various attacks of various kinds that our language has suffered in recent times" and emphasize that Valencian is their working tool, which should remain outside of partisan debate. The manifesto warns of the "sidelining" of Valencian within the educational system, until now the only area in which a certain normality was aspired to, according to the signatories, as well as of the "attempts at minoritizing it within the Audiovisual Corporation of the Valencian Community."
The authors argue that the debate on language issues corresponds to the AVL and not to public opinion. As an example, they emphasize that "it would be absurd to read in the Spanish press heated debates about whether or not the spelling of the "z" should be maintained in Spanish," when the vast majority of Spanish speakers do not pronounce it differently from the "s." And they add that it is even more absurd "to make the issue of the "z" spelling the subject of a vote in any city council," referring to the cases of the city councils of Valencia and Alicante, and their declaration as Spanish-speaking.
The manifesto concludes by asking that the AVL be able to continue its regulatory work "without any kind of pressure and with the necessary resources" and urges institutions to "stop considering the language a weapon of political aggression," since this encourages "the abandonment of Valencian for being a "problematic" language."
Among the signatories we also find Sebastià Portell, Juli Capilla and Joan DeusaIn this manifesto, all of them insist that writing in Valencian is their way of contributing "to expanding the literary heritage" without fear of "chance" that could affect the language, their "working tool."
