Wallon Language Analysis

First, it is paramount to grasp that culture in this section is not an imagined community as understood by Anderson, but a dual concept which distinguishes high culture (e.g. a language of literature) and low culture (e.g. a language for folk songs). The following paragraphs explore the validity of Walloon as a language of culture, and users’ statements about Walloon as a culture (traditions, roots, and cultural heritage) correspond to identity norms because it becomes the concrete cementing together the community. In short, it is necessary to separate Walloon as a medium of culture and Walloon as a culture, the former being about its aesthetic qualities, and, thus, the fictive norms; the second regarding the folklore and other cultural goods.

In a forum created to discuss the book, we witness a large array of comments expressing fear that this kind of publication is harming the image of Walloon as a valid language, reducing his richness to a subset of offensive epithets, but anger is also recurrent in the comments. It appears that Walloon speakers feel resentment against this type of work as it perpetuates a specific and restricting vision of their language (c).

(c) This comment ideally comprises both apprehension and criticism “Gn-a d’djà âssèz d’djins qui critiq’nut l’walon! Adon, pou z-aprinde dès man.nèstès èt dès djurons ...”1, here the user clearly expresses concerns that this kind of book will not help to improve the collective representations of Walloon, and frustration is also discernible in his discourse.

To sum things up, derogatory comments regarding an alleged vulgarity of Walloon are scarce in the corpus, however, a significant number of users feels the urge to affirm that Walloon is neither rude nor vulgar, and a publication of a dictionary of swear words brings forward an overall uneasiness among speakers, even though the publication of a book about Walloon might be a source of joy rather than fear.

(5) Affection for loved ones expands to affection for their

In reaction, the members of the community which supports Walloon developed an alternative mythology, where qualities are attributed indiscriminately to the speakers and the language. These favorable norms are constructed around authenticity, simplicity, and emotional connections. Even though the variety of demeaning attitudes might suggest bleak prospects for language maintenance, the strength of the benevolent attitudes can be used as leverage for revitalization through well-thought language planning policies, which would emphasize the conviviality of the language, and downplay the unfavorable