09 May 2008
Several manifestations took place last Saturday in Ajaccio and Bastia before a parliamentary debate on the recognition of regional languages.
Four organisations fighting for the preservation of the Corsican language (Associu di i Parenti Corsi, the Cunsulta di i Studenti Corsi, the Ghjuventù Indipendentista and Ghjuventù the Paolina) called for the revision of a paragraph from the French Constitution which stipulates that "the language of the Republic is French".
"This action is an appeal to elected representatives of Corsica, including four MPs, so that they speak out in the parliamentary debate on May 7th", Ivan Perettone from Ghjuventù Indipendentista told the news agency AFP.
According to Denis Luciani, president of the Associu i Parenti di Corsica, "parliamentarians have an opportunity to make a historic choice by giving a status to a minority language."
The teaching of the Corsican language is constantly growing. In primary schools between 2000 and 2005, the number of pupils taught in Corsican increased by 19 percent, according to governmental figures.
