HISTORIC / LITERARY CREDENTIALS of VALENCIAN LANGUAGE, documented in my book :
"CRONOLOGIA HISTORICA de la LENGUA VALENCIANA" .
The special edition by the Diputación of Valencia of my second book "CRONOLOGIA HISTORICA de la LLENGUA VALENCIANA" (Valencia 2007) is the result of a deep research work carried out by the Catedratica and Philologist Mª Teresa Puerto Ferre and collaborators Ricart Garcia Moya and J.I.Culla Hernadez with the purpose of clarifying some essential facts in defence of our historical Valencian Language (spoken in the Valencia Kindom for centuries) and dismounting 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The edition of this second book is an excellent anthology of more than 1000 historical documents and literary testimonies to our old VALENCIAN LANGUAGE (dated from the 10th century) , proving the authenticity of its unquestionables existence .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 BACELONI DIALECT (now called modern CATALAN) :
7. 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 .
8. Catalan did not exist as a standardized language in the 19th century : it was just one of the various Provenzal dialects.
9. 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 .
10. 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 .
11. 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.
12. 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 grab what has never been part of their heritage : our historical VALENCIAN LANGUAGE. Yours faithfully,
Mª Teresa Puerto Ferre B.A.,M. Anglo-Roman Phil. Catedrática de Lengua Inglesa Member of: Colectiu Lluís Fullana de Professors d´Universitat i Doctors Valencianistes Universidad de Valencia (Valencia –SPAIN)
