User:Mathglot/sandbox/Test pages/Valencian/step three
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Valencian (/vəˈlɛnsiən/ or /vəˈlɛnʃən/; endonym: valencià, valenciano, llengua valenciana, or idioma valencià) is the variety of Catalan as spoken in the Valencian Community in Spain.
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Valencian | |
---|---|
valencià | |
Pronunciation | [valensi'a] |
Native to | Spain |
Region | Valencian Community, Region of Murcia (Carche) See also geographic distribution of Catalan |
Native speakers | 2.4 million (2004)[1] |
Catalan alphabet (Latin script) | |
Official status | |
Official language in | In Spain: Valencian Community |
Regulated by | Valencian Academy of the Language |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | – |
Glottolog | None |
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Valencian as a written language goes back to the Middle Ages, attested by the play Misteri d'Elx from 1350, and by numerous examples of Rennaissance poetry and literature in the 15th century. Valencian is spoken to varying degrees in the Valencian community but 10% speak only Spanish. A survey published in 2010 shows about half of respondents claiming to speak at a high level and a quarter able to write it as well, although use appears to be declining, partly due to encroachment by Spanish speaking immigrants.
The Valencian language differs from other Catalan dialects in phonology, morphology, orthography, and vocabulary, but these differences are generally minor and do not impede communication among speakers of the different varieties. There is a standard version of Valencian whose rules are guided by the legally constituted body Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua (AVL). This is the variety used by the majority of those who write Valencian. There are also several subvarieties of Valencian, including Transitional, Northern, Central, Southern, and Alicante Valencian. Notwithstanding these varieties, the AVL affirms the essential linguistic unity between Valencian and Catalan varieties, but public opinion polls shows that a majority of the Valencian public considers them different, although this may be changing among the younger generation.
A linguistic controversy about standards pits the AVL against the Acadèmia de Cultura Valenciana, which uses a separate standard for Valencian.
Valencian is protected by the Spanish Constitution and by the Valencian Statute of Autonomy which declares its status as official language of the Valencian Community coequal with Spanish, prohibits discrimination, and establishes the AVL as the official body for regulation of the language.