Bourbon Decrees and Catalan Linguistic Resistance

The 18th Century: Suppression and Survival of Catalan

The 18th century was characterized by the loss of political freedoms. To standardize the mainland territories, strongly divided by the War of the Spanish Succession, Philip V promulgated the Decrees of Nueva Planta. These decrees were issued by the Consejo de Castilla (Council of Castile) with the aim of imposing cultural and linguistic unification and implementing administrative centralism. The legislation had a particularly repressive character, given that the Catalans had supported the Austrian candidate. The result was the abolition of autonomous institutions and the establishment of Spanish as the sole official language of the country.

To ensure the language shift from Catalan was completed as soon as possible, universities were closed, and the use of Catalan was forbidden in education, justice, administration, and the church. Throughout the century, various documents and instructions were published to ensure the proper implementation of the Decrees of Nueva Planta.

Language Attitudes and Resistance

The decrees could not be effectively applied because most of the population was illiterate and did not know Castilian. During this period, many diglossic situations remained. In the church, education, and local administration, Catalan was used in relations with the general populace and for local communications. However, the use of Spanish was required in relations between the clergy and religious orders, in higher education, and for national documents.

Two main attitudes were adopted: contemptuous and apologetic. Antoni de Capmany showed an attitude of contempt towards the Catalan language, believing it suitable only for private use. Most apologists presented sentimental reasons, characterizing the language as elegant and smooth, and some even offered qualified scientific arguments. Notable apologists included Ignasi Ferreres, with his Advocacy of the Catalan Language, defending its quality, and Baldiri Reixac, with his Instructions for the Teaching of Boys.

Despite the authorities' efforts to prohibit the use of Catalan in popular expressions, a number of works in Catalan continued to be published throughout the century. This illustrates the enduring spirit that encouraged the proliferation of studies on the language, including works like Grammar and Catalan Graced with Two Spellings, among others.