Valencian Academy of Language publishes online dictionary, despite government’s complaints

The Valencian Academy of Language (Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua, AVL) has finally published the Official Valencian Dictionary (Diccionari normatiu valencià) online. The group was supposed to present the book yesterday, but the event was canceled for ‘technical problems’ after receiving criticism and threats from the government for having included definitions that describe Valencian and Catalan being the same language. The dictionary went online at midday today, without any public introduction, and can be consulted over the internet.

The dictionary includes the definition of ‘Valencian’ that the govern had criticized: ‘Romance language spoken in the Valencian Community, as well as in Catalonia, the Baleric Islands, the French département of the Eastern Pyrenees, Andorra, the Eastern strip of Aragon, and the Sardinian city of Alguer, where the language is called Catalan’. For the definition of Catalan, the dictionary says, ‘Romance language spoken in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, the French département of the Eastern Pyreenes, the Principality of Andorra, the Eastern strip of Aragon, the Sardinian city of Alguer, and in the Valencian Community, where it is called Valencian’.

The AVL explains in a specific warning, that the Council of Culture has asked the Consultative Legal Council to issue a statement to determine if the definitions of ‘Valencian’ and ‘Catalan’ respect Valencia’s Statute of Autonomy.