The Differential Object Marker in Valencian: Another Failure of Prescriptivism
A rich tradition of studies on languages with differential object marking (DOM) is available in the literature. Languages like Spanish or Romanian are frequently cited in discussions about DOM, but Valencian is seldom mentioned in this context. This oversight may stem from a lack of familiarity with...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Languages |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/9/3/101 |
| _version_ | 1797240247425171456 |
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| author | Vicente Iranzo |
| author_facet | Vicente Iranzo |
| author_sort | Vicente Iranzo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A rich tradition of studies on languages with differential object marking (DOM) is available in the literature. Languages like Spanish or Romanian are frequently cited in discussions about DOM, but Valencian is seldom mentioned in this context. This oversight may stem from a lack of familiarity with the Valencian language and an over-reliance on guidelines set by textbooks and official prescriptive grammars—in the case of Valencian, by the Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua—which drafts the linguistic regulations of the Valencian language. This study aimed to analyze the usage of the DOM in Valencian and explore the social variables that help explain this usage (sex, age, and education). To achieve this goal, Spanish–Valencian bilingual participants completed an oral production task to evaluate their use of DOM in Valencian. Statistical analysis revealed that Valencian is a DOM language that marks direct objects that refer to humans and definite entities. These results point to the linguistic ideologies in Valencia that attempt to artificially create linguistic differentiation between Valencian and Spanish, the co-official languages in the region. Furthermore, the results emphasize the limitations of top-down prescriptive policies in modifying vernacular linguistic varieties. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:04:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-05a768bc392c41d296d6afd0938abf55 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2226-471X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:04:24Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Languages |
| spelling | doaj.art-05a768bc392c41d296d6afd0938abf552024-03-27T13:50:59ZengMDPI AGLanguages2226-471X2024-03-019310110.3390/languages9030101The Differential Object Marker in Valencian: Another Failure of PrescriptivismVicente Iranzo0Department of Modern Languages, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USAA rich tradition of studies on languages with differential object marking (DOM) is available in the literature. Languages like Spanish or Romanian are frequently cited in discussions about DOM, but Valencian is seldom mentioned in this context. This oversight may stem from a lack of familiarity with the Valencian language and an over-reliance on guidelines set by textbooks and official prescriptive grammars—in the case of Valencian, by the Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua—which drafts the linguistic regulations of the Valencian language. This study aimed to analyze the usage of the DOM in Valencian and explore the social variables that help explain this usage (sex, age, and education). To achieve this goal, Spanish–Valencian bilingual participants completed an oral production task to evaluate their use of DOM in Valencian. Statistical analysis revealed that Valencian is a DOM language that marks direct objects that refer to humans and definite entities. These results point to the linguistic ideologies in Valencia that attempt to artificially create linguistic differentiation between Valencian and Spanish, the co-official languages in the region. Furthermore, the results emphasize the limitations of top-down prescriptive policies in modifying vernacular linguistic varieties.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/9/3/101Valencian DOMSpanish DOMprescriptivismlinguistic differentiation |
| spellingShingle | Vicente Iranzo The Differential Object Marker in Valencian: Another Failure of Prescriptivism Languages Valencian DOM Spanish DOM prescriptivism linguistic differentiation |
| title | The Differential Object Marker in Valencian: Another Failure of Prescriptivism |
| title_full | The Differential Object Marker in Valencian: Another Failure of Prescriptivism |
| title_fullStr | The Differential Object Marker in Valencian: Another Failure of Prescriptivism |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Differential Object Marker in Valencian: Another Failure of Prescriptivism |
| title_short | The Differential Object Marker in Valencian: Another Failure of Prescriptivism |
| title_sort | differential object marker in valencian another failure of prescriptivism |
| topic | Valencian DOM Spanish DOM prescriptivism linguistic differentiation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/9/3/101 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT vicenteiranzo thedifferentialobjectmarkerinvalenciananotherfailureofprescriptivism AT vicenteiranzo differentialobjectmarkerinvalenciananotherfailureofprescriptivism |