Jazyková Situace A Jazyková Politika Na Baleárských Ostrovech

The paper will focus on the Balearic Islands, the autonomous community of Spain, located in the western Mediterranean Sea. The focus is placed not only on the demography and the linguistic situation but primarily on the linguistic politics and the language legislation of this territory. The Balearic Islands have the same political autonomy as the other Autonomous Communities of Spain which, however, use it far less than the other communities. Catalan is not for local inhabitants, who do not feel a strong belonging to the Catalan speaking world, so an essential part of identity as for the inhabitants of Catalonia and therefore the linguistic question for the local politicians is not such a priority as for the politicians in Catalonia. Even the sense of identity on the Islands is less intense than in Catalonia or the Basque Country, thanks to the migration from the different parts of Spain and from abroad. Despite the emancipation efforts, which we can observe even in other parts of Spain, Catalan on the Balearic Islands, due to the reasons mentioned above contrary to Catalonia, does not have any chance to resist Spanish or even to overpower it.