Linguistic discomforts and potential linguistic injustices in 21st century Catalonia: insights from sociolinguistics and political theory

Abstract This article examines linguistic discomforts in Catalonia, a sociolinguistically complex society in which two main languages, Catalan and Spanish, are spoken and which, over the last 25 years, has experienced substantial population growth due to international immigration. Although Catalan is the language historically spoken in the territory, Spanish benefits from its status as the sole official language throughout Spain and from the large proportion of migrants who already speak it. In this context, both Catalan speakers and migrants experience linguistic anxieties and discomforts. This is the first study to examine this issue on the basis of empirical data. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach that combines sociolinguistics and political theory, the article identifies different types of linguistic discomfort, and interprets these findings within the framework of linguistic justice to evaluate whether such discomforts can be understood as manifestations of injustice. The results show that the burden of linguistic injustice mainly falls on two groups. On the one hand, Catalan speakers see their opportunities to use Catalan in everyday life increasingly constrained, and express concern about the long-term survival of their linguistic community. Conversely, immigrants who learn Catalan often lack safe spaces in which to practise the language, and struggle to be recognised as legitimate speakers. The article proposes pathways towards a feasible and fair accommodation of the interests and linguistic aspirations of both Catalan speakers and migrants within Catalonia’s contemporary sociopolitical context.