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== Tabarnia ==
{| class="infobox" width="150"
|-
!align="center"|]
]
----
|-
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|-
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==country/state==


{{U|Danielhythloday}}, {{U|Beethoven}}, please discuss your issues here, instead of edit-warring and discussing via edit summaries. For what it's worth, I don't think Tabarnia is an appropriate "See also". There is little or no connection between it and the subject of the article. ] (]) 19:51, 20 April 2018 (UTC)
Italy, France, Andorra, Spain....they can be called either countries or states. So let's just use both, luckily enough we can use them interchangeably. <span style="font-variant:small-caps"><font color="#800080">]</font></span> ] 22:26, 6 May 2008 (UTC)
:True. Though if a compromise is to be reached, and you want to use both terms, I'd rather use "sovereign state" in the phrase and "country" as the label of the column. --] 22:29, 6 May 2008 (UTC)
::That's fine with me, even though, if they can be used interchangeably, I dont get why you need it ''this way'' for a compromise to be reached...accusing ''others'' of political preferences is easy...
::Whatever, as far as I'm concerned, you can go ahead with that change if it makes you feel better. <span style="font-variant:small-caps"><font color="#800080">]</font></span> ] 22:31, 6 May 2008 (UTC)
:::You may not know of our previous discussion regarding the use of "Spanish State" vs. "State" at ]. He opposed "Spanish State" based on political preferences, but accepted "State". Now he opposes the compromise we reached (i.e. "State"). So, no, I am not "accusing others" easily. But I will not take that light comment of yours as an accusation either. Peace.
:::May I also suggest changing Region for territories? If you disagree with that particular term, please feel free to change it back.
:::--] 22:43, 6 May 2008 (UTC)


:I'm afraid it didn't work, {{U|Scolaire}}. That user with including Tabarnia here, while refusing to give rational argumentation as one can see in his last edit summary... --] (]) 22:27, 20 April 2018 (UTC)
As Dunadan is starting again an egocentric little war with the denomination of these geographical/political areas I will only paste here how some articles in wikipedia do start:


::No, {{U|Beethoven}}, it didn't work because because ''you'' did not post here saying, "I believe that Tabarnia should not be added because...". Instead you continued to edit-war with him. Next time it happens I will report you both at the ], and you ''will'' be blocked. ] (]) 07:24, 21 April 2018 (UTC)
Please, notice that ALL are ]


Well, I was waiting for {{U|Danielhythloday}} to explain us here in Talk page in a rational way why he believes "Tabarnia" should be added on this article. It's not the first time we see IPs or users trying to include "Tabarnia" in different articles related with Catalonia, including this one. Those actions seem more related to vandalism than anything else. I honestly think the least he could do is to expose his arguments, before doing something that had already been reverted months ago. But since this specific user insists with it, I'm going to start exposing why I think there is no connection between Tabarnia and the Catalan Countries. Judging by his edit summaries, I think the issue here is more related with the particular conception he has of the Catalan Countries. And this is something that has already been discussed many times here, but it seems we are going to have to discuss it again:
*]: The Commonwealth of Australia is a '''country'''...
*]: Bangladesh officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a '''country''' in South Asia.
*]: Belarus is a landlocked '''country''' in Eastern Europe.
*]: The Kingdom of Belgium is a '''country''' in northwest Europe.
*]: The Kingdom of Cambodia is a '''country''' in South East Asia
*]: India , officially the Republic of India is a '''country''' in South Asia.
*]: The Republic of Indonesia is a '''nation''' in Southeast Asia.
*]: Israel officially the State of Israel is a '''country''' in Western Asia
*]: Japan is an island '''country''' in East Asia.
*]: Pakistan officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a '''country''' located in South Asia


* '''''Catalan Countries''''': the historic term used to designate those territories where the Catalan language, or a variant of it, is spoken. The first use of the term dates back to the 19th century, by a Valencian jurist and historian. During the 20th century it became popular, specifically after Valencian writer Joan Fuster works. It's a term used when studying and analyzing linguistics related with Catalan language and its variations. For example on publications like this one: (2017).
About Dunandan's oppinion ''"rv, not confusing to me, or to a Canadian, or Austrlian, or to dictionaries"'', let's see how some of those countries + UK and US are described:


* '''''Tabarnia''''': it's the name invented by a very small satirical/joke organization against Catalonia's independence, named "Barcelona is not Catalonia", that would want to create a new region inside Catalonia named "Tabarnia". That name was popularized in social networks a few months ago. Not a single political party supports them. At their they don't talk about Catalan Countries, because it's not related with their activity. Among the activity of this peculiar organization, one can see on their website: (until police kicked them) or ... Almost all of their content is related to jokes.
*]: The Commonwealth of Australia is a '''country''' in the southern hemisphere
*]:Canada (IPA: /ˈkænədə/) is a country occupying most of northern North America
*]: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain, is a sovereign island '''country'''
*]: The United States of America is a constitutional federal republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The '''country''' is situated mostly in central North America


I can't understand how one can make a connection between those two, rather than trying to advertise or popularize the organization activity. --] (]) 14:24, 21 April 2018 (UTC)
So, may I ask, if all featured articles about countries use the words country or nation, why does Dunadan feel in the right to impose his own oppinion?


What do dictionnaries say?
*:
8a. The supreme public power within a sovereign political entity.
8b. The sphere of supreme civil power within a given polity: matters of state.
9. A specific mode of government: the socialist state.
10. A body politic, especially one constituting a nation: the states of Eastern Europe.
11. One of the more or less internally autonomous territorial and political units composing a federation under a sovereign government


The term "Països Catalans" is a socio-political concept that uses arguments based in linguistic priors to draw a political argument. It is a loaded concept because it uses diacronic linguistic criteria to draw a map with political terminology used with political significance
As Dunadan is the sole editor to keep adding the word state to define a country or nation (knowing very well the "government" meaning the word state has in english and that some editor have expressed the willingness to change it, I will again undo his edit. --] <sup>]</sup> 22:46, 6 May 2008 (UTC)
:Maurice, did you bother to check a dictionary? I guess not. Let me cite a couple for you:
:* country, state, land, the territory occupied by a nation;
:* state, nation, country, land, commonwealth, res publica, body politic
:* the territory of a state
:* a politically unified people occupying a definite territory; nation.
:Handpicking the definition that suits you best doesn't work. And citing Misplaced Pages doesn't work either. Or have you bothered to check ]? The definition therein given is not limited to the political institutions, as you want to imply, but to the territory as well.
:The problem is not imposing an opinion. The problem is that you impose yours into a uniformity to your own political preferences. But what bothers me the most, having said in a previous discussion that you were fine with the word "State", now you show now respect for your own decision. You should portray diversity. Not everybody thinks like you, and you are not always right.
:--] 22:52, 6 May 2008 (UTC)


The term "Països Catalans" is said to be coined by the Spanish jurist ] (born ]) in his work (in Spanish) "Historia del Derecho en Cataluña, Mallorca y Valencia". (I cant find the place where the phrase is used, and Misplaced Pages references are circular. Can you tell how did he used the term? All versions of Misplaced Pages ] on the man suggests his main contribution was precisely this coinage. oh well.)
::And Dunadan... About your comment "Please stop your reversions based on political preferences. Misplaced Pages is not yours" I ask you to consider the guideline ].


Anyway, the concept of "Països Catalans" had almost zero impact in Catalanism, not to mention the Catalan society at large, until 1962, when the essayist Joan Fuster i Ortells published the essay "Nosaltres, els valencians", an essay with no linguistic pretensions.
::After reading it, please refer to the guidelines ] and ] where it clearly says:


Now, linguistic arguments, and the maps drawn using such arguments, never use the term "país", "country" or its synonyms to draw linguistic usage maps, because those are nor linguistic concepts. If you take a look at WALS maps, or the Ethnologue maps, or any cartography based on linguistic arguments, you won't see such terminology in use.
::''"Wikipedians should not seek to determine who is "right" or "wrong", nor to attempt to impose a particular name for POV reasons. '''They should instead follow the procedure below to determine common usage on an objective basis'''. By doing this, ideally, we can choose a name in a systematic manner without having to involve ourselves in a political dispute."''


So "Països Catalans" is a socio-political construct modernly (1962) built to project the image of a "large Catalan socio-political entity" based only on the maximal extension of the use of Catalan as a mother tongue.
::Well I gave 14 examples (of which 10 are featured articles) in the "common usage on an objective basis" to describe those political territories.


"Tabarnia" is a socio-political construct of a "large Catalan socio-political entity" modernly (2017) created upon the interpretation of the "identity" meaning of a large series of electoral votes in the last 20 years of Catalan elections.
::Has Dunadan given us any example of the "common usage on an objective basis" in wikipedia to refer to a Country or Nation as a State? '''NO, he hasn't!''' And I do Assume good faith... --] <sup>]</sup> 23:00, 6 May 2008 (UTC)


Both "Països Catalans" and "Tabarnia" are ideologically-built sociopolitical concepts; the difference is that "Països Catalans" is a concept used to be taken as a historical entity (which is debatable) and "Tabarnia" is a concept used to be used as a reflection on the utility of such concepts as "Països Catalans".
:::Aren't you comparing apples to oranges?
:::* Naming conventions refer to... well... naming articles. Titles of articles. Not to content. We are not discussing about the title. We are discussing about using a phrase that contains "State". A phrase. Not the title. Please review the guidelines you are citing.
:::* Your examples are of, well, countries. You can also include ]. But of course, we are not defining a country here. We are using it in a phrase, a single phrase, interchangeably with "country". Like I said, diversity, not uniformity to a single "preference".
:::So, please, read the guidelines yourself. Probably you didn't, and that is why you misquote them. I am, of course, assuming good faith, ignoring your previous comments at ].
:::Cheers.
:::--] 23:08, 6 May 2008 (UTC)


Another way to put it is that defenders of the "Països Catalans" concept take it as a historically based entity while the advocates of "Tabarnia" says there's so much arguments in favor of the "tabarnia" concept as there is about "Països Catalans". As of today, "Tabarnia" is at least as an important a concept as it is "Països Catalans". So it deserves a "See also". OMG] (]) 18:27, 22 April 2018 (UTC)
::::Well... finally you admitted it... ''"Your examples are of, well, '''countries'''. '''You can also include ]'''"''. Ok, from now on, Dunadan as given us permission to describe Spain as a country. --] <sup>]</sup> 23:14, 6 May 2008 (UTC)
:::::Please read the above, carefully. Reading comprehension. Let me explain. I am including an article to ''your'' list of articles of countries. Spain, in the introduction is ''defined'' as a country. To say, alternatively, in other sections, that Spain is a "state" is also correct, not only in English, but '''''constitutionally''''', since the constitution of Spain, your country, uses the term "State" and the term you hate the most "Spanish State" dozens of times, but only once does the term "country" appear - even in English translations. I hope you understand now, that we are talking about using a phrase with the word "state" along with "country". Both are right. Not uniformity. Diversity. Not about definitions. Not about titles of articles. Is it clear now? --] 23:19, 6 May 2008 (UTC)


:As best I understand it from reading the ] article and its talk page, the concept of "Tabarnia" is of a political entity juxtaposed with an independent Catalonia. "Tabarnia" is a contiguous area of land within Catalonia, which claims "independence" from Catalonia as Catalonia claims independence from Spain. It uses "Barcelona is not Catalonia" as Catalan independentists use "Catalonia is not Spain". It does not claim linguistic, cultural or political affinity with any other similar area of land, inside or outside Catalonia. Therefore it is not a reflection, negation or parody of the Catalan Countries. In other words, there is no connection between it and the subject of this article. ] (]) 11:00, 26 April 2018 (UTC)
:My national constitution does not affect the way the international community describe countries/nations. and the common usage (it's a guideline) in wikipedia is to refer to them as countries. Accept you are not right! --] <sup>]</sup> 23:30, 6 May 2008 (UTC)
Maurice,
*Can you point me to the guideline that says that in the content of the articles one should avoid using the word ''State''? No, because there isn't one.
*Can you point me to the guideline that says that common usage in Misplaced Pages (even though you compare apples to oranges) is more important that ] and ] (i.e. the constitution of Spain)? No, because there isn't one.
The only thing you've proven is:
* You cannot abide by your own consensus and you recant on your own word. Having accepted State at ], now you say it is not correct.
* Because of your intransigent position, you oppose NPOV (i.e. diversity of opinions) to impose your own POV (i.e. national sentiment).
Please Maurice, let's take a break. Perhaps tomorrow you will review ''all the arguments we've presented'' so that you can rethink things over. Nobody argues against country. State is also fine. Both are fine. Both verifiable. Both correct. Do you get it now?
Cheers,
--] 23:36, 6 May 2008 (UTC)


::You don't fully get it ]: Tabarnia does claim a social, political (and even cultural and economical, as well as geographical) affinity of the territories comprising "Tabarnia" against the rest of Catalonia: they are (so the argument goes) the richest, best educated, more progressive and urbanite part of Catalonia; linguistically they represent those embracing bilinguism against the "Catalan only" or "catalan first" parts of Catalonia; as national identity goes, they identify as a nation with the rest of Spain, etc. Does it builds a solid argument for the independence of Tabarnia? You may well think it doesn't, but (so the argument goes) this is exactly the case with "països Catalans", a term used over and over again since 1965 to "build a nation" out of a concept that results from the mix of political terminology with linguistic criteria. In any case, if you can't see the linkage between both concepts, the defendants of the Tabarnia movement do see it very clearly, and I leave here just a bunch of examples to check it for yourself
Oh please... Quit that demagogy with me. It just doesn't work. If, like you say, I do mix apples with oranges, well in your case, you are unable to see and accept the big watermelon.


::* http://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20180214/44779578180/tabarnia-firmas-nombre-plaza-paisos-catalans.htm
Again, quit insulting me (''"your intransigent position"''). I ask you again to reconsider the guideline ] urgently.
::* http://tabarnia.org/web/blog/
::* http://www.outono.net/elentir/2017/12/29/5-motivos-por-los-que-tabarnia-desquicia-tanto-a-los-separatistas-y-no-solo-a-ellos/
::* http://www.bcnisnotcat.es/2017/06/la-vanguardia-se-hace-eco-de-nuestro.html
::* http://ramblalibre.com/2017/12/31/elogio-de-tabarnia/
::* https://www.larazon.es/espana/puigdemont-vs-boadella-choque-de-legitimidades-HB17437365 <!-- Template:Unsigned --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding ] comment added by ] (] • ]) 18:22, 27 April 2018 (UTC)</small> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->


::::This isn't the first time I've been told I "don't get it", and it's not the first time I've had a whole lot of links to Spanish newspapers/blogs/whatever thrown at me as though my idea of a fun evening is trying to make sense of a Google Translation of a load of propaganda. Yet somehow I've managed to make significant, encyclopaedic edits to at least four Catalan independence-related articles, all of which have stood the test of time, while others continue to edit by adding their POV personal views supported by citations to vaguely-related newspaper opinion pieces, blogs etc.
I don't have '''again''' to ''point you the guideline that says that in the content of the articles one should avoid using the word ''State'''' because '''ALL''' the featured articles about countries use the word country or nation.
::::Now, you didn't address my point at all, which was that "Tabarnia" is a ''contiguous'' area of land that is compared to the contiguous area of land that is Catalonia, as opposed to the area of land, the islands, the sovereign state, and the parts of other countries that are the Catalan Countries. When you can show that the Tabarnia movement has designated a number of different areas as {{lang|es|países Españoles}} explicitly as a counterpoint to the {{lang|ca|països Catalans}} (and please have the decency to translate the relevant part into English for me), then I will accept that the one is the counterpart of the other. But seeing as you have failed to do that at ] and ], it's unlikely you can do it here. ] (]) 19:30, 27 April 2018 (UTC)


Actually, ] "got it" perfectly. His sentence «the concept of "Tabarnia" is of a political entity juxtaposed with an independent Catalonia» is totally correct, as this is how it has been established by the Tabarnia organization. Honestly, I'm having a hard time assuming good faith ], after having read your first sentences. Thus, before addressing the links you shared, I'm going to comment a little on what you said at the beginning, which is just straight propaganda. First, an obvious clarification: there's no way to know how many Catalans "support" Tabarnia, because a survey/study on this has never been done. We can only look at support from political parties resulting from last ]; in this sense, the support for Tabarnia would be 0%, because all Catalan political parties have publicly rejected the Tabarnia idea. There are only 2 political parties that have publicly expressed support for Tabarnia (] and ]), but none of them contested the last Catalan elections. They are practically non-existent parties. It is important to keep this in mind, because everything about Tabarnia comes from the same Tabarnia organization, which is also a very small one. On the other hand, it's important to remember that the territory they created (Tabarnia) doesn't correspond to any social, linguistic, political, cultural, economical or geographical affinity different from the rest of Catalonia. The Tabarnia organization created a territory based exclusively on manipulation of electoral results. This Misplaced Pages compares the Tabarnia region (as defined by the organization) with the Catalan election results. You can clearly see the arbitrariness and artificiality of Tabarnia, which has no uniformity. They include in Tabarnia Catalan regions where there is a clear majority of votes in favor of Catalonia's independence parties. And of course, the vote in favor of unionist parties does not imply that they are in favor of Tabarnia. This is the reason why Tabarnia has been defined as a an attempt at ] (). Now, reviewing what you have commented: no, the territories comprising Tabarnia aren't the richest in Catalonia (Girona and Lleida have higher GDP per capita and EU NUTS 3 regions GDP (PPS) shows Lleida is also higher). No, they are not "best educated" (in fact shows that those supporting Catalonia's independence have a higher level of studies compared with those that are against it). I could continue, but I think you got the point (kinda ironic attributing the "defense of bilingualism to Tabarnia", when the organization promotes monolingualism in Spanish only).
let's see the definitions in the very first line here in wikipedia:


Now, in your comment you also deformed the concept of Catalan Countries like you did in the past. In an attempt to compare "Tabarnia" with the Catalan Countries you literally said: «''Does it builds a solid argument for the independence of Tabarnia? You may well think it doesn't, but (so the argument goes) this is exactly the case with "països Catalans", a term used over and over again since 1965 to "build a nation"''». Catalan Countries defines a linguistic reality, like "Francophonie" does with French. Catalan Countries is not a term designed neither to "build a nation" nor to declare independence from Spain, France and Italy (and eliminate Andorra?). It is a synonym of Catalan-speaking territories. This is exactly how it is defined, for example, at the United States Library of Congress book . And, since I'm a Catalan, I can affirm this is exactly how this is studied in Catalan schools: Catalan Countries as a linguistic area, to analyze Catalan language and its variations depending on the territory. But they do not teach it to us "as a nation" or "project of independence". Simply because it is not this.
*]: In political geography and international politics, a country is a political division of a geographical entity, a sovereign territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation and government.


Now finally at last, regarding your links... In ] you were already told that none of the links you shared affirm what you say. You also included again the link of the signatories to change the square name. The majority of your links come from blogs or opinion pieces, where they barely mention Catalan Countries (most of them one single time). For example at your "ramblalibre.com" link titled "Praise of Tabarnia", this is literally all they say about Catalan Countries (translated to English): «''Tabarnia is the rational thing in front of the irrationality of the Catalan Countries and that Catalonia that has a cowardly and deliquescent president in Flanders and a party of failures like the CUP''».
*]: A nation is a defined cultural and social community. Inasmuch as most members never meet each other, yet feel a common bond, it may be considered an imagined community.


It seems you are trying really hard to make a connection between two subjects that are objectively different. You try it more than anyone in the Tabarnia organization, because they have always declared (and this is how it appears on their website) that their goal is to avoid the independence of Catalonia and that they will use satire, humor against the independence movement. Its activity and objective simply has nothing to do with the Catalan Countries. Although in the past there have been movements and concepts that tried to imitate or were based on the Catalan Countries, like the "Madrilenian Countries" (''Países Madrileños''; you can check it, it's real), Tabarnia is simply not one of them. --] (]) 22:15, 27 April 2018 (UTC)
*]: A state is a '''political association''' with effective sovereignty over a geographic area. the word is often used in a '''strict sense''' to refer only to modern '''political systems.'''


== Catalonia is not a country, why are we using that term? ==
In casual usage, the terms "country," "nation," and "state" are often used as if they were synonymous; '''but in a more strict usage they can be distinguished:''' (and I love strictness as wikipedia demands)
*''Country denotes a geographical area''. It suits perfectly 100% to the article


Why are we translating Països Catalans to "countries" in English? They don't meet the accepted definition in English: https://en.wikipedia.org/Country Right? We should consider a different term, or adding a section in the article to clarify the etymology. ] (]) 14:38, 30 September 2019 (UTC)
*''Nation denotes a people who are believed to or deemed to share common customs, origins, and history. However, the adjectives national and international also refer to matters pertaining to what are strictly states, as in national capital, international law''. It does not suit perfectly to the article.
:"''We''" are not translating ''Països Catalans''. Reliable english language sources do it so. Insofar those reliable English language sources presenting the "Catalan countries" do not divagate about what you are mentioning, "''we''" shouldn't do it (it's ]). That's independent of whether the concept behind is politically charged or not (it is, but the extent that should be reflected in the lead is a hotly-debated subject in this talk page).--Asqueladd (]) 15:23, 30 September 2019 (UTC)


::It's not original research. What reliable English sources do so? ] (]) 23:07, 20 October 2019 (UTC)
*''State refers to the set of governing institutions that has sovereignty over a definite territory''. It does not suit at all in a ''strict usage''
:::, to name a few..--Asqueladd (]) 23:54, 20 October 2019 (UTC)


::::They are not really reliable English-language sources, they are produced by non-native speakers and translate the term, it has little currency in English. The translation sounds really weird because whatever Catalonia may or may not be, Valencia, Algherro and the Baleares clearly aren't "countries" in the English sense of the word. I believe the article refers to an essentially Catalan concept ''Països Catalans'' and should be entitled that, with the translation mentioned in the lede. ] (]) 21:47, 14 February 2020 (UTC)
So I, as an editor, choose to use the word with a more common usage, a more suitable use in strict usage, with 0% ambiguity and the more common in international use.


:::::There is no single "English sense of the word". It has multiple meanings (see ]). In this article it is used in the sense of an area that has a distinctive nature or characteristic. The ] is an area in England; it is not independent of the UK, nor even in any way autonomous. '']'' was a film about the American West, not a sovereign state. The ] is a region that includes two Autonomous Communities in Spain and an area of France. As regards sources by native English speakers, "Catalan Countries" is used repeatedly in a British publication, '''', written by Helena Bufferty, an Englishwoman, and Elisenda Marcer, a Catalan, and edited by ], an American. It's also found in '''', by a Welsh writer, in , and on the . --] (]) 14:23, 17 February 2020 (UTC)
Meanwhile, Dunadan choose the word with no usage at all in wikipedia to describe a country/nation, no suitability at all in a ''strict usage'' and with 100% ambiguity.


::::::None of those sources use Catalan Countries without first glossing it into Catalan after, I think there may be a case for a dual English/Catalan title in that format. The Basque Country is very much an anomaly, it is a translation from French with long currency, not a neologism. The Big Country is a poetic term for an imprecisely defined area, and so is not analogous. The structure (The-demonym-Countries) exists nowhere else in English.
And that's not all, he keeps using as reference the Spanish Constitution usage of the word State, negliging that the template affects other countries like France, Italy and Andorra which, and that's sad, couldn't care less about how and why spaniards prefer the ambiguity of the word "state" to define their country. (nationalisms, regionalisms).
::::::--] (]) 09:33, 25 April 2020 (UTC)


:::::::]? I know "Low" isn't a demonym, but it does describe a grouping of heterogeneous areas (states and parts of states), and it shows that the structure "The-descriptor-Countries" is perfectly good usage in English, so your argument about "the English sense of the word" doesn't stand up. See also the use of "The Anglophone Countries" , and . I don't understand "''without first glossing it into Catalan after''". Do they do it first or do they do it after? Frommer's Guide and the BBC don't mention {{lang|ca|Països Catalans}} at all! And what difference does it make anyway? We know that it's {{lang|ca|Països Catalans}} in Catalan. We know that {{lang|ca|Països Catalans}} translates into English as "Catalan Countries". And we know that it's called the "Catalan Countries" by reliable sources written in English by English speakers. That is a good and sufficient reason for naming the article "Catalan Countries". ] (]) 10:16, 25 April 2020 (UTC)
Again, in good faith, I have explained my point, I have given examples of the common usage in wikipedia, I have explained the reasons to choose "country" and not to choose "state" and a majority of users have expressed to be ok with my point.
:::::::: The question is whether "Catalan Countries" is current English usage, more so than "Països Catalans", and I'm not convinced that it is. "Catalan-speaking regions" would be the more natural form in English. But this is partly about a political concept that is wholly Spanish, the idea that the regions in which Catalan is spoken have a commonality that can be expressed in a political way. This concept is translated into English by the organisations that feel this is important as "Catalan Countries", and I really am not convinced that academia or general usage outside of Spain has truly adopted this use. If we take out wikipedia derived sources and those that are published by organisations on the public payroll in Spain, particularly Catalonia, there's very little left.


:::::::: The Low Countries '''are''' countries; Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. No equivalent statement can be made about the component regions that make up the Paisos Catalans. Only one is definitely a country ], whereas another (]) is arguably one. I haven't got access to Frommer's guide, but it is a guidebook, and so perhaps of dubious use for wiki, and the BBC puts it in quotations, showing it is not a familiar English term.--] (]) 14:48, 25 April 2020 (UTC)
I have done everything wikipedia ask users to be good editors. Let's see what is the next demagogic move by Dunadan in order to neglige (''pasarse por el "arco del triunfo"'') all these facts.--] <sup>]</sup> 08:23, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
:::::::: Just re: Anglophone countries, I have never said that groups of countries cannot be grouped together using (the+adj+countries), this is obviously true. But to do that, all the things being described need to be countries, and only one or two of the things grouped in "Catalan Countries" are countries in the English sense of the word.--] (]) 19:28, 25 April 2020 (UTC)


:::::::::"The Low Countries" ].
: I understand the concerns from both parts in this discussion. It is true that these terms have several possible usages and different people may have different preferences regarding how to use them. However, in this particular article the term ''country'' it is mainly used in the geographical, not political, sense (as long as the Catalan Countries are defined as a linguistical domain, not as a political entity). That's why I think the compromise solution proposed by Mountolive is very good: we keep the usage of ''country'' in the list of Andorra, Spain, France and Italy as Maurice likes, and we keep before "sovereign states" in Dunadan's style to make clear that they are not countries in the sense of Catalan Countries. Maybe in this way everybody can be happy, don't you think? ;) --] (]) 09:15, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
:::::::::At any rate, I have stated my reasons why the article title is appropriate and you believe you have demolished them one by one. Give yourself a clap on the back. There is no point in continuing this discussion. Goodbye and happy editing. ] (]) 10:47, 28 April 2020 (UTC)


== The Map and Roussillon being Described as Catalan Speaking ==
Maurice,
*You continue to be intransigent in your position, and it is you who negliges , the arguments of other well-intentioned users, as well as contradicting your own word and compromised position when you accepted the word "State" in a previous discussion. You yourself use derogatory comments like "Dúndan... staring an egocentric little war" (and this is one of your "mild" statements) but then you pretend to "assume good faith", and demand others to treat you with utmost respect. Enough said about that.
*You continue to compare apples to oranges. You bring articles of countries and guidelines of naming conventions. Yet, this is not an article of a "country" (in the sense, of course, in English, of a sovereign-state), but of a ''concept''. Therefore, and to avoid confusion it is necessary to use the word "State", especially when the concept is called "Catalan Countries". Is Spain a Catalan country? No, it is a sovereign State that contains a territory that is included in the concept known as Catalan Countries. Crystal clear. In your insistence -and your personal dislike of the term, as you yourself said at ]- you are actually bringing ''more'' confusion to the reader my mixing two valid connotations. English speakers, like myself, know perfectly well that State can also mean country or nation. And the dictionaries agree. Enough said about that.
*You cannot cite Misplaced Pages to define terms. I've cited ''dictionaries'' that define terms. And the Spanish constitution. But it surprises me, that you, being French, or at least, fluent in French, are implying that the French do not use the word ''État'' to refer to the entire country. They do, and very much so, probably more than Spanish-speaking people do in Spain, even in the French constitution. .
*You continue to ignore that you are not the "majority of users". Mountolive also expressed that both words are synonymous and accepted a compromise. (Kudos to Mountolive!) Cnoguera also agreed with the compromise. Therefore, you are not the majority.
The truth is that, as you've pointed out in countless debates, you dislike the term ''Estado'', because of your political preferences and the purported connotation it carries, and oppose its inclusion not in the title, not in articles about countries, but in any paragraph whatsoever, especially those related to Catalonia. As I've proven, there is nothing wrong with the word, in English. Moreover, it brings diversity and NPOV.
Cheers,
--] 22:36, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
'''todo lo que viene aqui de Cataluña es falso, Cataluña no es un pais, es una región de España y no hay mas que hablar.''' <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding ] comment added by ] (]) 12:34, 8 December 2008 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:UnsignedIP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->


The map describes Roussillon aka ] as being Catalan Speaking, but doesn't provide a source. I used to live in Barcelona, and have visited Pyrénées-Orientales, I find that extremely hard to believe. The best source I could find was from the Generalitat of Catalonia, which means its reliability is questionable. It's all in Catalan but it says they sent out a couple thousand questionnaires to Roussillon, their results are that 34% can speak Catalan, which seems high but the number who say that they usually use Catalan is only 1.2% of respondents, and 4.4% say they generally use French and Catalan, by comparison 87% of the respondents say they usually speak French. If Catalan Speaking means that there are people who happen to speak Catalan located in the area, then I guess it makes sense but otherwise to me it seems like it's a French speaking region, and the maps legend should be modified. ] (]) 22:04, 18 February 2022 (UTC)
: Mauricio, you forget to mention other articles such ], ], where "country" is said for these, or ] where "state" is used for it. The name of "Catalan Countries" is correct. --] <font size="+2">]</font> 11:48, 23 February 2009 (UTC)
: Catalan is the traditional local language of Roussillon, which means that about one century ago the number of speakers was 100% of the population or very close to it. The decrease in the number of speakers is due to ] and immigration, as it also happens with so many European ''regional'' languages. --] (]) 23:47, 19 February 2022 (UTC)

::I don't disagree with that analysis, however where I currently live for instance the traditional language would be ] but today it would be described as ]. I guess then the question is how long ago would the language have to have been spoken in order for the reclassification to take place? I think there'd be little disagreement in saying that today the language of ] is French and not Catalan same as with the rest of ]. Also looking at the age demographic data from Gen Cat's study I'm thinking you would have to go back further than a hundred years to get close to 100% Catalan speakers. "Catalan speaking" could be changed to "Historically Catalan speaking" to better reflect the present day situation. ] (]) 10:17, 20 February 2022 (UTC)
::Unless you wish me to call you from now on "Juanote", I ask you to always call me "Maurice" and not "Mauricio". . --<font style="font-family:Monotype Corsiva"><font color="black"><font size="4">MauritiusXXVII (<font size=3>]</font>)</font></font></font>. 18:03, 24 February 2009 (UTC)
:::''"Historically Catalan speaking"'' could be interpreted as meaning that there are no Catalan speakers left, however that's not true. Native people of Roussillon call themselves ''Catalans'' and I guess that they consider the Catalan language a part of their identity, even if they might not speak it often. --] (]) 11:11, 20 February 2022 (UTC)

::::Shouldn't that be reflected by a source though if such is the case? The article as a whole seems to lack sources and seems to have two arguments: one that there is a catalan cultural domain, and then two Catalan independence. I mean the article as a whole has six images, two are maps, and four are for Catalan independence, this is kind of weird. Be that as it may, Pyrénées-Orientales does not speak Catalan, there is a minority who do but the vast majority speak French, and this is backed by Reliable Sources, so it is incorrect to say it speaks French. We could say instead that the Dark Grey represents the "Catalan Cultural Domain" this would probably more representative and more for other domains in the Dark Grey area where Catalan is not the main language, such as Barcelona. ] (]) 21:35, 23 February 2022 (UTC)
::: This is not a forum, Mauricio. In other side, the correct translation is "Juanito", and I will be pleased if you prefer this form. Feel free. --] <font size="+2">]</font> 14:34, 25 February 2009 (UTC)
:::::The concept of ''Catalan Countries'' is indeed linked to Catalan nationalism, no doubt about it. What exactly would you change in the article? --] (]) 23:46, 24 February 2022 (UTC)

== About requesting move to ] ==

That's the second time you changed the name of the article ( and ) in about 48 hours. Be warned that next time you decide to make that article name move without consensus and without following the guidelines for controversial moves explained at ] you will be reported. May this message and the one I will copy at your talk-page be the proof that you were warned of this disruptive behaviour of yours. --<font style="font-family:Monotype Corsiva"><font color="black"><font size="4">MauritiusXXVII (<font size=3>]</font>)</font></font></font>. 17:50, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

: Please, can you both show me where's the consensus? The Dúnadan precissely noted you both were pushing an intransigent POV. You and Mountolive have moved the page without reached a consensus with The Dúnadan, so I've restored it to the stage before of the debate. So you shoud request the move first according ], not me. A subject turned into controversial by you both it should to make a request on talk page. Cheers, Mauricio. --] <font size="+2">]</font> 22:38, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

:::: For continuously moving the article's name without consensus and without folowing the steps explained at ] for controversial moves, you have been reported. here is the . --<font style="font-family:Monotype Corsiva"><font color="black"><font size="4">MauritiusXXVII (<font size=3>]</font>)</font></font></font>. 00:17, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

: Make a formal request according to ], please Mauricio. --] <font size="+2">]</font> 08:46, 26 February 2009 (UTC)


== Title dispute ==

I'm not touching that move tab! But I do think the article would be better at '''Països Catalans''' rather than '''Catalan Countries'''. I think this is a classic example where we shouldn't translate what is a precise term in a foreign language (here, Catalan) into an imprecise term in English. The translation is accurate, of course, but it still loses meaning. ''Països Catalans'' means something more than just "Catalan-speaking regions", as you can see if you try to translate it into other languages: ''Países Catalanes'' is understandable in Spanish, but ''países catalanes'' would be meaningless; ''Pays Catalans'' is a good translation in French, but ''pays catalans'' refers to what many or most Catalans would call '']''. We would never dream of translating ] into English, nor do we translate ]: why should we insist on translating the term ''Països Catalans''? ] ] 01:43, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

: Can you give external sources supporting your opinion?. ''Països Catalans'' is not being used in English to refer Catalan Countries. As a external source, the Catalan-speakers (or descendants of them) who live outside of the Catalan Countries in English-speakers countries call it "Catalan Countries" (). And if it's not enough for you, this other , in the version in English, also call it in the same way. --] <font size="+2">]</font> 08:45, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

== Need sources for that ==

I will put here all the information wich are not being backed by facts:

* ''... most acrimoniously in ] during the 1980s{{facts|date=February 2007}}''

--] <font size="+2">]</font> 09:08, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

=== And about the "Catalan Sea" ===

If you don't know, "Catalan Sea" (also called sometimes as "]" if it reaches to Minorca) is one of the "minor seas" of the Mediterranean, such the "]". The image map is correct, and Maurice used it to change the name to Pyrynées-Orientales for the "Northern Catalonia" pushing his very personal POV. --] <font size="+2">]</font> 09:21, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

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Tabarnia

Danielhythloday, Beethoven, please discuss your issues here, instead of edit-warring and discussing via edit summaries. For what it's worth, I don't think Tabarnia is an appropriate "See also". There is little or no connection between it and the subject of the article. Scolaire (talk) 19:51, 20 April 2018 (UTC)

I'm afraid it didn't work, Scolaire. That user insists with including Tabarnia here, while refusing to give rational argumentation as one can see in his last edit summary... --Beethoven (talk) 22:27, 20 April 2018 (UTC)
No, Beethoven, it didn't work because because you did not post here saying, "I believe that Tabarnia should not be added because...". Instead you continued to edit-war with him. Next time it happens I will report you both at the Administrators' noticeboard, and you will be blocked. Scolaire (talk) 07:24, 21 April 2018 (UTC)

Well, I was waiting for Danielhythloday to explain us here in Talk page in a rational way why he believes "Tabarnia" should be added on this article. It's not the first time we see IPs or users trying to include "Tabarnia" in different articles related with Catalonia, including this one. Those actions seem more related to vandalism than anything else. I honestly think the least he could do is to expose his arguments, before doing something that had already been reverted months ago. But since this specific user insists with it, I'm going to start exposing why I think there is no connection between Tabarnia and the Catalan Countries. Judging by his edit summaries, I think the issue here is more related with the particular conception he has of the Catalan Countries. And this is something that has already been discussed many times here, but it seems we are going to have to discuss it again:

  • Catalan Countries: the historic term used to designate those territories where the Catalan language, or a variant of it, is spoken. The first use of the term dates back to the 19th century, by a Valencian jurist and historian. During the 20th century it became popular, specifically after Valencian writer Joan Fuster works. It's a term used when studying and analyzing linguistics related with Catalan language and its variations. For example on publications like this one: Etymological dictionary of the scientific names of the birds of the Catalan Countries (2017).
  • Tabarnia: it's the name invented by a very small satirical/joke organization against Catalonia's independence, named "Barcelona is not Catalonia", that would want to create a new region inside Catalonia named "Tabarnia". That name was popularized in social networks a few months ago. Not a single political party supports them. At their website they don't talk about Catalan Countries, because it's not related with their activity. Among the activity of this peculiar organization, one can see on their website: Disguising as Civil Guards to visit Puigdemont's home (until police kicked them) or talking about the alleged genetic origin of Tabarnia, such as Homo Tabarniensis... Almost all of their content is related to jokes.

I can't understand how one can make a connection between those two, rather than trying to advertise or popularize the organization activity. --Beethoven (talk) 14:24, 21 April 2018 (UTC)


The term "Països Catalans" is a socio-political concept that uses arguments based in linguistic priors to draw a political argument. It is a loaded concept because it uses diacronic linguistic criteria to draw a map with political terminology used with political significance

The term "Països Catalans" is said to be coined by the Spanish jurist Benvingut Oliver i Estellés (born Bienvenido Oliver y Esteller) in his work (in Spanish) "Historia del Derecho en Cataluña, Mallorca y Valencia". (I cant find the place where the phrase is used, and Misplaced Pages references are circular. Can you tell how did he used the term? All versions of Misplaced Pages Misplaced Pages entry on the man suggests his main contribution was precisely this coinage. oh well.)

Anyway, the concept of "Països Catalans" had almost zero impact in Catalanism, not to mention the Catalan society at large, until 1962, when the essayist Joan Fuster i Ortells published the essay "Nosaltres, els valencians", an essay with no linguistic pretensions.

Now, linguistic arguments, and the maps drawn using such arguments, never use the term "país", "country" or its synonyms to draw linguistic usage maps, because those are nor linguistic concepts. If you take a look at WALS maps, or the Ethnologue maps, or any cartography based on linguistic arguments, you won't see such terminology in use.

So "Països Catalans" is a socio-political construct modernly (1962) built to project the image of a "large Catalan socio-political entity" based only on the maximal extension of the use of Catalan as a mother tongue.

"Tabarnia" is a socio-political construct of a "large Catalan socio-political entity" modernly (2017) created upon the interpretation of the "identity" meaning of a large series of electoral votes in the last 20 years of Catalan elections.

Both "Països Catalans" and "Tabarnia" are ideologically-built sociopolitical concepts; the difference is that "Països Catalans" is a concept used to be taken as a historical entity (which is debatable) and "Tabarnia" is a concept used to be used as a reflection on the utility of such concepts as "Països Catalans".

Another way to put it is that defenders of the "Països Catalans" concept take it as a historically based entity while the advocates of "Tabarnia" says there's so much arguments in favor of the "tabarnia" concept as there is about "Països Catalans". As of today, "Tabarnia" is at least as an important a concept as it is "Països Catalans". So it deserves a "See also". OMGDanielhythloday (talk) 18:27, 22 April 2018 (UTC)

As best I understand it from reading the Tabarnia article and its talk page, the concept of "Tabarnia" is of a political entity juxtaposed with an independent Catalonia. "Tabarnia" is a contiguous area of land within Catalonia, which claims "independence" from Catalonia as Catalonia claims independence from Spain. It uses "Barcelona is not Catalonia" as Catalan independentists use "Catalonia is not Spain". It does not claim linguistic, cultural or political affinity with any other similar area of land, inside or outside Catalonia. Therefore it is not a reflection, negation or parody of the Catalan Countries. In other words, there is no connection between it and the subject of this article. Scolaire (talk) 11:00, 26 April 2018 (UTC)
You don't fully get it Scolaire: Tabarnia does claim a social, political (and even cultural and economical, as well as geographical) affinity of the territories comprising "Tabarnia" against the rest of Catalonia: they are (so the argument goes) the richest, best educated, more progressive and urbanite part of Catalonia; linguistically they represent those embracing bilinguism against the "Catalan only" or "catalan first" parts of Catalonia; as national identity goes, they identify as a nation with the rest of Spain, etc. Does it builds a solid argument for the independence of Tabarnia? You may well think it doesn't, but (so the argument goes) this is exactly the case with "països Catalans", a term used over and over again since 1965 to "build a nation" out of a concept that results from the mix of political terminology with linguistic criteria. In any case, if you can't see the linkage between both concepts, the defendants of the Tabarnia movement do see it very clearly, and I leave here just a bunch of examples to check it for yourself
This isn't the first time I've been told I "don't get it", and it's not the first time I've had a whole lot of links to Spanish newspapers/blogs/whatever thrown at me as though my idea of a fun evening is trying to make sense of a Google Translation of a load of propaganda. Yet somehow I've managed to make significant, encyclopaedic edits to at least four Catalan independence-related articles, all of which have stood the test of time, while others continue to edit by adding their POV personal views supported by citations to vaguely-related newspaper opinion pieces, blogs etc.
Now, you didn't address my point at all, which was that "Tabarnia" is a contiguous area of land that is compared to the contiguous area of land that is Catalonia, as opposed to the area of land, the islands, the sovereign state, and the parts of other countries that are the Catalan Countries. When you can show that the Tabarnia movement has designated a number of different areas as países Españoles explicitly as a counterpoint to the països Catalans (and please have the decency to translate the relevant part into English for me), then I will accept that the one is the counterpart of the other. But seeing as you have failed to do that at Tabarnia and Talk:Tabarnia, it's unlikely you can do it here. Scolaire (talk) 19:30, 27 April 2018 (UTC)

Actually, Scolaire "got it" perfectly. His sentence «the concept of "Tabarnia" is of a political entity juxtaposed with an independent Catalonia» is totally correct, as this is how it has been established by the Tabarnia organization. Honestly, I'm having a hard time assuming good faith Danielhythloday, after having read your first sentences. Thus, before addressing the links you shared, I'm going to comment a little on what you said at the beginning, which is just straight propaganda. First, an obvious clarification: there's no way to know how many Catalans "support" Tabarnia, because a survey/study on this has never been done. We can only look at support from political parties resulting from last Catalan election; in this sense, the support for Tabarnia would be 0%, because all Catalan political parties have publicly rejected the Tabarnia idea. There are only 2 political parties that have publicly expressed support for Tabarnia (PxC and VOX), but none of them contested the last Catalan elections. They are practically non-existent parties. It is important to keep this in mind, because everything about Tabarnia comes from the same Tabarnia organization, which is also a very small one. On the other hand, it's important to remember that the territory they created (Tabarnia) doesn't correspond to any social, linguistic, political, cultural, economical or geographical affinity different from the rest of Catalonia. The Tabarnia organization created a territory based exclusively on manipulation of electoral results. This Misplaced Pages map compares the Tabarnia region (as defined by the organization) with the Catalan election results. You can clearly see the arbitrariness and artificiality of Tabarnia, which has no uniformity. They include in Tabarnia Catalan regions where there is a clear majority of votes in favor of Catalonia's independence parties. And of course, the vote in favor of unionist parties does not imply that they are in favor of Tabarnia. This is the reason why Tabarnia has been defined as a an attempt at gerrymandering (La Vanguardia). Now, reviewing what you have commented: no, the territories comprising Tabarnia aren't the richest in Catalonia (Girona and Lleida have higher GDP per capita and this EU NUTS 3 regions GDP (PPS) shows Lleida is also higher). No, they are not "best educated" (in fact CEO data shows that those supporting Catalonia's independence have a higher level of studies compared with those that are against it). I could continue, but I think you got the point (kinda ironic attributing the "defense of bilingualism to Tabarnia", when the organization promotes monolingualism in Spanish only).

Now, in your comment you also deformed the concept of Catalan Countries like you did in the past. In an attempt to compare "Tabarnia" with the Catalan Countries you literally said: «Does it builds a solid argument for the independence of Tabarnia? You may well think it doesn't, but (so the argument goes) this is exactly the case with "països Catalans", a term used over and over again since 1965 to "build a nation"». Catalan Countries defines a linguistic reality, like "Francophonie" does with French. Catalan Countries is not a term designed neither to "build a nation" nor to declare independence from Spain, France and Italy (and eliminate Andorra?). It is a synonym of Catalan-speaking territories. This is exactly how it is defined, for example, at the United States Library of Congress book Subject Headings. And, since I'm a Catalan, I can affirm this is exactly how this is studied in Catalan schools: Catalan Countries as a linguistic area, to analyze Catalan language and its variations depending on the territory. But they do not teach it to us "as a nation" or "project of independence". Simply because it is not this.

Now finally at last, regarding your links... In Talk:Tabarnia you were already told that none of the links you shared affirm what you say. You also included again the link of the signatories to change the square name. The majority of your links come from blogs or opinion pieces, where they barely mention Catalan Countries (most of them one single time). For example at your "ramblalibre.com" link titled "Praise of Tabarnia", this is literally all they say about Catalan Countries (translated to English): «Tabarnia is the rational thing in front of the irrationality of the Catalan Countries and that Catalonia that has a cowardly and deliquescent president in Flanders and a party of failures like the CUP».

It seems you are trying really hard to make a connection between two subjects that are objectively different. You try it more than anyone in the Tabarnia organization, because they have always declared (and this is how it appears on their website) that their goal is to avoid the independence of Catalonia and that they will use satire, humor against the independence movement. Its activity and objective simply has nothing to do with the Catalan Countries. Although in the past there have been movements and concepts that tried to imitate or were based on the Catalan Countries, like the "Madrilenian Countries" (Países Madrileños; you can check it, it's real), Tabarnia is simply not one of them. --Beethoven (talk) 22:15, 27 April 2018 (UTC)

Catalonia is not a country, why are we using that term?

Why are we translating Països Catalans to "countries" in English? They don't meet the accepted definition in English: https://en.wikipedia.org/Country Right? We should consider a different term, or adding a section in the article to clarify the etymology. CatalanSpaniard (talk) 14:38, 30 September 2019 (UTC)

"We" are not translating Països Catalans. Reliable english language sources do it so. Insofar those reliable English language sources presenting the "Catalan countries" do not divagate about what you are mentioning, "we" shouldn't do it (it's original research). That's independent of whether the concept behind is politically charged or not (it is, but the extent that should be reflected in the lead is a hotly-debated subject in this talk page).--Asqueladd (talk) 15:23, 30 September 2019 (UTC)
It's not original research. What reliable English sources do so? CatalanSpaniard (talk) 23:07, 20 October 2019 (UTC)
, to name a few..--Asqueladd (talk) 23:54, 20 October 2019 (UTC)
They are not really reliable English-language sources, they are produced by non-native speakers and translate the term, it has little currency in English. The translation sounds really weird because whatever Catalonia may or may not be, Valencia, Algherro and the Baleares clearly aren't "countries" in the English sense of the word. I believe the article refers to an essentially Catalan concept Països Catalans and should be entitled that, with the translation mentioned in the lede. Boynamedsue (talk) 21:47, 14 February 2020 (UTC)
There is no single "English sense of the word". It has multiple meanings (see Wiktionary). In this article it is used in the sense of an area that has a distinctive nature or characteristic. The Black Country is an area in England; it is not independent of the UK, nor even in any way autonomous. The Big Country was a film about the American West, not a sovereign state. The Basque Country is a region that includes two Autonomous Communities in Spain and an area of France. As regards sources by native English speakers, "Catalan Countries" is used repeatedly in a British publication, Historical Dictionary of the Catalans, written by Helena Bufferty, an Englishwoman, and Elisenda Marcer, a Catalan, and edited by Jon Woronoff, an American. It's also found in The Welsh Language: A History, by a Welsh writer, in Frommer's Guide, and on the BBC website. --Scolaire (talk) 14:23, 17 February 2020 (UTC)
None of those sources use Catalan Countries without first glossing it into Catalan after, I think there may be a case for a dual English/Catalan title in that format. The Basque Country is very much an anomaly, it is a translation from French with long currency, not a neologism. The Big Country is a poetic term for an imprecisely defined area, and so is not analogous. The structure (The-demonym-Countries) exists nowhere else in English.
--Boynamedsue (talk) 09:33, 25 April 2020 (UTC)
The Low Countries? I know "Low" isn't a demonym, but it does describe a grouping of heterogeneous areas (states and parts of states), and it shows that the structure "The-descriptor-Countries" is perfectly good usage in English, so your argument about "the English sense of the word" doesn't stand up. See also the use of "The Anglophone Countries" here, here and here. I don't understand "without first glossing it into Catalan after". Do they do it first or do they do it after? Frommer's Guide and the BBC don't mention Països Catalans at all! And what difference does it make anyway? We know that it's Països Catalans in Catalan. We know that Països Catalans translates into English as "Catalan Countries". And we know that it's called the "Catalan Countries" by reliable sources written in English by English speakers. That is a good and sufficient reason for naming the article "Catalan Countries". Scolaire (talk) 10:16, 25 April 2020 (UTC)
The question is whether "Catalan Countries" is current English usage, more so than "Països Catalans", and I'm not convinced that it is. "Catalan-speaking regions" would be the more natural form in English. But this is partly about a political concept that is wholly Spanish, the idea that the regions in which Catalan is spoken have a commonality that can be expressed in a political way. This concept is translated into English by the organisations that feel this is important as "Catalan Countries", and I really am not convinced that academia or general usage outside of Spain has truly adopted this use. If we take out wikipedia derived sources and those that are published by organisations on the public payroll in Spain, particularly Catalonia, there's very little left.
The Low Countries are countries; Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. No equivalent statement can be made about the component regions that make up the Paisos Catalans. Only one is definitely a country Andorra, whereas another (Catalonia) is arguably one. I haven't got access to Frommer's guide, but it is a guidebook, and so perhaps of dubious use for wiki, and the BBC puts it in quotations, showing it is not a familiar English term.--Boynamedsue (talk) 14:48, 25 April 2020 (UTC)
Just re: Anglophone countries, I have never said that groups of countries cannot be grouped together using (the+adj+countries), this is obviously true. But to do that, all the things being described need to be countries, and only one or two of the things grouped in "Catalan Countries" are countries in the English sense of the word.--Boynamedsue (talk) 19:28, 25 April 2020 (UTC)
"The Low Countries" refers to a coastal lowland region in northwestern Europe forming the lower basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta...Geographically and historically, the area includes also parts of France and Germany such as the French Flanders and the German regions of East Frisia and Cleves.
At any rate, I have stated my reasons why the article title is appropriate and you believe you have demolished them one by one. Give yourself a clap on the back. There is no point in continuing this discussion. Goodbye and happy editing. Scolaire (talk) 10:47, 28 April 2020 (UTC)

The Map and Roussillon being Described as Catalan Speaking

The map describes Roussillon aka Pyrénées-Orientales as being Catalan Speaking, but doesn't provide a source. I used to live in Barcelona, and have visited Pyrénées-Orientales, I find that extremely hard to believe. The best source I could find was this from the Generalitat of Catalonia, which means its reliability is questionable. It's all in Catalan but it says they sent out a couple thousand questionnaires to Roussillon, their results are that 34% can speak Catalan, which seems high but the number who say that they usually use Catalan is only 1.2% of respondents, and 4.4% say they generally use French and Catalan, by comparison 87% of the respondents say they usually speak French. If Catalan Speaking means that there are people who happen to speak Catalan located in the area, then I guess it makes sense but otherwise to me it seems like it's a French speaking region, and the maps legend should be modified. Alcibiades979 (talk) 22:04, 18 February 2022 (UTC)

Catalan is the traditional local language of Roussillon, which means that about one century ago the number of speakers was 100% of the population or very close to it. The decrease in the number of speakers is due to language shift and immigration, as it also happens with so many European regional languages. --Jotamar (talk) 23:47, 19 February 2022 (UTC)
I don't disagree with that analysis, however where I currently live for instance the traditional language would be Tupi but today it would be described as Lusophone. I guess then the question is how long ago would the language have to have been spoken in order for the reclassification to take place? I think there'd be little disagreement in saying that today the language of Perpignan is French and not Catalan same as with the rest of Pyrénées-Orientales. Also looking at the age demographic data from Gen Cat's study I'm thinking you would have to go back further than a hundred years to get close to 100% Catalan speakers. "Catalan speaking" could be changed to "Historically Catalan speaking" to better reflect the present day situation. Alcibiades979 (talk) 10:17, 20 February 2022 (UTC)
"Historically Catalan speaking" could be interpreted as meaning that there are no Catalan speakers left, however that's not true. Native people of Roussillon call themselves Catalans and I guess that they consider the Catalan language a part of their identity, even if they might not speak it often. --Jotamar (talk) 11:11, 20 February 2022 (UTC)
Shouldn't that be reflected by a source though if such is the case? The article as a whole seems to lack sources and seems to have two arguments: one that there is a catalan cultural domain, and then two Catalan independence. I mean the article as a whole has six images, two are maps, and four are for Catalan independence, this is kind of weird. Be that as it may, Pyrénées-Orientales does not speak Catalan, there is a minority who do but the vast majority speak French, and this is backed by Reliable Sources, so it is incorrect to say it speaks French. We could say instead that the Dark Grey represents the "Catalan Cultural Domain" this would probably more representative and more for other domains in the Dark Grey area where Catalan is not the main language, such as Barcelona. Alcibiades979 (talk) 21:35, 23 February 2022 (UTC)
The concept of Catalan Countries is indeed linked to Catalan nationalism, no doubt about it. What exactly would you change in the article? --Jotamar (talk) 23:46, 24 February 2022 (UTC)
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