A good friend of mine used to say that I could not have a conversation (this was when I lived in London, i.e. speaking in English) and not say anything about Catalan or Catalunya. Perhaps it is true, but this is my land and my roots. Though, they are very short roots, as the first person to be born in this "nation" was my mother, and she didn't even speak Catalan until democracy was up, when I was born. This friend of mine used to call me, as well, Catalan Separatist. It was a joke, of course, as I am not separatist (for sure not now with the EU, perhaps nationalist.Imagine this my supposed nationalism yesterday, with all that rebombori about the ceasefire of ETA. I was about to have my lunch, after work, didn't know anything yet about it, I was hoping to watch The Simpsons while having lunch, like everyday. All the channels were talking about the same. It wasn't possible not to know. It is very good news, certainly, but it looked exactly like when the Pope died: nothing else is happening in life.
I am glad about this. Very happy. Future is over the corner.
But why I started talking about my supposed catalanism? you may ask. Because, in between all that information non-stop about ETA, I realised of something: Basque politicians speak in Spanish. I saw the lehendakari Ibarretxe talking about the announcement: he talked in Spanish. Apparently, news said, he had read the same speech in Euskara before reading it in Spanish, though, I never heard.
The leader of Batasuna, Pernardo Barrena, did an speech and he talked first in Basque, then in French and at last in Spanish. The reason why he spoke in French, in case you don't know, is because it seems that Batasuna is formed as well by French people and Euskal Herria has three provinces in France, also.
The reason I talk about that is for the fact that Catalan politicians talk in Catalan (thank god now they do not dub them, just subtitle it when broadcasting in Spanish channels). So this makes me think: so many problems with the new Catalan Statute but all through legality; Catalan is widely spoken and used for most of the population as a first language or social language. And, after 40 years of terrorism and problems in Euskadi, nothing has really changed. Basque is still only spoken for a million people (only about seven hundred thousand of them have it as a mother tongue).
Weinreich said that "a language is a dialect with an army and a navy". Who has army? Normally nations and states (we may understand police also).
Truly, being Catalan is not only speaking Catalan. Feeling Catalan is not about the language. But, truly, it is very important.
As far as I know, ETB, the Basque TV channel, broadcasts in both Spanish and Basque. This, obviously, I know because I have seen some bits of it when I was in Bilbo and Donostia a couple of years ago, and for what i have seen in Satellite and in other Channels reporting something from them. So perhaps I am wrong (it seems that there are two channels).
The thing is that TV3 (by the way, they have the .cat already), the Catalan television does not broadcast anything in Spanish, unless it is someone speaking, but not the whole program (I, actually, couldn't find the way to see the web in Spanish).
Catalan city names are said and spelt in Catalan (e.g. Girona, rather than Gerona; Lleida, rather than Lérida, etc.) but we still say San Sebastián instead of Donostia and País Vasco (Basque Country), with the non-existing V in Basque, instead of Euskadi.
Certainly, languages are only instruments. Though, very strong instruments. Everyone knows Catalan in Catalunya, even the immigrants are starting to speak it without shame. Perhaps, this forty years should have started by teaching the language, and not by placing bombs.
Every week, a language dies. The fact that there are only 700000 mother tongue speakers of Basque makes the language to be under thread. We should all try to save it. Why, it is only a language? you may say. Because it is the only isolated language in Europe. So what? you may ask. Because we are our history.
I am really hoping that this future I can distinguish in the horizon, will arrive soon. I wish we all live in peace and respectfully. I hope, one day, the world will rise holding hands after realising diversity if future.
I am glad about this. Very happy. Future is over the corner.
But why I started talking about my supposed catalanism? you may ask. Because, in between all that information non-stop about ETA, I realised of something: Basque politicians speak in Spanish. I saw the lehendakari Ibarretxe talking about the announcement: he talked in Spanish. Apparently, news said, he had read the same speech in Euskara before reading it in Spanish, though, I never heard.
The leader of Batasuna, Pernardo Barrena, did an speech and he talked first in Basque, then in French and at last in Spanish. The reason why he spoke in French, in case you don't know, is because it seems that Batasuna is formed as well by French people and Euskal Herria has three provinces in France, also.
The reason I talk about that is for the fact that Catalan politicians talk in Catalan (thank god now they do not dub them, just subtitle it when broadcasting in Spanish channels). So this makes me think: so many problems with the new Catalan Statute but all through legality; Catalan is widely spoken and used for most of the population as a first language or social language. And, after 40 years of terrorism and problems in Euskadi, nothing has really changed. Basque is still only spoken for a million people (only about seven hundred thousand of them have it as a mother tongue).
Weinreich said that "a language is a dialect with an army and a navy". Who has army? Normally nations and states (we may understand police also).
Truly, being Catalan is not only speaking Catalan. Feeling Catalan is not about the language. But, truly, it is very important.
As far as I know, ETB, the Basque TV channel, broadcasts in both Spanish and Basque. This, obviously, I know because I have seen some bits of it when I was in Bilbo and Donostia a couple of years ago, and for what i have seen in Satellite and in other Channels reporting something from them. So perhaps I am wrong (it seems that there are two channels).
The thing is that TV3 (by the way, they have the .cat already), the Catalan television does not broadcast anything in Spanish, unless it is someone speaking, but not the whole program (I, actually, couldn't find the way to see the web in Spanish).
Catalan city names are said and spelt in Catalan (e.g. Girona, rather than Gerona; Lleida, rather than Lérida, etc.) but we still say San Sebastián instead of Donostia and País Vasco (Basque Country), with the non-existing V in Basque, instead of Euskadi.
Certainly, languages are only instruments. Though, very strong instruments. Everyone knows Catalan in Catalunya, even the immigrants are starting to speak it without shame. Perhaps, this forty years should have started by teaching the language, and not by placing bombs.
Every week, a language dies. The fact that there are only 700000 mother tongue speakers of Basque makes the language to be under thread. We should all try to save it. Why, it is only a language? you may say. Because it is the only isolated language in Europe. So what? you may ask. Because we are our history.
I am really hoping that this future I can distinguish in the horizon, will arrive soon. I wish we all live in peace and respectfully. I hope, one day, the world will rise holding hands after realising diversity if future.
Post title: Max Weinreich's words in Yiddish.
5 comments:
i think the language will be saved through the people anyway-
like italy has a whole bunch of dialects that are spoken very widely in those regions - yet officially the language is italian.
but than again, russia grabed up all the republics around her and made them speak russian, and now... when they all cracked away - the first thing they did was to institutionalize their languages back...
The problem is that even though Basque is official in Euskadi, it does not have the same rights as Catalan, for example, in Catalunya. In Catalunya we study in Catalan. In Euskadi you can choose, and in some areas you would have to pay more to go to a Ikastola (Basque-speaking school). In Catalunya we are about 7 million people. I would say that less that a million of them do not speak Catalan (or at least understands it). But, anyway, there is Valencia, Balear Islands, Andorra (which only official language is Catalan even though they use Spanish and French as a vehicular language), and some parts of Aragón where Catalan is commonly spoken. Also, Catalan is official in the town of Alghero, which you must know. Only about 700000 people use Basque as a first language. This is the thing that saddens me.
I remember the bilingual street plaques in Bilbo or Donostia. The same in Galicia. But I have never seen a bilingual plaque in Catalunya (perhaps old francoist plaques).
I cannot approve the linguistic policy we are dealing with at the moment: banning shop signs in Spanish in Barcelona is not nice. What if I write it in Arab, Chinese or the much more common now English? What if I have "Pepe's Bar"? Are they going to make me change it for "Pep's Bar"? What if I want to write whatever in Swahili or Esperanto? Are they going to ban me?
A language should never be a politic exchange currency. And people should love their language because it is the only thing that really differentiates us from animals.
Habibi,
Read the law, no one will fine you if you have signs in Spanish. The law says that they must be, at least, in Catalan (it would have been more politically correct to say that they must be in both languages, I agree), but the law does not ban the use of Spanish in signs.
The example you give is also misleading. Signs as Forn/Panaderia Habibi, Bugaderia/Lavanderia Pepe, ... are perfectly compliant.
Catalonia is one of the best examples of a bilingual society in the world. I am against segregated schools like in the Basque country or Ireland. Everyone speaks both languages in Catalonia, that's a great thing. How many people speak Basque or Gaelic? A handful.
Let's, once again, put ourselves in the shoes of the customer. When I go to Catalonia, I want to see the signs in Catalan, that's what I am looking for, that's what I like. I like to be addressed in Catalan, to fill in forms in Catalan. The reality is that in many places like the Civil Register, the central government office, etc. that is not possible.
In addition to that who would oppose to have policemen or judges that understand the people they are trying to protect. It is important that they understand whether someone is calling for help (Vull ajuda!) or someone is calling him s.o.b. (Fill de p...). I agree, a bad joke, but I think that you will get the message.
Note: I did not know that was Yiddish. I understood it and I thought it was German misspelled (in US, people use mostly spelled instead of spelt). Thanks for the information.
The text of the law I was referring to (Lingusitic policy):
"Article 32
Serving the public
1. Companies and establishments involved in the sale of products and rendering services which carry out their activity in Catalonia shall be in a position to be able to serve consumers when they express themselves in either of the official languages in Catalonia.
2. The government of the Generalitat shall promote, by means of suitable measures, an increased use of Catalan within the activities referred to in para 1.
3. Permanent signs and posters with general information and documents offering services provided to users and consumers in establishments open to the public shall be at least drawn up in Catalan. This regulation is not applicable to trademarks, commercial names or to signs protected by industrial property legislation. "
You can read the entire law at (English version):
http://www6.gencat.net/llengcat/legis/en/lpl.htm
I always recommend to go back to the sources, instead of using COPE/ABC hearsay kind of information.
Ooh! That was painful, Ian! This is not the first time you are at TTTD Land so I don't understand why you say this about Cope/ABC. Never mind, I found it hilarious.
I was writing a comment and you sent the second comment. I was saying I don't have time now to search in the newspaper library, but will do. It was at El Diari de Tarragona or at El País where I read it.
I totally agree with you: everything must be written in Catalan, but I don't want to pay €600 if my sign is already in Spanish. The Generalitat should pay for the new sign.
BTW, I know quite a few Basques and Scotish and some Irish and none of them speak any of the languages (tough luck I have). Only once I met a woman who was learning Manx: we had the w-oo conversation.
Also, sure, Catalonia is the best bilingual country I have ever been to, but is getting real bad.
Well, gotta go. Some fuet, tortilla and ametlles shall be already waiting for me! :)
I prefer spelt, I can pronounce it better.
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