[maxmalkav]

It’s complicated than that. Valencian is at best a dialect of Catalan, the differences are not significant enough to considere them two separate languages.

The rejection of considering Valencian as Catalan has some links to Blaverism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaverism a “weird” Spanish nationalist movement from Valencia with marked Anti-Catalan character.

Oficial languages in Spain are Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish (obviously). They survive others such as Aragonese, Bable or Extremeñu. Plus the Spanish dialects such as the Southern ones.

[PaulDavisThe1st]

> the differences are not significant enough to considere them two separate languages.

There are beach-front plaques in at least 2 towns near Valencia that, ahem, vigorously dispute your position :)

Also, s/Spanish/Castillian/ surely?

[harperlee]

Not surely, and even surely not:

https://rpstranslations.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/is-it-spani...

[elnatro]

Why shouldn’t the language be called Spanish? What about Italian or German?

[cronopios]

Because there are several other languages (Galician, Aragonese, Asturianu, Estremeñu, etc) that are just as Spanish as Castilian is.

Did you notice that English is called English (from England) and not British? Quite logical IMHO, as in the UK several other languages are spoken (Welsh, Irish, Cornish, etc)

[elnatro]

That’s nonsense in Italy and Germany there are other languages/dialects too and nobody changes the name to the main common language.

The case of English is different as the language was mainly used una part of the country, while Spanish rapidly extended to all regions.

[ivanbakel]

Italy and Germany were both unified much more recently than Spain, and by popular nationalist movements. The selection of their national dialects was basically artificial, since Tuscan Italian and Hochdeutsch were not widely spoken in either country.

The status of languages like Castillan is much more controversial, because they are only the national dialect by conquest. (French is in a similar position, though it cleverly shares the name with the country it is the national language of.) It doesn't help that the French and Spanish governments have historically suppressed "dialects" in favour of the national language in an immoral and shameful way.

>The case of English is different as the language was mainly used una part of the country

English is the most used language throughout the UK. There are almost no non-English-speaking communities left in Wales or Scotland, and language (much like everything else to do with the English) is a contentious political issue in Northern Ireland.

However, it would be grossly inappropriate to start calling this language "British", even when just referring to how it is spoken in the UK - because of many of the same historical features as Castillan and French.

[darkwater]

> That’s nonsense in Italy and Germany there are other languages/dialects too and nobody changes the name to the main common language.

Because Italy is still in its nationalist infancy, being united as big, single, 19th century cool nation for a little more than 150 years. But many of the "dialects" spoken in Italy are actually different languages with different vocabulary, grammar rules etc.

[cronopios]

So, according to you, the Spanish constitution is nonsense:

Article 3

1. Castilian is the official Spanish language of the State. All Spaniards have the duty to know it and the right to use it.

2. The other Spanish languages shall also be official in the respective Autonomous Communities in accordance with their Statutes.

3. The wealth of the different linguistic modalities of Spain is a cultural heritage that shall be the object of special respect and protection.

[elnatro]

No, officially in Spain the language is Castilian. However, according to the RAE, it’s also called Spanish. Indeed the RAE recommends the use of “español” (Spanish) [1].

[1] https://www.rae.es/dpd/espa%C3%B1ol

[pqs]

My mother tongue is Catalan, which is as Spanish as Castilian itself.

The problem is that both Catalan and Spanish nationalists like the idea to identify Castilian with Spanish. The Catalan separatists like that because it is the proof they are not Spaniards, since Catalan is not from Spain, and the Spanish nationalists like it because it puts the other Spanish language in a second level, something they love.

[ricardbejarano]

> It’s complicated than that. Valencian is at best a dialect of Catalan

If anything, Catalan is a dialect of Valencian since Valencian precedes Catalan. Source: look it up.

Catalans are taught a different story in school, which makes most of them believe your statement. Source: I am from Catalonia and I was taught Valencian to be one of Catalan's dialects, until I met some friends from Valencia who educated me on the subject.

[xondono]

> If anything, Catalan is a dialect of Valencian since Valencian precedes Catalan. Source: look it up.

I had a quick look around, and most sources seem to disagree with you, with the first records of Valencian coming from circa 1350 [0] and Catalan starting around 300 years before [1].

If you have any authoritative sources to back that claim up, I'd be interested in seeing them.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valencian_language#Authors_and... [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_language#Middle_Ages

[hutzlibu]

"Source: look it up."

Those are the best, especially on controversial subjects. You basically say, that first you learned in catalan, that valencian is just a catalan dialect - and then you was influenced by people from Valencia who told you otherwise and for some reasons you rather believed them.

The question is, why should anyone here also believe those friends of yours? It just sounds to me, you have been influenced by different ideologies - as this is a politically loaded subject, where people usually do not apply scientific standards to a discussion, but rather emotions.

[6LLvveMx2koXfwn]

In the (Spanish) Basque Country no one calls Basque 'Basque', it is almost universally referred to as Euskara.

[elnatro]

There is a Basque newspaper called “El diario Vasco” [1] so I’m afraid that your assessment is incorrect.

[1] https://www.diariovasco.com

[6LLvveMx2koXfwn]

Doesn't that refer to the country or the people rather than the language? Perhaps I should have been clearer in my comment;

In my experience almost no one in the Basque Country refers to the Basque language as 'Basque', it is generally referred to as Euskara, even by non-native speakers.

[elnatro]

Well, one of my work buddies was Basque (sadly he passed away) and spoke about “vascos” all the time. He could speak Basque perfectly (even to the point of recognizing the different dialects) and he was from a small town, were Euskera es more prevalent. That’s my experience.

[thingsgoup]

Vasco is to someone del país vasco as Brit is to someone from Britain. It’s referring to nationality not language.

[elnatro]

He told me he saw some ad in “Vasco” in an occupied house…

[xondono]

That's true, but that's like saying that french people don't call themselves "french", but "français".