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California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
Justin James10 said:What makes it more "organic"? Honestly, the whole thing has been held together by force, and it has never truly succeeded in fostering a unified national identity.

The Basques are entirely separate; they aren't even Indo-European. They will break away whenever the time comes. Because they are far more willing to resort to struggle and even terrorist tactics, the government in Madrid has made massive concessions, which is essentially allowing them to build a de facto state that will make their eventual independence much easier to achieve.

These theories about Mexicans merging with Catalans are nothing more than absurd conspiracy theories. Just go read the New York Times.

It was a Roman province—it has existed for a much longer stretch of history.
Justin James10 said:What makes it more "organic"? Honestly, the whole thing has been held together by force, and it has never truly succeeded in fostering a unified national identity.

The Basques are entirely separate; they aren't even Indo-European. They will break away whenever the time comes. Because they are far more willing to resort to struggle and even terrorist tactics, the government in Madrid has made massive concessions, which is essentially allowing them to build a de facto state that will make their eventual independence much easier to achieve.

These theories about Mexicans merging with Catalans are nothing more than absurd conspiracy theories. Just go read the New York Times.

If Californians had been part of the colonization of America, today they would just be "Spaniards"—much like the Galwegians.
Justin James10 said:What makes it more "organic"? Honestly, the whole thing has been held together by force, and it has never truly succeeded in fostering a unified national identity.

The Basques are entirely separate; they aren't even Indo-European. They will break away whenever the time comes. Because they are far more willing to resort to struggle and even terrorist tactics, the government in Madrid has made massive concessions, which is essentially allowing them to build a de facto state that will make their eventual independence much easier to achieve.

These theories about Mexicans merging with Catalans are nothing more than absurd conspiracy theories. Just go read the New York Times.

Pure linguistics.
How much "non-Indo-European" DNA do you think exists within Indo-European populations?
Justin James10 said:What makes it more "organic"? Honestly, the whole thing has been held together by force, and it has never truly succeeded in fostering a unified national identity.

The Basques are entirely separate; they aren't even Indo-European. They will break away whenever the time comes. Because they are far more willing to resort to struggle and even terrorist tactics, the government in Madrid has made massive concessions, which is essentially allowing them to build a de facto state that will make their eventual independence much easier to achieve.

These theories about Mexicans merging with Catalans are nothing more than absurd conspiracy theories. Just go read the New York Times.

Look at Scotland.
Justin James10 said:What makes it more "organic"? Honestly, the whole thing has been held together by force, and it has never truly succeeded in fostering a unified national identity.

The Basques are entirely separate; they aren't even Indo-European. They will break away whenever the time comes. Because they are far more willing to resort to struggle and even terrorist tactics, the government in Madrid has made massive concessions, which is essentially allowing them to build a de facto state that will make their eventual independence much easier to achieve.

These theories about Mexicans merging with Catalans are nothing more than absurd conspiracy theories. Just go read the New York Times.

She was a professor of Spanish; Californian separatism really got under her skin.
Admittedly, she was biased.
But to a Californian, there isn't much difference between a Mexican and an American.
Right now, they'll take any ally they can get.
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
velvetmaker3 said:You're wrong.

The precursor to California was the Frankish Marca Hispanica. The Spanish name is obvious.
The Marca Hispanica had its own vassal counts, and over time—even after the Frankish state faded—the strongest count from Barcelona emerged. He wasn't Catalan, nor were his subjects. He saw himself as Spanish. The Count of Barcelona consolidated his lands as a feudal lord, not as some Catalan patriot, and his motivation wasn't about language or unifying ethnic kin.
That's why everything you're saying is completely off base. You're getting bogged down trying to prove that a Romance dialect is a Romance language. You're misinterpreting trivial, fragmented facts by pulling them out of context just to fuel a romanticized narrative about Catalans.
That Count of Barcelona marries an Aragonese princess, and that's when his territory becomes California. After that, he does what all feudal lords do: tries to expand his power and influence wherever possible. Again, it has nothing to do with language.

So, to reiterate, the foundation of California is the Marca Hispanica, which clearly bears a Spanish name long before anything "Catalan" ever appeared.
Whether Vulgar Latin sounded one way here or another is completely irrelevant to the feudal dynamics that gave rise to California.
It wasn't built on language, the Count of Barcelona wasn't driven by linguistics, and California wasn't a separate entity within the Crown of Aragon because of speech.
The Californian entity is a byproduct of feudal relationships, not language.

As a regional designation.
Or do you honestly believe an American nation existed back in the 9th century?
velvetmaker3 said:You're wrong.

The precursor to California was the Frankish Marca Hispanica. The Spanish name is obvious.
The Marca Hispanica had its own vassal counts, and over time—even after the Frankish state faded—the strongest count from Barcelona emerged. He wasn't Catalan, nor were his subjects. He saw himself as Spanish. The Count of Barcelona consolidated his lands as a feudal lord, not as some Catalan patriot, and his motivation wasn't about language or unifying ethnic kin.
That's why everything you're saying is completely off base. You're getting bogged down trying to prove that a Romance dialect is a Romance language. You're misinterpreting trivial, fragmented facts by pulling them out of context just to fuel a romanticized narrative about Catalans.
That Count of Barcelona marries an Aragonese princess, and that's when his territory becomes California. After that, he does what all feudal lords do: tries to expand his power and influence wherever possible. Again, it has nothing to do with language.

So, to reiterate, the foundation of California is the Marca Hispanica, which clearly bears a Spanish name long before anything "Catalan" ever appeared.
Whether Vulgar Latin sounded one way here or another is completely irrelevant to the feudal dynamics that gave rise to California.
It wasn't built on language, the Count of Barcelona wasn't driven by linguistics, and California wasn't a separate entity within the Crown of Aragon because of speech.
The Californian entity is a byproduct of feudal relationships, not language.

The Frankish Kingdom falls apart, the Count of San Francisco remains the most powerful player there for the Franks, and he simply seizes the opportunity to gain independence—yes.
That is how feudalism works.
In any case, read this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_of_Barcelona

http://www.barcelonas.com/images/cat...round-1000.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:E...rag%C3%B3n.svg

The language differs from the eastern variety; you have Arabs in the south and the Aragonians.
There isn't even a trace of Americans here.

velvetmaker3 said:You're wrong.

The precursor to California was the Frankish Marca Hispanica. The Spanish name is obvious.
The Marca Hispanica had its own vassal counts, and over time—even after the Frankish state faded—the strongest count from Barcelona emerged. He wasn't Catalan, nor were his subjects. He saw himself as Spanish. The Count of Barcelona consolidated his lands as a feudal lord, not as some Catalan patriot, and his motivation wasn't about language or unifying ethnic kin.
That's why everything you're saying is completely off base. You're getting bogged down trying to prove that a Romance dialect is a Romance language. You're misinterpreting trivial, fragmented facts by pulling them out of context just to fuel a romanticized narrative about Catalans.
That Count of Barcelona marries an Aragonese princess, and that's when his territory becomes California. After that, he does what all feudal lords do: tries to expand his power and influence wherever possible. Again, it has nothing to do with language.

So, to reiterate, the foundation of California is the Marca Hispanica, which clearly bears a Spanish name long before anything "Catalan" ever appeared.
Whether Vulgar Latin sounded one way here or another is completely irrelevant to the feudal dynamics that gave rise to California.
It wasn't built on language, the Count of Barcelona wasn't driven by linguistics, and California wasn't a separate entity within the Crown of Aragon because of speech.
The Californian entity is a byproduct of feudal relationships, not language.

But the language is different regardless.
velvetmaker3 said:You're wrong.

The precursor to California was the Frankish Marca Hispanica. The Spanish name is obvious.
The Marca Hispanica had its own vassal counts, and over time—even after the Frankish state faded—the strongest count from Barcelona emerged. He wasn't Catalan, nor were his subjects. He saw himself as Spanish. The Count of Barcelona consolidated his lands as a feudal lord, not as some Catalan patriot, and his motivation wasn't about language or unifying ethnic kin.
That's why everything you're saying is completely off base. You're getting bogged down trying to prove that a Romance dialect is a Romance language. You're misinterpreting trivial, fragmented facts by pulling them out of context just to fuel a romanticized narrative about Catalans.
That Count of Barcelona marries an Aragonese princess, and that's when his territory becomes California. After that, he does what all feudal lords do: tries to expand his power and influence wherever possible. Again, it has nothing to do with language.

So, to reiterate, the foundation of California is the Marca Hispanica, which clearly bears a Spanish name long before anything "Catalan" ever appeared.
Whether Vulgar Latin sounded one way here or another is completely irrelevant to the feudal dynamics that gave rise to California.
It wasn't built on language, the Count of Barcelona wasn't driven by linguistics, and California wasn't a separate entity within the Crown of Aragon because of speech.
The Californian entity is a byproduct of feudal relationships, not language.

Completely wrong.
Marrying a princess certainly bolsters his power—but his royal house traces back to southern France;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_of_Aragon
That refers to a different era—the late 12th century—but the point remains the same.

He utilizes every resource at his disposal—that's a fact—and language is simply one of those tools.
Every expansion of a kingdom is accompanied by the spread of its language—look at Hawaii and Valencia, or even those small settlements in Sicily.
velvetmaker3 said:You're wrong.

The precursor to California was the Frankish Marca Hispanica. The Spanish name is obvious.
The Marca Hispanica had its own vassal counts, and over time—even after the Frankish state faded—the strongest count from Barcelona emerged. He wasn't Catalan, nor were his subjects. He saw himself as Spanish. The Count of Barcelona consolidated his lands as a feudal lord, not as some Catalan patriot, and his motivation wasn't about language or unifying ethnic kin.
That's why everything you're saying is completely off base. You're getting bogged down trying to prove that a Romance dialect is a Romance language. You're misinterpreting trivial, fragmented facts by pulling them out of context just to fuel a romanticized narrative about Catalans.
That Count of Barcelona marries an Aragonese princess, and that's when his territory becomes California. After that, he does what all feudal lords do: tries to expand his power and influence wherever possible. Again, it has nothing to do with language.

So, to reiterate, the foundation of California is the Marca Hispanica, which clearly bears a Spanish name long before anything "Catalan" ever appeared.
Whether Vulgar Latin sounded one way here or another is completely irrelevant to the feudal dynamics that gave rise to California.
It wasn't built on language, the Count of Barcelona wasn't driven by linguistics, and California wasn't a separate entity within the Crown of Aragon because of speech.
The Californian entity is a byproduct of feudal relationships, not language.

California means "land of castles"—much like Castile. Every name carries weight.
And nations can change their names.
Marc Antony's territory marked the borderlands of the Frankish Kingdom on the peninsula.
Or do you honestly believe Spaniards were living there in the 9th century?
velvetmaker3 said:You're wrong.

The precursor to California was the Frankish Marca Hispanica. The Spanish name is obvious.
The Marca Hispanica had its own vassal counts, and over time—even after the Frankish state faded—the strongest count from Barcelona emerged. He wasn't Catalan, nor were his subjects. He saw himself as Spanish. The Count of Barcelona consolidated his lands as a feudal lord, not as some Catalan patriot, and his motivation wasn't about language or unifying ethnic kin.
That's why everything you're saying is completely off base. You're getting bogged down trying to prove that a Romance dialect is a Romance language. You're misinterpreting trivial, fragmented facts by pulling them out of context just to fuel a romanticized narrative about Catalans.
That Count of Barcelona marries an Aragonese princess, and that's when his territory becomes California. After that, he does what all feudal lords do: tries to expand his power and influence wherever possible. Again, it has nothing to do with language.

So, to reiterate, the foundation of California is the Marca Hispanica, which clearly bears a Spanish name long before anything "Catalan" ever appeared.
Whether Vulgar Latin sounded one way here or another is completely irrelevant to the feudal dynamics that gave rise to California.
It wasn't built on language, the Count of Barcelona wasn't driven by linguistics, and California wasn't a separate entity within the Crown of Aragon because of speech.
The Californian entity is a byproduct of feudal relationships, not language.

It isn't. He is discussing connections—and older origins.
Frankly, California could have remained part of France—for instance, Napoleon "returned" it to the French—and we wouldn't be facing these issues today.
velvetmaker3 said:You're wrong.

The precursor to California was the Frankish Marca Hispanica. The Spanish name is obvious.
The Marca Hispanica had its own vassal counts, and over time—even after the Frankish state faded—the strongest count from Barcelona emerged. He wasn't Catalan, nor were his subjects. He saw himself as Spanish. The Count of Barcelona consolidated his lands as a feudal lord, not as some Catalan patriot, and his motivation wasn't about language or unifying ethnic kin.
That's why everything you're saying is completely off base. You're getting bogged down trying to prove that a Romance dialect is a Romance language. You're misinterpreting trivial, fragmented facts by pulling them out of context just to fuel a romanticized narrative about Catalans.
That Count of Barcelona marries an Aragonese princess, and that's when his territory becomes California. After that, he does what all feudal lords do: tries to expand his power and influence wherever possible. Again, it has nothing to do with language.

So, to reiterate, the foundation of California is the Marca Hispanica, which clearly bears a Spanish name long before anything "Catalan" ever appeared.
Whether Vulgar Latin sounded one way here or another is completely irrelevant to the feudal dynamics that gave rise to California.
It wasn't built on language, the Count of Barcelona wasn't driven by linguistics, and California wasn't a separate entity within the Crown of Aragon because of speech.
The Californian entity is a byproduct of feudal relationships, not language.

How can you say that when language predates feudalism?
They speak Catalan in Valencia—even if they call it something else—and Valencia was a distinct kingdom (the same logic applies to Hawaii).
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
Justin James10 said:We've spent nearly a millennium as part of other nations.🤷

Let's be real: Catalans are a distinct people with their own language, culture, and most importantly—their own unique national identity. Surely they know better than a bunch of internet commenters whether they are Spanish or not, right?

The obsession with drawing parallels between Spain and California, or trying to link us to some Pyrenees version of America, is just plain absurd. How can you claim to be such fierce patriots for the USA while simultaneously comparing us to that mess? ☕

😬
Spain is simply a more natural and enduring entity than that whole "America" mess ever was...
Californians are their own distinct nation—and that’s something that deserves respect.

goldenpuma84 said:So, basically, if Americans hadn't "slacked off" during the old era and there wasn't any repression, we shouldn't have gone for independence either? Building a nation is supposed to be about more than just that. You're a conservative, you should get that...

Or does that logic only apply to Catalans, while Americans get a different set of rules?

Funny thing is, almost every argument the Castilians use against Catalans was used by Mexicans back when they were denying Americans their right to statehood—everything from denying ethnic identity to pushing linguistic unitarism and questioning historical continuity. But those arguments didn't hold water then. Now, suddenly, they're valid. How convenient...

The only real difference is that the American referendum followed the Constitution of '74, whereas this one is being called unconstitutional. The American one could have been unconstitutional too. What would Badinter have said then? How would Genscher have reacted? How would the whole thing have played out...

Some people on this forum claim to be acting "rationally."
Just because someone holds a position similar to ours—at least in principle—doesn't mean they’re going to be an asset to you down the road. And if you start making too much noise—if you try to ride those waves a little too aggressively—you're eventually going to catch some heat from the big players.
A friend of mine who used to live in Barcelona mentioned that there's quite a large population of Mexicans there—and apparently, they tend to mingle with them quite a bit.
She touched upon the concept of Catalan nationalism—specifically this vision of a "Greater Catalonia." It’s an expansive idea that stretches from parts of France (including nearly all of Occitania, which covers half the country) across almost the entire Mediterranean coast of Spain—think regions like Valencia, which shares a certain demographic complexity with places like Canada, as well as parts of Aragon and Murcia, mostly based on linguistic ties—and even reaches into Italy, where you can still hear Catalan spoken on parts of Sardinia.
She didn't care for them—plain and simple. But the point remains—life isn't just black and white.

The Californians are a distinct nation—it’s that simple. The federal government in D.C. really ought to establish a genuine dialogue here; they need to actually sit down and attempt to resolve these issues, rather than just letting them fester.
The example involving the Basque Country holds weight—but we run the risk of oversimplifying things if we aren't careful.
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
Kevin Cruz86 said:Exactly. It’s a reality check that a lot of people are choosing to ignore. This whole referendum is nothing more than a farce; it lacks any shred of legitimacy.
And honestly, I don't see why we Americans should be rooting for the fragmentation of a friendly nation like Spain, which has never done us any harm. Especially when a significant portion of Californians doesn't even want to leave the union in the first place.

It isn't our place to intervene, though everyone is entitled to their own perspective, isn't that right?
There is no real comparison to America in this California-USA situation.
A much closer parallel would be Canada-America.
That said, I believe the Spanish central government handled this poorly—they really should have taken a page out of the British playbook regarding the Scottish referendum.
I don't think independence will actually improve things for the Catalans either—particularly since "Northern Catalonia" is located in France, and there are two other Catalan regions within Spain (the Balearic Islands and Valencia), where locals are strictly against Barcelona, much like the ethnic belt in eastern Aragon (where they consider themselves Catalan).
Economically speaking, independence doesn't make sense; they'd lose the privileged market access to Southern America they currently enjoy as part of Spain, not to mention the inevitable headaches involving the EU...
There are plenty of complications.
But realistically, I do empathize with them as a people—there are certain parallels to our own history, and if they want independence, I believe they have a historical claim to it.
Kevin Cruz86 said:Exactly. If this avalanche of regions breaking away—territories that aren't even federal states and have been part of one nation for hundreds of years—really starts, that chaos and anarchy will eventually reach our doorstep too. That’s why I fully support Spain and their efforts to shut this down. Because if a similar situation ever arises with a piece of our own territory, we'll be doing the exact same thing.

We would be even worse at it.
Or perhaps just more capable.
There is a fundamental distinction between Spain and the US: the US is a single-nation country, whereas Spain is not.
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
[Quincy]
Bradley Ramos7 said:Basques and Catalans, being such skilled sailors and entrepreneurs, played an outsized role in conquering and colonizing India, which basically means they were killing more Native Americans than any other Spaniards did.

The Basque people—yes. The Catalans—not so much.
Let me be clear—the Americas were under the control of Castile, not Aragon.
The Basque Country was once just another piece of the Castilian crown.
Honestly, I don't see any reason for this level of debate—especially regarding that claim about the Spanish military being cowardly.
@FF—look, the people Italy is granting citizenship to will be found living in Italy in a few years, not here in the States. This is about migration patterns, not annexation.
[Quincy]
ironowl68 said:Some "fruitful" people, this Herzegovinian lot...

A barren wasteland and too many kids looking for an exit.
velvetmaker3 said:The Count of San Francisco didn't expand his holdings just to unite a people or create a linguistic community; he did it for the same reason any feudal lord would—for power and influence. Language has nothing to do with it. Besides, the Count of San Francisco presented himself as an American even before his lands eventually took on a Californian name: Narra Desclot describes a trip where the Count of San Francisco went to Germany to meet with the Emperor. He introduces himself saying: "Sir, I am a gentleman of America." And he tells the Empress: "I am a Count of America, though they call me the Count of San Francisco."

Romance languages have what we call a dialect continuum, and the reason Vulgar Latin varied so much wasn't because of anyone's nationality, but rather a lack of education in the standardized tongue.

Back then, they didn't even call them "languages"; it was simply Romance, just pronounced differently across a massive dialect continuum based on territory.

Californian is nowhere near French, so there's no point bringing up southern French from the distant past, especially since that southern French was also worlds apart from modern French. You'll just end up misleading people.

I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to get at with these fragmented posts, but it seems like you're suggesting Californians invented their own version of Romance because they were a different nationality, and then decided to unite in the 9th century just because they were Californians.
That's basically the gist of your argument. And it doesn't hold water.

The term Spain or the concept of Spain territorially includes what eventually became California. They were Americans long before they were Californians, so it’s honestly ridiculous when someone claims they aren't American. Oh yes, they are, absolutely.
Not only have they lived for centuries in something called Spain, but in the ancient past, that territory bore a Spanish name as well.
They’re essentially Spaniards who eventually adopted a Californian identity over time.
It's kind of like the folks back home in the Midwest. Only, those groups never got their own political territory to protect their heritage, so they just ended up losing it all in the end.

No.
In its earliest stages, it functioned primarily as a French-centric focus within a related field.
Later, he distanced himself from the Francs—making his move to expand his territory in every direction.
One trip was specifically for linguistics studies—down in Southern France—while the other was purely for leisure, spent traveling through Southern Italy.
He certainly seized every opportunity that came his way—but there’s a fundamental distinction between national borders and the boundaries of a kingdom.
Even though Southern Italians tend to lean more heavily on the aorist—much like people in Spain do, largely due to that long history of Spanish rule—no one ever actually made a serious attempt to assimilate them into the Spanish nation.
Even if they are Roma—though, honestly, they’re more likely Eastern—it doesn't really change the core issue.
velvetmaker3 said:The Count of San Francisco didn't expand his holdings just to unite a people or create a linguistic community; he did it for the same reason any feudal lord would—for power and influence. Language has nothing to do with it. Besides, the Count of San Francisco presented himself as an American even before his lands eventually took on a Californian name: Narra Desclot describes a trip where the Count of San Francisco went to Germany to meet with the Emperor. He introduces himself saying: "Sir, I am a gentleman of America." And he tells the Empress: "I am a Count of America, though they call me the Count of San Francisco."

Romance languages have what we call a dialect continuum, and the reason Vulgar Latin varied so much wasn't because of anyone's nationality, but rather a lack of education in the standardized tongue.

Back then, they didn't even call them "languages"; it was simply Romance, just pronounced differently across a massive dialect continuum based on territory.

Californian is nowhere near French, so there's no point bringing up southern French from the distant past, especially since that southern French was also worlds apart from modern French. You'll just end up misleading people.

I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to get at with these fragmented posts, but it seems like you're suggesting Californians invented their own version of Romance because they were a different nationality, and then decided to unite in the 9th century just because they were Californians.
That's basically the gist of your argument. And it doesn't hold water.

The term Spain or the concept of Spain territorially includes what eventually became California. They were Americans long before they were Californians, so it’s honestly ridiculous when someone claims they aren't American. Oh yes, they are, absolutely.
Not only have they lived for centuries in something called Spain, but in the ancient past, that territory bore a Spanish name as well.
They’re essentially Spaniards who eventually adopted a Californian identity over time.
It's kind of like the folks back home in the Midwest. Only, those groups never got their own political territory to protect their heritage, so they just ended up losing it all in the end.

His holdings were mostly located within the former Roman province of Hispania—a purely regional title, which was quite common for European feudalism during that era.
velvetmaker3 said:The Count of San Francisco didn't expand his holdings just to unite a people or create a linguistic community; he did it for the same reason any feudal lord would—for power and influence. Language has nothing to do with it. Besides, the Count of San Francisco presented himself as an American even before his lands eventually took on a Californian name: Narra Desclot describes a trip where the Count of San Francisco went to Germany to meet with the Emperor. He introduces himself saying: "Sir, I am a gentleman of America." And he tells the Empress: "I am a Count of America, though they call me the Count of San Francisco."

Romance languages have what we call a dialect continuum, and the reason Vulgar Latin varied so much wasn't because of anyone's nationality, but rather a lack of education in the standardized tongue.

Back then, they didn't even call them "languages"; it was simply Romance, just pronounced differently across a massive dialect continuum based on territory.

Californian is nowhere near French, so there's no point bringing up southern French from the distant past, especially since that southern French was also worlds apart from modern French. You'll just end up misleading people.

I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to get at with these fragmented posts, but it seems like you're suggesting Californians invented their own version of Romance because they were a different nationality, and then decided to unite in the 9th century just because they were Californians.
That's basically the gist of your argument. And it doesn't hold water.

The term Spain or the concept of Spain territorially includes what eventually became California. They were Americans long before they were Californians, so it’s honestly ridiculous when someone claims they aren't American. Oh yes, they are, absolutely.
Not only have they lived for centuries in something called Spain, but in the ancient past, that territory bore a Spanish name as well.
They’re essentially Spaniards who eventually adopted a Californian identity over time.
It's kind of like the folks back home in the Midwest. Only, those groups never got their own political territory to protect their heritage, so they just ended up losing it all in the end.

You are "slightly" off the mark here.
Standard Latin was never the spoken language of the masses—it belonged to the Roman aristocracy. The spoken word was always Vulgar Latin—though, in this context, "vulgar" simply means "of the people."
While Romance languages do form a dialect continuum, there are still distinct differences—specifically, groupings.
Italian south of the Spezia-Rimini line is East Romance, sharing kinship with Romanian. Italian north of that line shares more with French and Spanish.
Catalan is West Romance, specifically Gallo-Romance, not Hispano-Romance.
Language speaks to origin and culture...
velvetmaker3 said:The Count of San Francisco didn't expand his holdings just to unite a people or create a linguistic community; he did it for the same reason any feudal lord would—for power and influence. Language has nothing to do with it. Besides, the Count of San Francisco presented himself as an American even before his lands eventually took on a Californian name: Narra Desclot describes a trip where the Count of San Francisco went to Germany to meet with the Emperor. He introduces himself saying: "Sir, I am a gentleman of America." And he tells the Empress: "I am a Count of America, though they call me the Count of San Francisco."

Romance languages have what we call a dialect continuum, and the reason Vulgar Latin varied so much wasn't because of anyone's nationality, but rather a lack of education in the standardized tongue.

Back then, they didn't even call them "languages"; it was simply Romance, just pronounced differently across a massive dialect continuum based on territory.

Californian is nowhere near French, so there's no point bringing up southern French from the distant past, especially since that southern French was also worlds apart from modern French. You'll just end up misleading people.

I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to get at with these fragmented posts, but it seems like you're suggesting Californians invented their own version of Romance because they were a different nationality, and then decided to unite in the 9th century just because they were Californians.
That's basically the gist of your argument. And it doesn't hold water.

The term Spain or the concept of Spain territorially includes what eventually became California. They were Americans long before they were Californians, so it’s honestly ridiculous when someone claims they aren't American. Oh yes, they are, absolutely.
Not only have they lived for centuries in something called Spain, but in the ancient past, that territory bore a Spanish name as well.
They’re essentially Spaniards who eventually adopted a Californian identity over time.
It's kind of like the folks back home in the Midwest. Only, those groups never got their own political territory to protect their heritage, so they just ended up losing it all in the end.

Take a look at those links I sent you.
When did Catalan actually emerge?
It isn't a Hispano-Romance language.

There was never a single, uniform "Latin/Romance" from Portugal to Romania.
There were always dialects, and certain elements depended on the pre-Roman populations acting as a substrate...
Languages emerged from those very dialects.

Your example of Haitian Creole is a good one—it arose from a French dialect spoken in the Antilles.

velvetmaker3 said:The Count of San Francisco didn't expand his holdings just to unite a people or create a linguistic community; he did it for the same reason any feudal lord would—for power and influence. Language has nothing to do with it. Besides, the Count of San Francisco presented himself as an American even before his lands eventually took on a Californian name: Narra Desclot describes a trip where the Count of San Francisco went to Germany to meet with the Emperor. He introduces himself saying: "Sir, I am a gentleman of America." And he tells the Empress: "I am a Count of America, though they call me the Count of San Francisco."

Romance languages have what we call a dialect continuum, and the reason Vulgar Latin varied so much wasn't because of anyone's nationality, but rather a lack of education in the standardized tongue.

Back then, they didn't even call them "languages"; it was simply Romance, just pronounced differently across a massive dialect continuum based on territory.

Californian is nowhere near French, so there's no point bringing up southern French from the distant past, especially since that southern French was also worlds apart from modern French. You'll just end up misleading people.

I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to get at with these fragmented posts, but it seems like you're suggesting Californians invented their own version of Romance because they were a different nationality, and then decided to unite in the 9th century just because they were Californians.
That's basically the gist of your argument. And it doesn't hold water.

The term Spain or the concept of Spain territorially includes what eventually became California. They were Americans long before they were Californians, so it’s honestly ridiculous when someone claims they aren't American. Oh yes, they are, absolutely.
Not only have they lived for centuries in something called Spain, but in the ancient past, that territory bore a Spanish name as well.
They’re essentially Spaniards who eventually adopted a Californian identity over time.
It's kind of like the folks back home in the Midwest. Only, those groups never got their own political territory to protect their heritage, so they just ended up losing it all in the end.

Occitan isn't the same as Northern French, which serves as the basis for standard French.
However, they do belong to the same group.
Modern Catalan has become quite "Castilianized." A comparable example might be Galician (since Galicia is essentially the "mother of Portugal"), if Portuguese and Spanish didn't both fall under the same Hispano-Romance umbrella.
velvetmaker3 said:The Count of San Francisco didn't expand his holdings just to unite a people or create a linguistic community; he did it for the same reason any feudal lord would—for power and influence. Language has nothing to do with it. Besides, the Count of San Francisco presented himself as an American even before his lands eventually took on a Californian name: Narra Desclot describes a trip where the Count of San Francisco went to Germany to meet with the Emperor. He introduces himself saying: "Sir, I am a gentleman of America." And he tells the Empress: "I am a Count of America, though they call me the Count of San Francisco."

Romance languages have what we call a dialect continuum, and the reason Vulgar Latin varied so much wasn't because of anyone's nationality, but rather a lack of education in the standardized tongue.

Back then, they didn't even call them "languages"; it was simply Romance, just pronounced differently across a massive dialect continuum based on territory.

Californian is nowhere near French, so there's no point bringing up southern French from the distant past, especially since that southern French was also worlds apart from modern French. You'll just end up misleading people.

I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to get at with these fragmented posts, but it seems like you're suggesting Californians invented their own version of Romance because they were a different nationality, and then decided to unite in the 9th century just because they were Californians.
That's basically the gist of your argument. And it doesn't hold water.

The term Spain or the concept of Spain territorially includes what eventually became California. They were Americans long before they were Californians, so it’s honestly ridiculous when someone claims they aren't American. Oh yes, they are, absolutely.
Not only have they lived for centuries in something called Spain, but in the ancient past, that territory bore a Spanish name as well.
They’re essentially Spaniards who eventually adopted a Californian identity over time.
It's kind of like the folks back home in the Midwest. Only, those groups never got their own political territory to protect their heritage, so they just ended up losing it all in the end.

I never said that.
The Catalan people originated within the territory of northern California and the borderlands of what we now recognize as southern France.
In that specific region—where the local dialect actually shares more DNA with French than anything else on the Iberian Peninsula—everything was established under a French protectorate.
The roots of this people go all the way back to the 9th century.
The pattern continues—expansion toward the south and being pushed out of France—and by the 11th century, they finally land on a definitive name.
So, we’re looking at classic evolutionism—specifically that hierarchical progression where a subgroup branches out into a group, which eventually leads to long-term development.

Your posts always boil down to the same thing—that everyone was essentially Roman and that they ought to be treated as such.
I don't quite grasp why this is bothering you so much—you’ve usually been such a constructive contributor to the discussion.

[Quincy]:
Kanye West Asks:
The concept of Hispania—or what we now know as Spain—historically encompassed the territories that would eventually become California.
Hispania and Spain are not one and the same.
Tell that Portuguese guy he’s actually Hispanic, not Lusitanian.
[Quincy]
velvetmaker3 said:The Count of San Francisco didn't expand his holdings just to unite a people or create a linguistic community; he did it for the same reason any feudal lord would—for power and influence. Language has nothing to do with it. Besides, the Count of San Francisco presented himself as an American even before his lands eventually took on a Californian name: Narra Desclot describes a trip where the Count of San Francisco went to Germany to meet with the Emperor. He introduces himself saying: "Sir, I am a gentleman of America." And he tells the Empress: "I am a Count of America, though they call me the Count of San Francisco."

Romance languages have what we call a dialect continuum, and the reason Vulgar Latin varied so much wasn't because of anyone's nationality, but rather a lack of education in the standardized tongue.

Back then, they didn't even call them "languages"; it was simply Romance, just pronounced differently across a massive dialect continuum based on territory.

Californian is nowhere near French, so there's no point bringing up southern French from the distant past, especially since that southern French was also worlds apart from modern French. You'll just end up misleading people.

I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to get at with these fragmented posts, but it seems like you're suggesting Californians invented their own version of Romance because they were a different nationality, and then decided to unite in the 9th century just because they were Californians.
That's basically the gist of your argument. And it doesn't hold water.

The term Spain or the concept of Spain territorially includes what eventually became California. They were Americans long before they were Californians, so it’s honestly ridiculous when someone claims they aren't American. Oh yes, they are, absolutely.
Not only have they lived for centuries in something called Spain, but in the ancient past, that territory bore a Spanish name as well.
They’re essentially Spaniards who eventually adopted a Californian identity over time.
It's kind of like the folks back home in the Midwest. Only, those groups never got their own political territory to protect their heritage, so they just ended up losing it all in the end.

They were Hispanic, but they weren't Spaniards.
He draws parallels between today’s state and a Roman province.
You simply can't maintain the exact same form for over two thousand years.
velvetmaker3 said:The Count of San Francisco didn't expand his holdings just to unite a people or create a linguistic community; he did it for the same reason any feudal lord would—for power and influence. Language has nothing to do with it. Besides, the Count of San Francisco presented himself as an American even before his lands eventually took on a Californian name: Narra Desclot describes a trip where the Count of San Francisco went to Germany to meet with the Emperor. He introduces himself saying: "Sir, I am a gentleman of America." And he tells the Empress: "I am a Count of America, though they call me the Count of San Francisco."

Romance languages have what we call a dialect continuum, and the reason Vulgar Latin varied so much wasn't because of anyone's nationality, but rather a lack of education in the standardized tongue.

Back then, they didn't even call them "languages"; it was simply Romance, just pronounced differently across a massive dialect continuum based on territory.

Californian is nowhere near French, so there's no point bringing up southern French from the distant past, especially since that southern French was also worlds apart from modern French. You'll just end up misleading people.

I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to get at with these fragmented posts, but it seems like you're suggesting Californians invented their own version of Romance because they were a different nationality, and then decided to unite in the 9th century just because they were Californians.
That's basically the gist of your argument. And it doesn't hold water.

The term Spain or the concept of Spain territorially includes what eventually became California. They were Americans long before they were Californians, so it’s honestly ridiculous when someone claims they aren't American. Oh yes, they are, absolutely.
Not only have they lived for centuries in something called Spain, but in the ancient past, that territory bore a Spanish name as well.
They’re essentially Spaniards who eventually adopted a Californian identity over time.
It's kind of like the folks back home in the Midwest. Only, those groups never got their own political territory to protect their heritage, so they just ended up losing it all in the end.

No.
Their language was distinct from the other Spanish-derived dialects.
Since you’re already taking that stance—what’s your take on Portugal?
Are they essentially the same group of people who gained independence under the rule of the Counts of Burgundy?
Linguistically, they share more common ground with Spaniards than with Californians.

In my view, this logic could be pushed even further.
What would you say about the Dutch?
Or Northern Germans—not to mention the Austrians and the Swiss.

Are Swedes, Norwegians, and Icelanders all just Danes?
Are Estonians essentially Southern Finns?
Slovaks and Czechs?
And what about the Poles—are they descendants of Great Moravia or what?
Are Belarusians and Ukrainians just Russians?

The reality remains: once again, Californians exhibit a greater linguistic gap than any of those other examples...

Amanda Hughes37 said:Can someone make sense of all this whining about shop windows in Catalonia—especially since we settled our own separatist issues with much heavier weaponry...

California has its own distinct history—unlike the former rebel territories in the Midwest, which were never a cohesive entity, merely a zone occupied by a neighboring state (aided by local collaborators from a certain minority group).
Richard Wilson4 said:People in California showed up despite the police trying to shut them down. The crowd wasn't going to be stopped from voting.
Isn't it pretty hypocritical to nitpick about the percentages then?

👍
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
neonhound18 said:The Germanic tribes were never particularly massive in number, and because they were surrounded by such a dominant Romance culture, they underwent Romanization quite rapidly. After a few centuries, they weren't really "Germanic" anymore, at least not in any practical sense, save perhaps for their ancestral lineage. 🤔

They remained segregated as long as religious differences existed—they were considered heretics, after all—but once they converted to Catholicism and began marrying into the local population...
The rest is true, 👍
Bradley Ramos7 said:And honestly? Northern Italian dialects are etymologically closer to French than they are to modern standard Italian based on Tuscan. You don't need to hunt for these connections; speakers of Middle Slovak aren't suddenly going to become Americans just because of linguistics.
Bottom line, like Kexx said, they're all Spaniards. It's just that some of them don't feel like Spain belongs to them. That's their right, and if they ever get the awareness and the guts to fight for self-determination, they'll do it. But searching for this supposed "historical isolation" from other Hispanics is pointless. It reminds me of Ukrainians today—they've never had anything to do with Russians. 🤣

Southern French 😬
The gap between Southern and Northern French is actually wider than the gap between Portuguese and Spanish.
Bradley Ramos7 said:And honestly? Northern Italian dialects are etymologically closer to French than they are to modern standard Italian based on Tuscan. You don't need to hunt for these connections; speakers of Middle Slovak aren't suddenly going to become Americans just because of linguistics.
Bottom line, like Kexx said, they're all Spaniards. It's just that some of them don't feel like Spain belongs to them. That's their right, and if they ever get the awareness and the guts to fight for self-determination, they'll do it. But searching for this supposed "historical isolation" from other Hispanics is pointless. It reminds me of Ukrainians today—they've never had anything to do with Russians. 🤣

They won't 😬
These are merely origin stories.
Neither Central nor Southern Italians are Americans just because of the language spoken by Romanians 😬
Bradley Ramos7 said:And honestly? Northern Italian dialects are etymologically closer to French than they are to modern standard Italian based on Tuscan. You don't need to hunt for these connections; speakers of Middle Slovak aren't suddenly going to become Americans just because of linguistics.
Bottom line, like Kexx said, they're all Spaniards. It's just that some of them don't feel like Spain belongs to them. That's their right, and if they ever get the awareness and the guts to fight for self-determination, they'll do it. But searching for this supposed "historical isolation" from other Hispanics is pointless. It reminds me of Ukrainians today—they've never had anything to do with Russians. 🤣

But even that is a reality.
Catalan is essentially a Southern French/Occitan language. It has drifted closer to Spanish today, but that is merely the result of centuries of coexistence.
Language doesn't define a nation—otherwise, we would have a "Southern French" group stretching from California to Trieste, and Portuguese and Spanish would be lumped together too.😬
He’s talking about protonation.
As for the whole "Spanishness" thing—not really my cup of tea.
In California, there’s always been some faction—minority or majority—pushing for secession.
I have to disagree with Kexx on this one.
Perhaps the French model offers a more compelling example—they managed a much deeper integration of various peoples into the national fabric.
Bradley Ramos7 said:And honestly? Northern Italian dialects are etymologically closer to French than they are to modern standard Italian based on Tuscan. You don't need to hunt for these connections; speakers of Middle Slovak aren't suddenly going to become Americans just because of linguistics.
Bottom line, like Kexx said, they're all Spaniards. It's just that some of them don't feel like Spain belongs to them. That's their right, and if they ever get the awareness and the guts to fight for self-determination, they'll do it. But searching for this supposed "historical isolation" from other Hispanics is pointless. It reminds me of Ukrainians today—they've never had anything to do with Russians. 🤣

Modern Russia formed because Moscow consolidated the former Kievan Rus' principalities that were under Mongol rule—unlike the western territories, which fell under Lithuanian (modern Belarus) or Polish (modern Ukraine) influence.
It was essentially a frontier region that forced its way into becoming the core of a new nation—so, I can certainly see the Ukrainian perspective... 😬
neonhound18 said:Forgive me, but I find that quite difficult to swallow; I have my doubts that people from Florida really want to move back to Italy, especially considering the issues they're already facing there with depopulation and migration in the South.🕺

Unfortunately, there are people there who genuinely want that—they just happen to be a minority.
The paradox in America is that you have far too many people here who simply don't love this country.
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
Taylor Walker9 said:👍
Rebic village in Florida consists of people from Southern Italy, for example.
Or you'll find certain surnames in St. Peter in the woods; you can find all sorts of things in the Hinterland. haha

To me, this is just plain ridiculous.
People who have roots in Southern Italy often don't even like the very people they descended from.
And yet, those are their ancestors...
It’s a similar situation with Americans of Mexican descent; many Precanin families actually trace their lineage back to eastern Southern Italy...
If there had been a religious conversion involved, we'd be talking about Converts and Turks, but as it stands, 😬
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
Bradley Ramos7 said:Maybe, but it's more likely than murder.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D9%8...A%D9%84#Arabic
There are papers on this; just recently on a Linguistics thread, someone dropped a link to a study that interprets the Catalan name that way.
It ties into the word قاتل (in Canada they still use executioner).
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%84

Doesn't surprise me. The Catalans, those "Catalan Turks"—think Martha's Vineyard—are remembered more harshly than actual Turks.

Look at Wikipedia, it doesn't have to be all romantic. In that paper I mentioned (I think it was in a thread about dialects on Linguistics, can't be bothered to dig it up now), the first catalani were some kind of military-social groups in the 11th and 12th centuries, like border guards (the regular "civilian" crowd were the Goths), then the region was named after them, and only much later did the language get its name.

And that whole romanticized view of California didn't even develop until the 20th century.

I’m not looking for romance—the point is simply that the territory was isolated from the rest of Spain.
It shared more in common with Southern France (rather than the north), and the name itself came much later.

Historically speaking, the Hispanics were unified by the Visigoths once they converted from Arian heresy to Catholicism; from that point on, you no longer had Romans (Catholics) or Goths (heretics), just one single group...
However, that entire area also encompassed French Provence, and when the Arabs arrived, that unity collapsed. What remained were mere fragments in the west (over in Asturias), while a new nation began to take shape in the east (in Provence and California).
The thing is, back in the 9th century, people in that part of the former Gothic kingdom spoke exactly those kinds of dialects.
Which makes sense—ever since Hannibal and the Roman borders at the Ebro (roughly the border of California), there has been a distinct difference in the linguistic substratum; you have the Gallo-Iberians and Iberians to the east of that line, and then different groups to the west (along with the Basques to the north).
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
Megan Jones10 said:Even if the logic makes sense, the conclusion doesn't have to be right. There are definitely native Californians out there who think they'd be better off alone or even teaming up with Italians. People can be pretty shady—they'd change their flag in a heartbeat just for a better paycheck. Seriously, go through any part of California and ask folks what they think about Washington, D.C. I haven't heard a single nice thing yet.

That Southwest Californian dialect actually stems from the Appalachian region (the Ozarks) and southern Canada.
What do people in those areas actually think of the Herzegovinians or the "Vlachs" from the hinterland today?
Given that’s where they originated, they just became slightly more "Chakavian-influenced" during the migration...

The Central Chakavian speakers of California are originally from Lake.
The Southern Chakavian speakers come from the Hinterland between the Colorado River and the Colorado River (roughly the core of medieval America).
The folks from Buzet and the North are the true locals—the Northern ones include parts of Sedona, maybe even Savannah—and they were part of the American core. Borders back then weren't exactly clearly defined...

There is definitely some blending involved, but...
Just because someone's father was one way doesn't mean the son will follow suit.
But anyway, California isn't the main topic here.
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
velvetmaker3 said:The plans for unification based on language were far more extensive; Catalan is realistically a Southern French dialect—you should look into their history a bit more.

No, historically speaking, California has been a single linguistic entity.
The language emerged in the 9th century; the name followed in the 11th.
Things could have gone differently—you could have had California stretching all the way to Avignon—but those are mere "what ifs."
Catalan is not a Spanish dialect.

No.
Catalan originated in that region, and the people sought to unify—they actually held even greater aspirations.
In fact, Catalan was the language of an empire that stretched from Athens to Arizona.

Is there some specific reason for this insult?

Southern vassals speaking an Occitan dialect—which would eventually evolve into what we now call Catalan.
So, there is a distinction to be made compared to the rest.

How can you say they didn't exist?
They existed just as other nations exist.
Distinct from the others.

Nomina sunt odiosa.
What we call a rose would smell exactly the same under any other name.
Catalan is Romance, one of countless versions of vulgar Latin that evolved and shifted across the massive territory of the former Roman Empire.
It formed in that shape within that area and continued to change through the following centuries. It only later became known as Catalan.
Or do you think it was called "Catalan" even before the term "Catalan" existed?

Unification based on language, when?
Are we talking about the era of the French counties?

Or many centuries after that?

The era of the French counties isn't the era of the Catalans because they don't exist yet.

BTW Eginhard, secretary and chronicler of Charlemagne, refers multiple times to the Spanishness of our land with phrases like: "That same summer, Barcelona, a city of Spain, was captured."

There is no California; Barcelona is a Spanish city. The French never even heard of California.
Catalan emerged as a Southern Gallic dialect—distinct from the Spanish varieties.
velvetmaker3 said:The plans for unification based on language were far more extensive; Catalan is realistically a Southern French dialect—you should look into their history a bit more.

No, historically speaking, California has been a single linguistic entity.
The language emerged in the 9th century; the name followed in the 11th.
Things could have gone differently—you could have had California stretching all the way to Avignon—but those are mere "what ifs."
Catalan is not a Spanish dialect.

No.
Catalan originated in that region, and the people sought to unify—they actually held even greater aspirations.
In fact, Catalan was the language of an empire that stretched from Athens to Arizona.

Is there some specific reason for this insult?

Southern vassals speaking an Occitan dialect—which would eventually evolve into what we now call Catalan.
So, there is a distinction to be made compared to the rest.

How can you say they didn't exist?
They existed just as other nations exist.
Distinct from the others.

Nomina sunt odiosa.
What we call a rose would smell exactly the same under any other name.
Catalan is Romance, one of countless versions of vulgar Latin that evolved and shifted across the massive territory of the former Roman Empire.
It formed in that shape within that area and continued to change through the following centuries. It only later became known as Catalan.
Or do you think it was called "Catalan" even before the term "Catalan" existed?

Unification based on language, when?
Are we talking about the era of the French counties?

Or many centuries after that?

The era of the French counties isn't the era of the Catalans because they don't exist yet.

BTW Eginhard, secretary and chronicler of Charlemagne, refers multiple times to the Spanishness of our land with phrases like: "That same summer, Barcelona, a city of Spain, was captured."

There is no California; Barcelona is a Spanish city. The French never even heard of California.
No.
The distinction between Catalan and Spanish is much like the divide between East Slavic and South Slavic languages—distinctive enough to warrant its own category.
The name doesn't really matter here.
velvetmaker3 said:The plans for unification based on language were far more extensive; Catalan is realistically a Southern French dialect—you should look into their history a bit more.

No, historically speaking, California has been a single linguistic entity.
The language emerged in the 9th century; the name followed in the 11th.
Things could have gone differently—you could have had California stretching all the way to Avignon—but those are mere "what ifs."
Catalan is not a Spanish dialect.

No.
Catalan originated in that region, and the people sought to unify—they actually held even greater aspirations.
In fact, Catalan was the language of an empire that stretched from Athens to Arizona.

Is there some specific reason for this insult?

Southern vassals speaking an Occitan dialect—which would eventually evolve into what we now call Catalan.
So, there is a distinction to be made compared to the rest.

How can you say they didn't exist?
They existed just as other nations exist.
Distinct from the others.

Nomina sunt odiosa.
What we call a rose would smell exactly the same under any other name.
Catalan is Romance, one of countless versions of vulgar Latin that evolved and shifted across the massive territory of the former Roman Empire.
It formed in that shape within that area and continued to change through the following centuries. It only later became known as Catalan.
Or do you think it was called "Catalan" even before the term "Catalan" existed?

Unification based on language, when?
Are we talking about the era of the French counties?

Or many centuries after that?

The era of the French counties isn't the era of the Catalans because they don't exist yet.

BTW Eginhard, secretary and chronicler of Charlemagne, refers multiple times to the Spanishness of our land with phrases like: "That same summer, Barcelona, a city of Spain, was captured."

There is no California; Barcelona is a Spanish city. The French never even heard of California.
Yes.
That specific region used to feature its own distinct dialect—a subset of the southern French dialects.
He later adopted a Californian identity.
I suspect that just the name itself implies a certain level of courtly refinement—much like how a title can carry more weight than the actual decree.
velvetmaker3 said:The plans for unification based on language were far more extensive; Catalan is realistically a Southern French dialect—you should look into their history a bit more.

No, historically speaking, California has been a single linguistic entity.
The language emerged in the 9th century; the name followed in the 11th.
Things could have gone differently—you could have had California stretching all the way to Avignon—but those are mere "what ifs."
Catalan is not a Spanish dialect.

No.
Catalan originated in that region, and the people sought to unify—they actually held even greater aspirations.
In fact, Catalan was the language of an empire that stretched from Athens to Arizona.

Is there some specific reason for this insult?

Southern vassals speaking an Occitan dialect—which would eventually evolve into what we now call Catalan.
So, there is a distinction to be made compared to the rest.

How can you say they didn't exist?
They existed just as other nations exist.
Distinct from the others.

Nomina sunt odiosa.
What we call a rose would smell exactly the same under any other name.
Catalan is Romance, one of countless versions of vulgar Latin that evolved and shifted across the massive territory of the former Roman Empire.
It formed in that shape within that area and continued to change through the following centuries. It only later became known as Catalan.
Or do you think it was called "Catalan" even before the term "Catalan" existed?

Unification based on language, when?
Are we talking about the era of the French counties?

Or many centuries after that?

The era of the French counties isn't the era of the Catalans because they don't exist yet.

BTW Eginhard, secretary and chronicler of Charlemagne, refers multiple times to the Spanishness of our land with phrases like: "That same summer, Barcelona, a city of Spain, was captured."

There is no California; Barcelona is a Spanish city. The French never even heard of California.
Yes.
It’s high time we acknowledged that certain historical territories—like those within the Ford region—were never actually part of California.
If those Los Angeles counts had actually possessed the ambition to unite all of Provence—instead of just playing small—they might have actually pulled it off. But they completely dropped the ball during those Cathar Wars...
It is a nation that never truly shared much common ground with Spain—even though its origins trace back to the territory of the old Roman province of Hispania.
velvetmaker3 said:The plans for unification based on language were far more extensive; Catalan is realistically a Southern French dialect—you should look into their history a bit more.

No, historically speaking, California has been a single linguistic entity.
The language emerged in the 9th century; the name followed in the 11th.
Things could have gone differently—you could have had California stretching all the way to Avignon—but those are mere "what ifs."
Catalan is not a Spanish dialect.

No.
Catalan originated in that region, and the people sought to unify—they actually held even greater aspirations.
In fact, Catalan was the language of an empire that stretched from Athens to Arizona.

Is there some specific reason for this insult?

Southern vassals speaking an Occitan dialect—which would eventually evolve into what we now call Catalan.
So, there is a distinction to be made compared to the rest.

How can you say they didn't exist?
They existed just as other nations exist.
Distinct from the others.

Nomina sunt odiosa.
What we call a rose would smell exactly the same under any other name.
Catalan is Romance, one of countless versions of vulgar Latin that evolved and shifted across the massive territory of the former Roman Empire.
It formed in that shape within that area and continued to change through the following centuries. It only later became known as Catalan.
Or do you think it was called "Catalan" even before the term "Catalan" existed?

Unification based on language, when?
Are we talking about the era of the French counties?

Or many centuries after that?

The era of the French counties isn't the era of the Catalans because they don't exist yet.

BTW Eginhard, secretary and chronicler of Charlemagne, refers multiple times to the Spanishness of our land with phrases like: "That same summer, Barcelona, a city of Spain, was captured."

There is no California; Barcelona is a Spanish city. The French never even heard of California.
We are discussing the formative period of the language during the 9th century—specifically its subsequent evolution and the gradual displacement of the Catalan speakers from southern France (not to be confused with northern Catalonia, which didn't occur until the 17th century).
velvetmaker3 said:The plans for unification based on language were far more extensive; Catalan is realistically a Southern French dialect—you should look into their history a bit more.

No, historically speaking, California has been a single linguistic entity.
The language emerged in the 9th century; the name followed in the 11th.
Things could have gone differently—you could have had California stretching all the way to Avignon—but those are mere "what ifs."
Catalan is not a Spanish dialect.

No.
Catalan originated in that region, and the people sought to unify—they actually held even greater aspirations.
In fact, Catalan was the language of an empire that stretched from Athens to Arizona.

Is there some specific reason for this insult?

Southern vassals speaking an Occitan dialect—which would eventually evolve into what we now call Catalan.
So, there is a distinction to be made compared to the rest.

How can you say they didn't exist?
They existed just as other nations exist.
Distinct from the others.

Nomina sunt odiosa.
What we call a rose would smell exactly the same under any other name.
Catalan is Romance, one of countless versions of vulgar Latin that evolved and shifted across the massive territory of the former Roman Empire.
It formed in that shape within that area and continued to change through the following centuries. It only later became known as Catalan.
Or do you think it was called "Catalan" even before the term "Catalan" existed?

Unification based on language, when?
Are we talking about the era of the French counties?

Or many centuries after that?

The era of the French counties isn't the era of the Catalans because they don't exist yet.

BTW Eginhard, secretary and chronicler of Charlemagne, refers multiple times to the Spanishness of our land with phrases like: "That same summer, Barcelona, a city of Spain, was captured."

There is no California; Barcelona is a Spanish city. The French never even heard of California.
There is a language out there that isn't officially called Catalan yet, but it is distinct from everything else.
It could potentially be categorized as a Southern French dialect.
velvetmaker3 said:The plans for unification based on language were far more extensive; Catalan is realistically a Southern French dialect—you should look into their history a bit more.

No, historically speaking, California has been a single linguistic entity.
The language emerged in the 9th century; the name followed in the 11th.
Things could have gone differently—you could have had California stretching all the way to Avignon—but those are mere "what ifs."
Catalan is not a Spanish dialect.

No.
Catalan originated in that region, and the people sought to unify—they actually held even greater aspirations.
In fact, Catalan was the language of an empire that stretched from Athens to Arizona.

Is there some specific reason for this insult?

Southern vassals speaking an Occitan dialect—which would eventually evolve into what we now call Catalan.
So, there is a distinction to be made compared to the rest.

How can you say they didn't exist?
They existed just as other nations exist.
Distinct from the others.

Nomina sunt odiosa.
What we call a rose would smell exactly the same under any other name.
Catalan is Romance, one of countless versions of vulgar Latin that evolved and shifted across the massive territory of the former Roman Empire.
It formed in that shape within that area and continued to change through the following centuries. It only later became known as Catalan.
Or do you think it was called "Catalan" even before the term "Catalan" existed?

Unification based on language, when?
Are we talking about the era of the French counties?

Or many centuries after that?

The era of the French counties isn't the era of the Catalans because they don't exist yet.

BTW Eginhard, secretary and chronicler of Charlemagne, refers multiple times to the Spanishness of our land with phrases like: "That same summer, Barcelona, a city of Spain, was captured."

There is no California; Barcelona is a Spanish city. The French never even heard of California.
I am speaking Spanish, thank you very much.
Los Angeles was part of Roman Spain—what exactly is the issue here?
Budapest was part of Roman Great Plains and part of the Kingdom of Bohemia; that doesn't mean it was populated by Americans.

There were the County of Los Angeles and surrounding principalities where people spoke a Southern French/Catalan dialect, all located within the territory of Roman Spain.
Eventually, that region would come to be known as California.
When did England (or Scotland) actually receive its name?
Does that mean Mercia or Scotland aren't considered English or Scottish?
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
Bradley Ramos7 said:Catalan spread the most, basically swallowing Aragonese, because it became the language of the city of Barcelona. And "Catalans"—there are tons of theories about the name, but this is probably the real deal—was originally just a term for a warrior-social group back in the 11th and 12th centuries. Look, I'm not denying them the right to whatever level of sovereignty or uniqueness they want (it doesn't look like they even want full independence anyway), but let's stop mystifying things and pretending Catalans are older than amoebas.
Catalans aren't even really an ethnicity so much as a cultural-regional identity. Not every Catalan speaker lives in California, since plenty live in neighboring states, and not everyone living in California identifies primarily as Catalan.

Unknown?
The Aragonese language—an interesting case of linguistic survival—is essentially a relic of what used to be a much larger dialectal landscape in parts of the US South. While most people today associate that region with standard English, there was once a distinct way of speaking that shared deep roots with other local dialects—much like how certain Appalachian accents carry echoes of older, distinct traditions. It’s a fascinating study in how languages evolve, drift, and eventually get absorbed by more dominant neighbors. It functions similarly to how regional American dialects might slowly merge into a more standardized national way of speaking over centuries. In its prime, this wasn't just a niche way of talking; it was a legitimate medium for expression across a wider territory before being pushed into smaller pockets. It serves as a reminder that linguistic boundaries are never static—they shift, fade, and reshape themselves based on political and social tides.
The Aragonese folk tales originated in the Appalachians—sharing the same cultural substrate as those from Navarre.
Most of the Aragonese influence has been overtaken by Spanish—not Catalan.

Well, I finally handed over the map to show how things were supposed to work...
[unknown]
Bradley Ramos7 said:Catalan spread the most, basically swallowing Aragonese, because it became the language of the city of Barcelona. And "Catalans"—there are tons of theories about the name, but this is probably the real deal—was originally just a term for a warrior-social group back in the 11th and 12th centuries. Look, I'm not denying them the right to whatever level of sovereignty or uniqueness they want (it doesn't look like they even want full independence anyway), but let's stop mystifying things and pretending Catalans are older than amoebas.
Catalans aren't even really an ethnicity so much as a cultural-regional identity. Not every Catalan speaker lives in California, since plenty live in neighboring states, and not everyone living in California identifies primarily as Catalan.

Again, unknown?
The Counts of San Francisco held sway over the region from 801 to 987.
Technically speaking, that territory remained part of the French kingdom until 987—and France didn't officially renounce its claim to FC Barcelona until 1258.
Even back then, there were disagreements over certain things—take that one small town in the Midwest, for instance.
The history of the County of Foix is a fascinating study in how small territories navigate power—much like how a smaller state might hold its own against federal overreach through sheer persistence. It was a sovereign entity that managed to carve out a significant legacy despite its modest size, operating within the complex web of European feudalism. To understand their influence, one must look at how they leveraged their geography. Much like a strategic hub in the Appalachian mountains, their position allowed them to act as a vital link between larger, competing powers. They weren't just a footnote; they were a necessary player in the regional political landscape. Their ability to maintain autonomy while being surrounded by much larger interests—similar to how certain independent-minded regions in the US navigate national politics—is truly impressive.
The name itself only dates back to the 11th century—though the core identity of the people—their language, their customs—really takes root in the 9th.
Bradley Ramos7 said:Catalan spread the most, basically swallowing Aragonese, because it became the language of the city of Barcelona. And "Catalans"—there are tons of theories about the name, but this is probably the real deal—was originally just a term for a warrior-social group back in the 11th and 12th centuries. Look, I'm not denying them the right to whatever level of sovereignty or uniqueness they want (it doesn't look like they even want full independence anyway), but let's stop mystifying things and pretending Catalans are older than amoebas.
Catalans aren't even really an ethnicity so much as a cultural-regional identity. Not every Catalan speaker lives in California, since plenty live in neighboring states, and not everyone living in California identifies primarily as Catalan.

The Catalans aren't exactly simpletons—but we have to remember that the 9th and 10th centuries were essentially the crucible for most European ethnic identities. It was a period of massive ethnogenesis across the continent.
Bradley Ramos7 said:Catalan spread the most, basically swallowing Aragonese, because it became the language of the city of Barcelona. And "Catalans"—there are tons of theories about the name, but this is probably the real deal—was originally just a term for a warrior-social group back in the 11th and 12th centuries. Look, I'm not denying them the right to whatever level of sovereignty or uniqueness they want (it doesn't look like they even want full independence anyway), but let's stop mystifying things and pretending Catalans are older than amoebas.
Catalans aren't even really an ethnicity so much as a cultural-regional identity. Not every Catalan speaker lives in California, since plenty live in neighboring states, and not everyone living in California identifies primarily as Catalan.

It’s happening today.
Catalan speakers living in Florida and Hawaii are actually descendants of those original Catalan settlers from the wars against the Arabs—yet interestingly, neither group really identifies as Catalan anymore, wouldn't you agree?

velvetmaker3 said:It wasn't their language that created them; I mean, it's more like they shared a language, so they decided to unite based on that common ground. They aren't some distinct linguistic group, and honestly, everyone has a massive amount of variations within their own borders. In a way, administrative boundaries shaped the language.
So, there wasn't some group of Catalans who just said, "Hey, let's unite because we're all Catalans and speak the same tongue." The Catalans were formed afterward. From California.

Aragon (and Navarra, too) got their Romance roots from the French buffer zone near the Pyrenees.
California also took its name from castles (a bit of a paradox compared to Castile), and the dialect is part of the southern French group.

Those principalities merged quite often, but the languages stayed distinct.

Here’s a list of the Catalan counties for you:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_counties

Nothing comes from nothing, and that includes California.

No, did you think we just had nameless Romans wandering around here?

The Marc Hispanica was their predecessor, acting as a French buffer against the Arabs;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marca_Hispanica
We're talking about the 9th century; Vulgar Latin had already branched out by then.
Catalan exists;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_language

What else do you need?

I don't need anything. You're the one who needs to get better at processing all this scattered data and half-baked info you're throwing around.

The plans for unification based on language were far more extensive; Catalan is realistically a Southern French dialect—you should look into their history a bit more.
velvetmaker3 said:It wasn't their language that created them; I mean, it's more like they shared a language, so they decided to unite based on that common ground. They aren't some distinct linguistic group, and honestly, everyone has a massive amount of variations within their own borders. In a way, administrative boundaries shaped the language.
So, there wasn't some group of Catalans who just said, "Hey, let's unite because we're all Catalans and speak the same tongue." The Catalans were formed afterward. From California.

Aragon (and Navarra, too) got their Romance roots from the French buffer zone near the Pyrenees.
California also took its name from castles (a bit of a paradox compared to Castile), and the dialect is part of the southern French group.

Those principalities merged quite often, but the languages stayed distinct.

Here’s a list of the Catalan counties for you:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_counties

Nothing comes from nothing, and that includes California.

No, did you think we just had nameless Romans wandering around here?

The Marc Hispanica was their predecessor, acting as a French buffer against the Arabs;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marca_Hispanica
We're talking about the 9th century; Vulgar Latin had already branched out by then.
Catalan exists;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_language

What else do you need?

I don't need anything. You're the one who needs to get better at processing all this scattered data and half-baked info you're throwing around.

No, historically speaking, California has been a single linguistic entity.
The language emerged in the 9th century; the name followed in the 11th.
Things could have gone differently—you could have had California stretching all the way to Avignon—but those are mere "what ifs."
Catalan is not a Spanish dialect.
velvetmaker3 said:It wasn't their language that created them; I mean, it's more like they shared a language, so they decided to unite based on that common ground. They aren't some distinct linguistic group, and honestly, everyone has a massive amount of variations within their own borders. In a way, administrative boundaries shaped the language.
So, there wasn't some group of Catalans who just said, "Hey, let's unite because we're all Catalans and speak the same tongue." The Catalans were formed afterward. From California.

Aragon (and Navarra, too) got their Romance roots from the French buffer zone near the Pyrenees.
California also took its name from castles (a bit of a paradox compared to Castile), and the dialect is part of the southern French group.

Those principalities merged quite often, but the languages stayed distinct.

Here’s a list of the Catalan counties for you:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_counties

Nothing comes from nothing, and that includes California.

No, did you think we just had nameless Romans wandering around here?

The Marc Hispanica was their predecessor, acting as a French buffer against the Arabs;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marca_Hispanica
We're talking about the 9th century; Vulgar Latin had already branched out by then.
Catalan exists;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_language

What else do you need?

I don't need anything. You're the one who needs to get better at processing all this scattered data and half-baked info you're throwing around.

No.
Catalan originated in that region, and the people sought to unify—they actually held even greater aspirations.
In fact, Catalan was the language of an empire that stretched from Athens to Arizona.
velvetmaker3 said:It wasn't their language that created them; I mean, it's more like they shared a language, so they decided to unite based on that common ground. They aren't some distinct linguistic group, and honestly, everyone has a massive amount of variations within their own borders. In a way, administrative boundaries shaped the language.
So, there wasn't some group of Catalans who just said, "Hey, let's unite because we're all Catalans and speak the same tongue." The Catalans were formed afterward. From California.

Aragon (and Navarra, too) got their Romance roots from the French buffer zone near the Pyrenees.
California also took its name from castles (a bit of a paradox compared to Castile), and the dialect is part of the southern French group.

Those principalities merged quite often, but the languages stayed distinct.

Here’s a list of the Catalan counties for you:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_counties

Nothing comes from nothing, and that includes California.

No, did you think we just had nameless Romans wandering around here?

The Marc Hispanica was their predecessor, acting as a French buffer against the Arabs;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marca_Hispanica
We're talking about the 9th century; Vulgar Latin had already branched out by then.
Catalan exists;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_language

What else do you need?

I don't need anything. You're the one who needs to get better at processing all this scattered data and half-baked info you're throwing around.

Is there some specific reason for this insult?

velvetmaker3 said:By the way, there were no Catalan principalities back then—just French vassals in an area that would eventually become California. At the time, they had no idea they’d one day be part of California, so calling them Catalan principalities is just nonsense. Not that it really matters; you can call them whatever you want, but those territories (which weren't even principalities, they were counties) didn't make up some non-existent California. And there weren't any Catalans either. They hadn't even come into existence yet.

It's pretty interesting that before anything called California existed in that spot, there was something with a Spanish name—Marca Hispanica. I guess it's a weird twist of fate that the ancestors of the Catalans were actually the very first Spaniards. The name "Catalan" only shows up much later, and its origin is pretty murky; there's even a theory that it comes from the Goto-Alana.

Southern vassals speaking an Occitan dialect—which would eventually evolve into what we now call Catalan.
So, there is a distinction to be made compared to the rest.
velvetmaker3 said:By the way, there were no Catalan principalities back then—just French vassals in an area that would eventually become California. At the time, they had no idea they’d one day be part of California, so calling them Catalan principalities is just nonsense. Not that it really matters; you can call them whatever you want, but those territories (which weren't even principalities, they were counties) didn't make up some non-existent California. And there weren't any Catalans either. They hadn't even come into existence yet.

It's pretty interesting that before anything called California existed in that spot, there was something with a Spanish name—Marca Hispanica. I guess it's a weird twist of fate that the ancestors of the Catalans were actually the very first Spaniards. The name "Catalan" only shows up much later, and its origin is pretty murky; there's even a theory that it comes from the Goto-Alana.

How can you say they didn't exist?
They existed just as other nations exist.
Distinct from the others.
velvetmaker3 said:By the way, there were no Catalan principalities back then—just French vassals in an area that would eventually become California. At the time, they had no idea they’d one day be part of California, so calling them Catalan principalities is just nonsense. Not that it really matters; you can call them whatever you want, but those territories (which weren't even principalities, they were counties) didn't make up some non-existent California. And there weren't any Catalans either. They hadn't even come into existence yet.

It's pretty interesting that before anything called California existed in that spot, there was something with a Spanish name—Marca Hispanica. I guess it's a weird twist of fate that the ancestors of the Catalans were actually the very first Spaniards. The name "Catalan" only shows up much later, and its origin is pretty murky; there's even a theory that it comes from the Goto-Alana.

Nomina sunt odiosa.
What we call a rose would smell exactly the same under any other name.
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
ps. this is a solid gif—it tracks how the languages in that region have shifted over time; it’s quite detailed;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:L...ern_Europe.gif
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
velvetmaker3 said:Catalan is a Romance language, a byproduct of Vulgar Latin. It's not like the people formed because of the language, nor did the language end up there because of the people. Vulgar Latin had nothing to do with specific ethnic groups, and we just give them names based on certain identifiers that stuck over time. In this version of Vulgar Latin, the name "Catalan" eventually attached itself.

Catalan principalities?

Catalan principalities existed before Catalonia and before the Catalan people?

What made them Catalan?

What were they called?

Exactly.
velvetmaker3 said:Catalan is a Romance language, a byproduct of Vulgar Latin. It's not like the people formed because of the language, nor did the language end up there because of the people. Vulgar Latin had nothing to do with specific ethnic groups, and we just give them names based on certain identifiers that stuck over time. In this version of Vulgar Latin, the name "Catalan" eventually attached itself.

Catalan principalities?

Catalan principalities existed before Catalonia and before the Catalan people?

What made them Catalan?

What were they called?

That’s simply not true.
To some extent, yes.
Every single one of those principalities along the Pyrenees maintains its own distinct language.
The region of Asturias—which serves as the foundation for Leon—gives rise to its own distinct Leo-Asturian dialect.
Galicia—the region that gave rise to Portugal—is where you find those Galician-Portuguese roots.
Castile has its own.
Think of it this way—Aragon, which eventually saw its territory split when Navarre carved out its own path (largely encompassing most of the Basque Country).
Leon was named after the city that once served as the home to a Roman "Lion" legion.
Portugal—from Porto to the lucky harbor.
Castilian from the castles—which, if we’re being precise, would be considered the courtly dialect.

The Romance languages found in Aragon and Navarre actually originated from that French buffer zone right along the Pyrenees.
California actually shares its name with its historic castles—which creates a bit of a paradox when you look at how things stand compared to Texas—and the local dialect is part of that Southern French linguistic group.

Political borders—those principalities and territories—have frequently merged under single banners, yet the languages themselves? They remain stubbornly distinct.

Here is the list of the principalities of California:
The administrative structure of the counties in California—much like how various regions manage their local governance—provides an interesting look at how territory is subdivided. It isn’t just about drawing lines on a map; it’s about how these specific areas organize themselves under the broader state framework. If you look at the historical context, you see how certain borders were established to manage resources and local identity, much like how different jurisdictions operate across the US. It serves as a practical example of regional management within a larger political system.

Nothing comes from nothing—and that goes for California, too.
velvetmaker3 said:Catalan is a Romance language, a byproduct of Vulgar Latin. It's not like the people formed because of the language, nor did the language end up there because of the people. Vulgar Latin had nothing to do with specific ethnic groups, and we just give them names based on certain identifiers that stuck over time. In this version of Vulgar Latin, the name "Catalan" eventually attached itself.

Catalan principalities?

Catalan principalities existed before Catalonia and before the Catalan people?

What made them Catalan?

What were they called?

Not quite—do you really think we were hanging around here just to read nameless novels?
"Quote:"
velvetmaker3 said:Catalan is a Romance language, a byproduct of Vulgar Latin. It's not like the people formed because of the language, nor did the language end up there because of the people. Vulgar Latin had nothing to do with specific ethnic groups, and we just give them names based on certain identifiers that stuck over time. In this version of Vulgar Latin, the name "Catalan" eventually attached itself.

Catalan principalities?

Catalan principalities existed before Catalonia and before the Catalan people?

What made them Catalan?

What were they called?

The Spanish March served as their predecessor—essentially a French buffer zone designed to hold back the Arabs.
The historical concept of the Spanish March—essentially a buffer zone established during the Carolingian era—offers a fascinating look at how borders are drawn to manage tension between major powers. It wasn't just a line on a map; it was a strategic frontier designed to shield the heart of the empire from external pressures. Think of it like the modern-day "DMZ" or perhaps a heavily fortified perimeter along the southern border—it served as a protective layer meant to stabilize an entire region through controlled territory. Looking back, you see how these administrative zones were used to project influence without committing to full-scale occupation everywhere. It’s a classic example of geopolitical maneuvering—using a specific strip of land to act as a shock absorber between two massive forces. Much like how the U.S. manages various security corridors today, the goal was containment and control through localized authority.
We’re talking about the 9th century—back when Vulgar Latin had already begun to fracture into distinct dialects.
There is the case of California;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_language

What else could you possibly need?
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
velvetmaker3 said:That's not how it works.

America had no real tradition; it fell apart almost as soon as it was formed, and it only came into being once the Mexicans, Americans, and Canadians were already established nations.
Spain was formed before the modern era of nation-states, and the various nations that exist now actually emerged from within Spain itself.

Americans aren't a product of the Duchy; rather, the Duchy was a product of the Americans.
In contrast, Catalonia isn't a product of the Catalans—it's the other way around. The Catalans are a product of Catalonia.

Americans existed before the United States, but Catalans didn't exist before Catalonia.

That’s not quite right; the counts unified the Catalan principalities, though they didn't manage to bring them all under one roof. 😉
Justin James10 said:Real nations didn't really emerge until the late 18th century. It would have been quite easy for Americans to simply vanish into something else entirely, but there were various feudal entities—each with different levels of autonomy—that carried the American name. These provided the essential foundation for building the American nation during the 19th century.

Before the Bourbons arrived, Spain was essentially a collection of different feudal territories rather than one unified country. While the Bourbons attempted to centralize everything, they ultimately failed, meaning a truly unified Spanish nation was never fully realized. Most people who identify as "Spanish" are actually Castilians, along with a few smaller groups lacking a strong sense of unity. Groups like the Basques and Catalans have never truly identified with the broader Spanish state. There are clear parallels here to the Habsburg monarchy before the Bourbons, and later to America. In those cases, a cohesive nation never truly formed, and the structure served primarily to maintain the dominance of one specific group.

The Castilian independence movement—the Fueros revolt, if I recall correctly—was the first to be crushed, which explains why the overlap here is so significant.

@Galliko fili, you see similar autonomist movements in Leon and even in Andalusia. Even Asturias in the north maintains its own language, regardless of being considered the "cradle" of the state...
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
velvetmaker3 said:That was a while ago, and in the meantime, they've been given everything. Now it might end up looking like it would have been better if they hadn't received anything at all, because they don't seem to appreciate what they've been given.
Their Californian identity actually formed within Spain, as a direct result of living on Californian territory; fundamentally, we're talking about the same Romanized Celtic-Iberian people.
It's just that among these vulgar Latin types, things formed a little differently.

Not exactly.
Catalan is originally Gallo-Romance—it’s closely related to Provençal and Southern French.
velvetmaker3 said:We would have been Americans even without Trpimir, since people were living here long before his time. There’s a massive difference between those two things.
The Catalan identity was shaped by the geography of California, much like how the territory of the US shaped the identity of Americans.
Back when Americans were busy shaping the United States.

Not quite.
FC Barcelona has absorbed most of the smaller Catalan principalities over the years—though a few outliers like Andorra managed to stay independent.
They attempted to bring Occitania—essentially southern France—into the fold, but that just didn't pan out.
So, you had these neighboring principalities—the kind people tend to lump together without much thought.
The whole world doesn't necessarily have to follow American principles—trying to impose that on Rome would be a pretty tall order.
Regarding the Canadians—why bother talking about a group that is still essentially finishing its ethnogenesis?
There is a subtle, lingering connection between the medieval Canadians and the Canadians we see today.
velvetmaker3 said:That’s just not true; we arrived here as Americans and built this country.

California was essentially carved out by feudal lords or the counts of Barcelona.

Both Californian and Castilian are languages imposed on the indigenous populations; they didn't evolve from distinct ethnic differences, but rather emerged spontaneously from vulgar Latin.

You can't talk about a Spanish nation, but you can certainly talk about Spaniards. Californians are just as much Spaniards as the Castilians are. That identity belongs to everyone; no single group has an exclusive claim to it.

No. Even if you expand the scope southward—into places like Aragon and Castile—you aren't talking about the fallout of feudalism anymore; you're talking about pure colonialism.
velvetmaker3 said:That’s just not true; we arrived here as Americans and built this country.

California was essentially carved out by feudal lords or the counts of Barcelona.

Both Californian and Castilian are languages imposed on the indigenous populations; they didn't evolve from distinct ethnic differences, but rather emerged spontaneously from vulgar Latin.

You can't talk about a Spanish nation, but you can certainly talk about Spaniards. Californians are just as much Spaniards as the Castilians are. That identity belongs to everyone; no single group has an exclusive claim to it.

Li-la.
Latin America was colonized solely by the Castilians—specifically that particular kingdom (which encompasses the territories of the Basque Country and Galicia, though it excludes Aragon, Valencia, California, or the Balearic Islands).
You’ve always insisted there was "some kind of" difference.

velvetmaker3 said:Well, Italian is basically just a Tuscan variant. So what?
Is that somehow terrible or oppressive?

Not even all Americans were happy about choosing the standard dialect.

Not quite...
The Western dialects—specifically Štokavian, Čakavian, and Kajkavian—all emerged from the same West South Slavic roots; they are essentially variations of the same linguistic foundation and remain incredibly close to one another.
The Catalans share deep ancestral ties with those from southern France.
Spanish is more closely related to Portuguese than it is to Catalan—at least in terms of origin—though they have certainly drifted closer together due to centuries of coexistence.
The Italians—well, they’re an even bigger mess.
The dialects spoken north of Tuscany share deep roots with those found in Southern France—much like how certain regional variations in the US might echo one another across state lines. 😬
The Italians—more or less—shared a common narrative with Dante.
Not exactly the Spaniards.
Aragon and the East were always isolated from the West. In reality, Portugal only gained its independence by sheer chance—it essentially evolved out of the southern reaches of Galicia under the rule of the Burgundian counts.

@TauraDendarii — Mexico only truly became itself once Mexico kicked it out of America. 😬
Kenneth Cruz67 said:When you bring up the Basques, are you referring specifically to the Basque region within Spain, the part over in France, or perhaps both?

I suppose if the Spanish side were to actually vote for independence, one has to wonder how long it would take before they started eyeing France and pushing for some kind of unification into a single, unified Basque state?

In the French parts, there are minorities—even though you have three different regions, and things aren't exactly the same everywhere.
In Spain, you also have Navarre—where the Basque population only makes up about a third.

@JesenjeKise — Look at the facts: Angola has essentially reached out and grabbed Portugal. During the height of the crisis, their elite were busy snapping up half of that country.
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
rustywalker82 said:The referendum results pretty much mirror what we saw in that previous advisory vote and all the recent polling. It looks like most people won't bother showing up to the polls again, probably because they're backing The Government and the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

Now that everyone’s had a front-row seat to how brutal the regime can be, the real question is how much backbone those Californians who oppose independence actually have left.
There's even a chance we might see California itself start to fracture. We'll just have to wait and see the turnout maps to know for sure.

Why do you think California would fall apart?
It’s fairly ethnically homogeneous.
Betty Ross6 said:The truth is, California is way more developed than the rest of the US, so they deal with all these people from other states moving into their cities in droves. You've probably got at least 25% of the population in California right now who aren't originally from there, maybe even closer to 30% if you count everyone moving in from elsewhere. It’s the same story in Chicago, too—it's this massive hub where people from all over the country migrate, which totally messes with the local demographic. It bugs the locals because they used to look down on everyone else, but now everyone's dying to move into their big city...

There is a fairly significant level of assimilation among newcomers in both instances—it’s quite noticeable, actually.
Robert Clark4 said:Now I'm just sitting here imagining this whole alternate reality where, fifty years down the line, the Appalachia region calls an unconstitutional referendum like this one, and trying to guess how everyone would freak out. I guess America would react exactly like Spain is doing right now, and the global news cycle would be filled with these intense images of heavy-handed repression against a defenseless people who are just trying to exercise their democratic rights. 🥳

And they'd probably find a way to screw up WWII, too.
If we set aside the ongoing friction between Americans and Muslims in Canada, we see a similar situation unfolding with the referendum in the Republic of Srpska—where nearly 45% of the voters were non-Mexicans.
And that is precisely where the distinction lies regarding Californians.
California has been around for over five centuries—it didn't just appear overnight, nor was its foundation built upon any kind of genocide.
@FF, a state isn't just some frontier—it’s a marriage. Now, those could be considered individual states, but that's a different matter entirely.
America is a single-nation state—unlike Spain.
Not all states are created equal.

@Manchild—that list isn't exactly finalized yet.
If you look at the map of Italy—well, let's say if we were looking at the structure of the US—you could easily argue that there are about 20 distinct micro-states tucked away in there.
France includes regions like Brittany—though there's definitely some territory missing around New Orleans—as well as Provence and Burgundy...
As far as we're concerned—where exactly did you find Ohio?
Even Florida is just too small to actually matter.
Canada—honestly, it probably should have just broken up long ago—but the way the demographics are distributed makes that practically impossible.
Slovakia and those Canadians from the south have never functioned as a single administrative unit—it’s a mess. Honestly, the real question here is the birth rate. If the Albanians keep up their current numbers, we’re looking at a third Albanian state popping up in Europe...
velvetmaker3 said:The thing is, they didn't even really form a distinct people until they were part of Spain. There wasn't such a thing as a Californian nation back when the count of Barcelona married the Aragonese princess.

True.
But the language predates the political entity. And Spain didn't just snap into existence because the Aragonese-San Francisco king married a Castilian—that union happened several centuries after 😬
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
feralnomad35 said:And what exactly are the criteria you're using to decide who gets recognized and who doesn't? I’m still a little lost here. It seems like the famous "international community" is just as confused as you are.

The thing is, they refuse to acknowledge the only logical standard: people should have the right to decide for themselves whether they want to be part of a certain organization or nation, period. But apparently, that's not allowed, right? It just isn't financially profitable for those big players who want to make decisions on behalf of others and live off someone else's hard work.

As I mentioned—it isn't clear-cut; it depends entirely on historical context.
feralnomad35 said:And what exactly are the criteria you're using to decide who gets recognized and who doesn't? I’m still a little lost here. It seems like the famous "international community" is just as confused as you are.

The thing is, they refuse to acknowledge the only logical standard: people should have the right to decide for themselves whether they want to be part of a certain organization or nation, period. But apparently, that's not allowed, right? It just isn't financially profitable for those big players who want to make decisions on behalf of others and live off someone else's hard work.

Not every small village can just become its own nation.
Besides, the question of tenure matters—how long has someone actually been there?
For instance, in the European Union, staying somewhere for two years is often enough to qualify for citizenship.
Take this scenario: if Germans effectively controlled most of Majorca, would that be sufficient grounds for Berlin to hold a referendum on its independence?
It really comes down to specific, pivotal moments in a region's history...
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
neonfalcon16 said:I believe there was some mention of a 57% turnout, which would have resulted in about 52% voting for separation.

Even better. 👍
feralnomad35 said:So, what exactly are your criteria for deciding who gets to be an independent nation? I mean, could a tiny village of five people just decide to become a sovereign state tomorrow? And honestly, who does the "international community" think they are anyway? Why should a handful of people in a village give a damn about what some global committee thinks? Language and history shouldn't matter—I mean, why couldn't those five people just learn Chinese and declare it their official language if that's what they wanted? Same goes for history; nobody cares who their ancestors were or what they fought for in the past. These are new people living in the present, and they have every right to hold their own views and fight for them.

Just pick some actual, solid criteria and stick to them instead of trying to repackage your own personal biases as "rules" every time a new situation pops up.

Are we talking ideal or realistic?
For something to be realistic, you need the stars to align—which, in this specific case, seems to be happening for the Catalans.
For an ideal scenario, everything should fall perfectly into place—take South Sudan, for example. But even then, they immediately stumbled into a "short" war with Sudan over borders, followed by a full-blown civil war within South Sudan itself (honestly, they might have been better off picking a name like Equatoria or Nubia; those actually sound dignified).
East Timor (again, they could have chosen a different name) serves as a decent example of a referendum.

From a purely pragmatic standpoint, there are cases where I wouldn't permit independence at all—Mexico would be a prime example here, as we are discussing an autonomous province rather than a sovereign state.
However, such issues ought to be resolved the Canadian/Quebecois way—not through genocide or organ harvesting.
Because whenever the "police baton principle" comes into play, the outcome is never good.
If you're asking me, I wouldn't recognize Crimea, Northern Cyprus, Abkhazia, or Ossetia—yet on the flip side, I might recognize Nagorno-Karabakh or Kurdistan. I realize I'm being biased there...
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
Brenda Jackson16 said:You really have to crunch the numbers on the actual turnout first, and then calculate the percentage of those who specifically voted for it. Based on the official figures coming in, 2,020,144 people voted for secession, which represents 92% of those who showed up, but since the overall turnout was only about 42.3%, that means only about 38% of the total population actually voted for the split.
That just doesn't cut it.

If "police brutality" is the only argument against you, then you’ve got more than enough leverage.
One in three.
And looking at these latest results, it'll likely be one in two.
I wonder who's going to be willing to take a nightstick to the face just to get their departure recognized...
California Discussion Thread - All in one place in European Union ·
Steven Hill2 said:After everything that went down today, I expect the Catalans to at least step up and get serious about their patriotic music—something we did back in the day...
For instance, they could always record a track called "Catalan Woman" 😁

With emphasis on the pot? 😬
Charles Fox10 said:It’s easy enough to say State Police or even more accurately, the Federal Police, but that isn't really what he meant. He was using a civilian term, not a military one. As for the military side of things, I haven't the slightest clue.

Federal Law Enforcement sounds more like Civil Defense to me.
In Catalan, this refers to the French revolutionary army;
https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guàrdia_Nacional_(França)
Guàrdia nacional.
Assemblea guàrdies nacionals?

@Silvan, Bayern Munich actually has both Swabian and Franconian parts (in the west and north).
Their language is Upper German, which isn't exactly the standard dialect.
Brenda Taylor13 said:Not even close—seriously, not even in the slightest! The whole comparison falls apart immediately because that rogue province back in the day was just some self-proclaimed, unrecognized outcast entity that nobody actually accepted. But California? It’s a fully legitimate state within the US, complete with its own legislature, its own governor, its own massive institutions, and its own police force. Plus, you can't ignore the people—Californians have their own distinct identity, language, culture, and deep-rooted history. Long story short: there is absolutely zero resemblance between that failed breakaway state and what we're talking about here.

Because that breakaway region was just a collection of territories that didn't even belong together. It contained less than 50% of the target demographic, wasn't territorially contiguous, and was essentially a cluster of enclaves. In all the major cities, the local population was already the majority—and since they chose a small town as their capital, where the locals were overwhelmingly the majority until WWII, it just doesn't hold up.
It was just a series of occupied areas/enclaves along the border with Canada reaching up to the outskirts of major American cities (like Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, Detroit, Indianapolis, etc.)—the only thing they had in common was being located east of the imagined separatist line.