In this chapter, we address the relationship between international law and
domestic legislation to protect language rights and groups speaking sub-state’s
languages. In the first part, the contribution of international and European instances is
analyzed through the identification of three great models of protection applicable to the
idiomatic field: the human rights model, the protection of linguistic minorities and the
protection of linguistic diversity, highlighting their respective reception by the Spanish
State. In the second part, after the definition of the general characteristics of the
protection of language rights and linguistic groups in Spain, the different legal systems
applicable to the Catalan language in four regions and the current legislation and its
jurisprudential application are compared from the perspective of the normalization aim
of the local language. Finally, the recent jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court on
the of languages in the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006 and its limitative
impact on the language policies aimed at protecting and promoting the local language
is analyzed.
Keywords: Constitutional jurisdiction, International law, Language rights,
Linguistic groups, Official status.
