COSTA BLANCA NEWS and JAUME I, the CONQUERING KING

JAUME I , the CONQUERING KING,  and COSTA BLANCA NEWS

El  passat 24 d´Octubre  el periodic  de la comunitat anglesa en la Comunitat Valenciana, "Costa Blanca news" ,  va publicar un muntó de falsetats al voltant del 9 d´Octubre, Jaume I i la conquesta del Regne  de Valencia :  La rectificació d´eixes falsetats es essencial per la repercusió qu´este periodic té a nivell internacional i dins de la comunitat estrangera  que viu  en la Comunitat Valenciana . Esta es la meua resposta publicada  per el periodic  el 14.11.2008:
 
The Editor,       
COSTA BLANCA NEWS          
“Letters to the Editor”
rwickman@cbnews.es

Valencia  31.10.2008

Dear Sir,

In the article of Alex Watkins “Jaume I-The Conquering King”, published in CBN October 24-30,2008  I wish to point out  certain inaccuracies  .

The statement that  during  Jaume I ´s  reign  “he chronicled  his achievements   in an autobiography  and that, as he was illiterate , they were   dictated in Catalan”  is  totally untrue   .   Jaume I ´s   “Llibre dels Feyts”   was dictated in the romanç VALENCIAN LANGUAGE  as what Alex Watkins  calls the “Catalan language” did not exist, as a standard form of language until 1906.

Historically, the Catalan standard language is a modern laboratory  invention, produced in 1906 by the chemical engineer Pompeu  Fabra ( a close friend of fascist  Sabino Aranas´s of the   Basque Country)  . Catalan  did not  exist  as a standardized language  in  the 19th century: Catalan  was  a mixture of Provenzal dialects  according  to the German  linguist  Friedrich  Diez ( "Grammatik der romanischen Sprachen". 1836 ) and by his disciple Meyer Lübcke ("Grammaire des Langues Romanes" 1890)  . Prestigious German linguist  F. Diez  was the  "Father of the Romance languages" and his classification has  been unbeaten to the present time.

On the contrary, the  historical Valencian language, (which is now in the process of attempted extermination under  the  overpowering  Catalan Big Brother), has always existed as a Romance Language  born after the split of the Latin language  and  established in the roots of   its own  linguistic "koiné" (standard) from   1121 (A.D.) .

 Valenciano, as an independent language, was  fully developed in the 13th and  14th centuries and  reached  the peak  of its  literature in its  "Golden  15th Century"  when  the language  spoken in Catalonia  was named "Valenciano"  because  then Catalan did not exist as a language . That  is why  famous writers such as :  Jordi de San Jordi, Jaume March, Ausias March, Jaume Roig, Roiç de Corella,  Joan Esteve , Pere Martínez,  Marti de Viciana,  etc.. and  hundreds more  , were all Valencian writers  stating in their  books  that "they were writing in  Valencian Language " (never in Catalan).

Another  historical inaccurary refers to Cataluña which didn´t exist  at the time when the Valencian Kingdom was reconquered in 1238 :  present Cataluña  was then called the Marca Hispánica  under the  ruling of the French Carolingian  kings . That denomination covered  a mosaic  of  feudal earldoms dominated by the strongest one in Barcelona. After  the Corbeil Treaty  (1258)  those Marca Hispanica earldoms  were transfered to Jaume I , king of Aragon . That was the starting point for the Catalan earldoms under the rule of King of Aragon.

The third historical  barbarism is what you define  as “repopulation  of Mallorca and Valencia with catalans” . That   “historical lie” has been totallly dismounted by Professor of Valencia University  Antonio Ubieto Arteta  in his research “Orígenes y Repoblación del Reino de Valencia” .(Temas Valencianos .1978)  in which   he proved that the reconquest of the Kingdom of  Valencia was an exclusive Aragon deed   and that   less than  1000  people from the Marca Hispanica came to Valencia  and they were mostly illiterate . And the same story about Mallorca. The percentage of those Marca Hispanica people in the Valencia  Kingdom were estimated to be less than  1.2 %  in  1287. 

Should there be any doubts about the foregoing facts, I would suggest that any of your readers including Alex Watkins might usefully refer to my recently published book :” Cronologia Histórica de la Lengua Valenciana” (published by the Diputación de Valencia . 2007)

I remain,

Yours sincerely ,

Mª Teresa Puerto Ferre, B.A.,M.Phil.
Catedrática de Lengua Inglesa
Filóloga Anglo-Románica
VALENCIA
www.teresafreedom.com

========= ADDITIONAL  INFORMATION TO READERS :

To the readers  of the book : “Cronologia Historica de la lengua Valenciana” by Mª Teresa Puerto Ferre,B.A.,M.Phil.  and coll. R.Gracia Moya and J.I. Culla. (Diputación de Valencia –Spain- 2007).

 

The special edition of  this book is the result of a research work  carried out by  the Catedrática (Professor)  of English  Language and Roman Languages Philologist ,  Maria Teresa Puerto-Ferre  and collaborators Ricart Garcia Moya and  Joan I. Culla  with the purpose  of  clarifying some essential facts in defence of our historical Valencian Language (spoken in the Valencia Kindom for centuries)  and   dismissing  the insidious campaign  against it,  developed  world-wide, by the fast-growing Catalan nationalism.

 

This long insiduous campaign has been perfectly designed  to supplant  our  historical Valencian Language by the artificial Barceloni dialect (now called Catalan) . The strong  publishing   Catalan industry as well as  the   powerful financial means (provided by the Catalan nationalist Government ) have  been in charge of its marketing  and its most effective world-wide campaign.

 

The present edition is intended as an excellent anthology  of  historical   documents and literary  testimonies  to  our  old Valenciana Language (dated from the 10th century) , proving  the  authenticity  of its  unquestionables existence . The definition  “I am writing  in my Valencian  mother tongue”  is constantly   used by thousands  of our literary writers , in their  prologues and epilogues. They never used  the expression  Catalan, which remained  as a mixture of non-standardized  dialects until 1906 .

 

There are some essential facts which must be  stated and remembered:

1. It is an unquestionable  fact  that  our historical Valencian Language  has always existed as a written Romance language  since the early 10th  century .

2. It is an unquestionable fact that our historical Valencian Language was the first  neo-Latin language having a  Literary  Golden  Century  ( 15th and 16th centuries) when  famous writers such as, Joanot Martorell,  Jordi de San Jordi, Jaume March, Ausias March, Jaume Roig, Roiç de Corella , Sor Isabel de Villena,…  and many more  clearly state  in their plays : “ I am writing in my Valencian  mother tongue language”.

3. It is an unquestionable fact  that our historical Valencian language reached  its peak  as well as its  full independence  in the lexical, phonetic, morphosyntaxic and semantic fields  during that Golden 15th –16th Century

4. It is  an unquestionable fact that  our historical Valencian  language  was a fully structured  language   having  excellent editions of  Valencian grammars (Andreae Semperi. Alcoi , 1546) and  dictionaries (“Liber Elegantiarum”.Valencia 1472)  in the XV and XVI centuries, and until now.

5. It is an unquestionable fact  that our historical Valencian Language had the first Bible translated into a neo-latin language  from latin in 1478 by Fray Bonifaci  Ferrer (presently exhibited  at the Hispanic Society of New York)

6.  It is an unquestionable fact  that our historical Valencian Language had the first Kempis  translated into a neo-latin language  from latin in 1482 by Miquel Perez

 

On the contrary , it is an unquestionable fact that the Barceloní dialect (now called modern Catalan) :

 

1. Is a modern-laboratory invention  produced by the industrial engineer  Pompeu 

Fabra in 1906  .The “Barceloní dialect” was chosen as standard   among the different dialects spoken  in Catalonia .

1.  Catalan  did not exist as a standardized language in the 19th century : it was  just one of the various Provenzal dialects.

2. According to the Father of the modern Romance Linguistics , the German linguist Friedrich Diez,  Catalan has always been a mixture of Provençal dialects (“Grammatik der romanischen Sprachen”.1836) . The same opinion was expressed by his disciple the Swiss  linguist Meyer  Lübcke ( “Grammaire des Langues Romanes”.1880) and a large number of  international linguists .

3. Modern  Catalan standard  was produced  by a non-linguist  amateur ( the industrial engineer  Pompeu  Fabra ) and derived into an artificial  laboratory language  full of gallicisms .

4. Catalan has always  had a very poor literary background  and lacks   the Golden  Century Literarure produced  in the Valencian  language in the  15th-16th centuries.

 

1. That is the reason  for  the Catalan  shameful  plundering  of our Valencian literary heritage , for the process of extermination of our historical Valencian language   and for its present supplantation  by the Barceloni dialect..

 

Historically, Valencia has always been a Kingdom , with its own “FURS” (laws) and with a brilliant  literary tradition and culture , whereas Catalonia has only been a poor collection of feudal  Counties with a very poor background in all  matters.

 

To our surprise , what used to be a a historical golden language  (Valenciano) has now become a “dialect”. And what used to be a dialect ( Barceloni/Catalan)  has now become a “language” … . So much for Catalan magic and sleight of hand.

 

Phoney Catalan nationalists and their over powerful army of publishers have made the chameleon  trick . However,  there is also a dangerous  intention : their purpose is to colonise , mentally and socially,  the indoctrinated Valencian youth as well as turning their Barceloni dialect into a prosperous  “money-making-machine”. Most Valencian pupils and students are being defined as “the useful idiots” of this prosperous nationalist business  .

 

Orwellian´s Big Brother has been  re-born.

 

The present book demonstrates  the necessary  antidote  against that fast-growing  nationalism in Catalonia  and its  insane  ambition  to steal  what has never been  part of their  heritage : our historical  Valencian  language.

  

 

 

 

In Contrast to the historica Valencian Language that has existed as a “standard” language  from the  XVth Century , complete with its grammars and dictionaries , the Barceloni dialect (now called Catalan) did not reach linguistic standard until 1906  .   In that  year , the 1st  Congress of the Catalan Language  was held ;  however , it was not until 1912 when the chemical engineer  Pompeu Fabra  published his first “Catalan Grammar” .

 

That publication was greatly denied by the grammarian  Menendez Pidal y by  Miguel de Unmamuno who was Professor of Linguistics at the University of Slamanca .   Amongst the points of criticism  was its lack of linguistic rigour and the unprofessional authorship as being that of a  chemical engineer (Pompeu Fabra) .

 

The Father of the whole Romance Languages movement , the German philologist Frederic Diez, in his “Grammaires des Langues Romanes”(Paris 1874 .Librairie A. Frank) places the Catalan dialects as being Provençal and his colleague Meyer-Lübke  in his “Grammaire des Langues Romanes” (Paris 1890. E Welter Editeur) defines it clearly as “a dialect of the Provençal”.

 

Throughout the 19th century and from 1859  when Prospero Bofarull organised “els primers Jochs Florals”;  failure to reach an agreement of “linguistic standard” and the ortographic unification of numerous variants of the Catalan dialects continued .   It was not achieved until 1906 when the chemical engineer Pompeu Fabra  published his “Catalan Grammar” . Not having been a linguist he had no control over the language , or the phonetics or the semantic , or , even less , the lexicon.  His collection of words  from the Barceloni dialect attempted to use as a linguistic substratum .

 

Pompeu Fabra made a “ few collections of parauletes” (words) taking as model the “most impure of all  Barceloni dialect “most impure of all”. But , as the illustrious , Catalan   historian , Father Batllori , reminds us “ Fabra made the bad beginning of not controlling the lexical field  but flooded  it  with Gallicisms from the Barceloni thus making it a “bastard language” .

 

So, he not only prepared  “a language laboratory bomb “ buit he also wished and attempted  but he also wished   and attempted to supplant the Valencian language with its long history .

 

The arrogant and fascist attitude and attempts  by imposition of the Barceloni dialect in Valencian Community  unleashed the fury of Mossen Alcover (organiser of the first Congress of the Catalan language) . He stated :

 

“ We have neither the right nor the literary category to place the Barceloni dialect before the Balearic (Majorcan) , Western Catalan and Valencian language.  To give Barceloni dialect such a right, would it not be to create a

new kind of linguistic centralism? (“Geografia del Reino de Valencia “ de Fco Carreres Candi.1927. page 692).

 

On the same line Father  J.M.Guinot also protested  by stating :  “Our main principle is that a language connot be artificial  or an artificial product of a laboratory  … The Catalan standard is being made by taking the Barceloni dialect which is the most impure of all Catalan dialects ..” (“En torn a la Llengua Valenciana” de J.M. Guinot i Galan) . (See document 7)

 

Even more recently, the big “guru”  of Catalan intellectuality , the historian Father Batllori  , stated at the University of Gerona on November 1st , 1992  “The Catalan of Barcelona that seeks to be imposed in Valencia is an infamous and infected dialect”  .(see document 4)

 

TWENTY  INTERNATIONAL DEFINITIONS  of the NEOCATALAN LANGUAGE (=Barceloni dialect) :

 

 

1.     Father of the Romance Language Linguistics and  creator of the  Comparative Linguistics : “ The Provençal  spreads particularly in catalonia “ “Alvernés, Gascon , Provençal  and Languedocian  are romance dialects “)(Grammaire  des Langues Romaniques”.Paris 1864. Page 3).

 

2.     German-Swiss philologist Meyer-Lübke   stated : “Catalan is only a dialect of the Provençal” (“Grammaire des Langues Romanes. Paris , 1890 .page 13).

 

3.      Chemical engineer  Pompeu Fabra , creator of neoCatalan in his  “fabrian laboratories” taking as a base the Barceloni dialect (1907):

       “Of the different dialects, Catalan will turn into one more variant of the         

       Occitan Language rediscovered( “Revista  Oc” .1936)

 

4.     Catalan Father Batllori ,  honorary  Ph.D of 11 Catalan universities : “   The Catalan of Barcelona taught in Valencia is an infamous and infected dialect” (His speech at the University of Gerona . 01.11.1992) .

 

5.

Majorcan priest Mossen Alcover (Majorca, 1915) , deviser and promoter      of the I Congress of the Catalan language  : “What right does the Barceloni dialect have before the language of Valencia? , would it not be to create a  new kind of linguistic centralism? (“Geografia del Reino de Valencia “ de Fco Carreres Candi.1927. page 692), statement made when , in 1913, the new rules of  Fabra´s Catalan spelling were being voted upon to decide its standard .

 

6.

Catalan author Marti de Riquer in his “History of Catalan Literature”       .1964) stated : “ The literature of the  troubadours , in its original, is the one written in the  PROVENÇAL language”…, “ the romance  language used by  the original Catalan poets with their own genuine make-up and  known  by their names  was  PROVENÇAL” (centuries  XII and XIIII. Page 21) .

It should be noted that Catalonia did not exist as a unified  entity until 1521  whe king Carlos 1st nominated as “Viceroy of Catalonia” the Archbishop of Tarragona , Don Pedro Folch de Cardona .   During  the 12th  and 13th  centuries  the current Catalonia existed then as a mix of many fiefdoms (la Marca Hispanica) of the French kings .   This existed until the  Treaty  of Corbeil ( 1258) when they came into the opossession of the king of Aragon , Jaime I.

 

      “Les Homilies de  Organyá” , as it is  recognised by Martín de Riquer

      in his “Historia de la Literatura Catalana”  (Tomo I), were written in

      PROVENÇAL language , as were all the literary works dated  in those

      times  . In those  days the only existing language in that area was

     PROVENÇAL from which all Catalan dialects are derived amongst 

     them the Barceloni dialect.

 

7.

Philologist J. M. Guinot (Castellon) : “ the base of the Catalan model language is that of the Barceloni dialect, which is totally impure”

(“Qüestions de Llengua “ Real Academia de Cultura Valenciana .Serie Filológica .1990).

 

8.

     Fermin Juanto, philologist of the University of the Sorbonne (Paris): “It   

     was  the political imposition of the Barceloni dialect by the chemical

     engineer Pompeu Fabra, brought from Bilbao by the tyrant Prat de la

     Riba (1911) (“Faltas ortograficas catalanas” LP. 19.06.1997) .

 

9. Fermin Juanto, philologist of the University of the Sorbonne (Paris): “the

    spelling imposed to Valencian people from  the “Catalunya Vella and

    Catalunya Grand”- as stated by Prat de la Riba-…ended  in the political    

    and dogmatic imposition of an artificial Barceloni dialect produced by

    the indecisive engineer Pompeu Fabra . The latter was brought from 

    Bilbao by the  tyrant  Prat de la Riba (1911)  and after humiliating and

    eliminating the philological, lexical and grammatical knowledge ..as well

    as the phonetic transcriptions made by Father Fullana (Valencia) and

    Father Alcover (Majorca), with their 30.000 documents that misteriously

    disappeared , which were intended to be used for the publishing  of the

    “Dictionary Catala-Valencia-Balear” (“Faltas ortograficas catalanas” LP.

    19.06.1997)

 

10. Historian and humanist Menendez y Pelayo stated :  “ Until the late 15th

     century all poetry in Ctalonia was written in PROVENÇAL”.

 

11. Philologist Morel Fatio stated: “ The Catalan is a mere variant of the

      PROVENÇAL because the Gallic inhabitants of Septimania and the

      Marca Hispanica  spoke the same Provençal language” .

 

12. “ The whole production of the poets considered the precursors of

      Catalan : Barenguer de Palol, Gerau de Cabrera, Guillem de Berguedá ,      

      Guillem de Cabestany , is written in PROVENÇAL” (“Historia de

      España” de Gallach. Barcelona. 1935).

 

13. The historian Pedro Aguado Bleye in his work  “Historia de España”:

      “The  erotic poetry of the Provençal troubadours was imitated in

      Catalonia in the 13th  and 14th centuries”.

 

14. The philologist and Catalan linguist Antoni Badia Margarit , Rector of

      the University of Barcelona , wrote in his“Gramatica Histórica

      Catalana” 1952 , “ Catalan is not  a romance language that has always

      existed as a language with its  proper personality : everything opposite,

      it was considered  to be a dialectal  variety  of the Provençal language.

      Only in recent times has it achieved the category  of an independent

       Neolatin language” (“Gramatica Historica Catalana”.1952).