Will the Catalan language survive in Spain?

For some time now, the Spanish government has been implementing linguistic policies aimed at eliminating the Catalan language, by whatever means necessary.

But why all these efforts from the Spanish nationalists to go against the Catalan language?

The reason behind these attacks lies in the fact that the Catalan language is Catalonia’s backbone, and alongside with their democratic legality, is what makes the Catalan people who they are.

The most recent attacks have been in the area of education. Two judges from the Spanish Supreme Court issued an order forcing Catalan schools to introduce Spanish as a teaching language for the entire classroom if just one student asks for it. According to these judges, the rights of the other students are not taken into account because the Spanish language has a higher value than the Catalan language.

Another attack comes from the Balearic Islands, whose President Bauzá from the Popular Party (PP) has decided to ignore the current economic crisis and the Statute of Autonomy which states that Catalan is the language spoken in the Balearic Islands. Instead, Bauzá said that he will publish text books in the “Balearic language,” following the examples of PP in Valencia, who uses the term “Valencian,” and PP in Aragon, who refers to Catalan as the “Eastern Aragonese language.” These attacks have been met with silence by the Socialist Party.

This obsession to get rid of Catalan comes from the time when PP was led by Aznar and his foundation, called FAES.

In every educational reform in Spain, there is always a special chapter against the Catalan language. The Spanish Education Minister, José Ignacio Wert, openly recognized that the education reform he is preparing aims to “Spanishise” Catalan students. Minister Wert is implementing policies to make the Catalan language a second and optional language right next to French and English, which are taught in schools as second languages. Why do Spaniards get so worked up about Catalan, when in Catalonia people don’t have any problems with it? People do have problems with the economic crisis, the high rate of unemployment, and the corruption scandals, but not with the language. In Catalonia, people engage in conversations using both languages, Catalan and Spanish.

It seems that from Madrid they are trying to destroy Catalonia’s school system based on the language immersion system, where all subjects are taught in Catalan, except for Spanish language. The system has practically complete support in Catalonia, as it guarantees equal opportunities and social equality. However, this system is being treated as a virus that will spread to Valencia and the Balearic Islands. What is the cause, then, for the rise of pro-independence sentiment in Catalonia?

Spain has always been against Catalan. It started with King Philip IV (1640-1652), then Philip V (starting in 1714), General Primo de Rivera in 1922, General Franco starting in 1936 and now, Aznar and Rajoy from PP with the connivance of the Socialist Party (PSOE).

The Count-Duke of Olivares outlined the Spanish project to King Philip IV in 1625 as:

“You should keep in mind that the most important part of your monarchy is for you to become the true King of Spain. On your journey as King of Spain always keep this plan secretly in your spirit in order to reduce these kingdoms that make up Spain to the style and laws of Castile.”

Jordi Colomines