Botiflers and Betrayal: Heraldic Semiotics and Linguistic Landscape on Catalonia's National Day

• Published in: Mester (Los Angeles) 2024-02, Vol.52 (1)
• Main Author: Morlan, Marguerite Judith
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; por ; spa
• Subjects: Cultural identity; Heraldry; Referendums; Semiotics; Signs
• ISSN: 0160-2764; 0160-2764
• DOI: 10.5070/M352159949

The aim of the present research is to analyze the linguistic landscape (LL) and Catalan heraldic imagery of the 2022 Diada, Catalonia’s National Day. The theme and language(s) of all Diada signage were systematically coded, along with other semiotic elements such as colors and heraldic emblems. A qualitative content analysis complemented this quantitative coding scheme and reveals that Independence was the dominant theme in signage, followed by Betrayal, Solidarity, and Catalan Cultural Identity. The targets of Betrayal messages were pro-independence Catalan politicians who, in the eyes of those partial to secession, have failed to make good on their promises in the five years following the contentious Catalan independence referendum. The quantitative analysis points to an overwhelming preference for the pro-independence estelada over the less politically-charged senyera. Heraldry-theme relationships show the senyera to be most represented in signage pertaining to Catalan Cultural Identity. This adumbrates that it is still an appropriate symbol for claiming ethnocultural group membership, though La Diada semiotics overall emphasized political rather than cultural statements. The LL and heraldic data from the 2022 Diada shed light on the evolution of secessionist sentiment and the role of traditional Catalan symbols in the tense socio-political climate of post-referendum Catalonia.