L'Alguer (Alghero), a Catalan linguistic enclave in Sardinia

Abstract

This article presents a linguistic and sociolinguistic description of l'Alguer (Alghero), a Catalan linguistic enclave in Sardinia (Italy). Within the framework of linguistic-enclave research, the linguistic, geographic, historical, and political specifics of Alghero are presented, along with local dynamics involving multilingualism, heteroglossia, and linguistic hybridization. The relationship between codes (mainly Catalan, Sardinian, and Italian), local language ideologies and identities, as well as macrosociolinguistic data, suggests an ongoing process of language shift, with both bottom-up and top-down policies of language maintenance developing in response. The point of view adopted here is Catalan, rather than Italian, highlighting the relationship of the local dialect “Algherese” with its homeland Catalan speech area and the Catalan speech community. The Italian political context is considered to the extent that it bears on the current linguistic status and likely prospects of Algherese, and reference is made to other linguistic enclaves in Italy, but no full comparative inquiry is intended.