by Rafael Arturo Rodriguez Diaz
History has taught us that when a region develops certain elements, such as a sense of identity and even independent governance, they will look for sovereignty. Language is one of those essential elements for a population to develop an identity and distinguish themselves from others. In Spain, a wealthy and highly industrialized region with a strong desire for independence is Catalonia (BBC). Catalan, with more than a millennium of history (“Latin American”, 3), is recognized as the official language of the region, along with Spanish. However, the region is also known for its many Latin American immigrants which live in some of the most touristy places in Spain, like the city of Barcelona. In the next few paragraphs, I will present examples of how Latin American immigration and tourism in the region have reinforced the use of the Spanish over Catalan in the city of Barcelona, and how this represents a threat for the Catalan language and the eagerness of Catalonians to separate from the rest of Spain.
Barcelona |
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Barcelona street life (Craig Sunter via Wikimedia Commons) |
In a region that shows an almost desperate drive to become an independent nation, more attention must be placed on one of the elements that radically distinguishes this region from the rest of Spain: the local language. Whether for business purposes or amiability with tourists, Barcelona has been permitting, at an alarming level, the use of Spanish over Catalan. Even though the government has tried to reinforce the learning of Catalan, there is a “growing contradiction between actual language used in the streets and policy demands, creating an escalating cultural conflict among Spanish-speaking communities, Catalan-speaking communities and other foreigners in Catalonia.” (“Latin American”, 23). As the capital of the Catalonian region, it is fundamental to reinforce the importance of the local language, rather than support the general idea of the relevance of Spanish. Nowadays, it is becoming increasingly clear that, in the clash between Spanish and Catalan, a winner may soon be predicted. The more influence Latin American culture adds to the use of Spanish in the city, along with the support of tourism agencies, the less politicians in Catalonia will be able to use Catalan as an argument to separate from Spain.
América Latina y el turismo en Barcelona, el choque entre español y catalán
La historia nos ha enseñado que cuando una región desarrolla ciertos elementos, como un sentido de identidad e incluso un gobierno independiente, intentará obtener su soberanía. El lenguaje es uno de esos elementos esenciales para que una población desarrolle identidad y se distinga de los demás. En España, una región rica y altamente industrializada con un fuerte deseo de independencia es Cataluña (BBC). El catalán, con más de un milenio de historia ("Latin American", 3), ha sido reconocido como el idioma oficial de la región, junto con el español. Sin embargo, la región también es conocida por los muchos inmigrantes latinoamericanos que se encuentran en algunos de los lugares más turísticos de España, como la ciudad de Barcelona. En los siguientes párrafos presentaré ejemplos de cómo la inmigración y el turismo latinoamericano en la región, han reforzado el uso del español sobre el catalán en la ciudad y cómo esto representa una amenaza para el catalán y el afán de los catalanes por lograr la separación del resto de España.
Barcelona |
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Barcelona street life (Craig Sunter via Wikimedia Commons) |
En una región que muestra una intención casi desesperada por convertirse en una nación independiente, se debería prestar mucha más atención a uno de los elementos que los distingue radicalmente del resto de España, su idioma. Ya sea por motivos de negocios o de amabilidad con los turistas, Barcelona ha permitido, a un nivel alarmante, el uso del español más que del catalán. A pesar de que el gobierno ha intentado reforzar el aprendizaje del catalán, existe una "creciente contradicción entre el idioma que es realmente utilizado en las calles y las demandas políticas, creando un creciente conflicto cultural entre las comunidades de habla hispana, catalana y otros extranjeros en Cataluña". ("Latinoamérica", 23, traducción propia). Como capital de la región catalana, es fundamental reforzar la importancia de la lengua local, en lugar de apoyar la idea general de la relevancia del español. Hoy en día, cada vez es más evidente que, en la competencia entre el español y el catalán, se está pronosticando un ganador. Cuanto más influye la cultura latinoamericana en el uso del español en la ciudad, junto con el apoyo de las agencias de turismo, menos políticos de Cataluña podrán utilizar el catalán como argumento para separarse de España.
Works cited
“Catalonia Profile.” BBC News. BBC, 21 Apr 2016. [www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-20345071] Accessed 9 Apr 2017.
Council of Europe. “Full list.” Council of Europe. Council of Europe, 2017. [www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/148/signatures] Accessed 9 Apr 2017.
“Multilingualism.” europa.eu. European Union, 10 Apr 2017. [europa.eu/european-union/topics/multilingualism_en] Accessed 8 Apr 2017.
European Commission. “Multilingualism.” Education and Training. European Commission, 10 Apr 2017. [ec.europa.eu/education/policy/multilingualism_en] Accessed 8 Apr 2017
Burgen, Stephen. “Immigration complicates Catalonia's separatist picture.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited, 20 Nov 2012. Web [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/20/immigration-complicates-catalonia-separatist-picture] Accessed 7 Apr 2017.
“Catalan vs Spanish in Barcelona.” Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet, n.d. Web. [https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/europe-western-europe/spain/catalan-vs-spanish-in-barcelona] Accessed 8 Apr 2017.
Garzon, Luis. "Globalization, Latin American migration and catalan: Closing the ring." Sustainability 4.10 (2012): 2498-2512.
Garzon, Luis. "Latin American Migrants in Bilingual Cities: A Comparison Between Barcelona and Brussels." XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 13-19, 2014). Isaconf, 2014. [http://www.academia.edu/7805121/Latin_american_migrants_in_bilingual_cities_a_comparison_between_Barcelona_and_Brussels]
Barcelona-life.com N.p., n.d. [www.barcelona-life.com/language/language2.php] Accessed 9 Apr 2017.
Image taken from:
http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/1052.php
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Rafael is a graduate student in European Union Studies at the University of Illinois. He is planning on getting his MA in European Union Studies in May 2018 after which he is looking forward to moving to Europe and work as a representative in an European Institution for Latin America. He is interested in conducting research on EU and Latin America relations. He wrote this text in the 418‘Language and Minorities in Europe’ course in the spring of 2017.
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