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Valencia Council Moves to Reinstate Spanish Toponym and Introduce 'Valéncia'

Abelard Saragossà’s report endorses the closed accent for the city’s Valencian name, urging political consensus ahead of the July 22 council vote.

Rótulo de València escrito con tilde abierta en la Ciudad de las Artes
Image
Imagen de archivo del Ayuntamiento de Valencia

Overview

  • The PP–Vox city government will present a July 22 motion to officially restore 'Valencia' as the Spanish toponym and adopt 'Valéncia' in Valencian.
  • Linguist Abelard Saragossà concludes that 'Valéncia', following the 'Normes del Puig', best reflects local pronunciation and historical precedent.
  • The report criticizes the 2016 AVL ruling for lacking a thorough phonetic analysis and for overlooking residents’ pronunciation practices.
  • It warns that keeping the open accent form 'València' undermines written Valencian competence and may deter language use.
  • Saragossà recommends securing cross-party agreement to maintain social cohesion before the Generalitat ratifies the change by decree.