Tongues in Spain

Spanish speakers fight to save their language as regions have their say

Since Franco's death in 1975, a process of 'linguistic normalisation' has taken place in autonomous regions that have their own languages. The Basque, Catalan and Galician tongues, repressed by Franco after the end of the civil war in 1939, have been promoted with millions in public funds, in the hope that more people will speak them


By GRAHAM KEELEY
Story from The Observer


Habla Espańol? It is a question that in some parts of Spain ignites a fierce political war of words over the language of Cervantes. A growing number of activist groups in Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia claim they are being denied the right to speak Spanish by regional nationalists who use language as a political weapon.

But the speakers of Spain's other 'official' languages - Catalan, Basque and Galician - insist that, on the contrary, Spanish is thriving and regional authorities have to save their own languages from being lost forever.

Since Franco's death in 1975, a process of 'linguistic normalisation' has taken place in autonomous regions that have their own languages. The Basque, Catalan and Galician tongues, repressed by Franco after the end of the civil war in 1939, have been promoted with millions in public funds, in the hope that more people will speak them.

But now Spanish speakers complain that their language is being marginalised by regional nationalists in revenge for the way their own languages were suppressed in the Franco years. They are appealing to the Spanish constitution, which guarantees the right to speak Spanish along with the three other official languages.

The battle has centred on the classroom, with Spanish-speaking parents in the regions worried that their children will be unable to read or write Spanish well, as they will only be taught in Catalan, Basque or Galician - minority languages compared with Spanish, which is the first language of about 322 million people worldwide.

The Basque Country has three types of teaching: in Spanish, Basque and bilingual. Just 5 per cent of parents took the Spanish-only option in primary schools this year, and the Basque government said it has had to cut back on Spanish-only teaching due to the lack of demand.

But Susana Marqués, of the Platform for the Freedom of Linguistic Choice, claimed that schools teaching Spanish have become ghettoes hampered by lack of funding because the authorities are keen to promote Basque at all cost. She said the Basque authorities want schools to have a high level of Basque in order to receive generous local funding. 'The only way to do this is total immersion in the language. In 20 years of this policy they still have not managed to get bilingualism here. It is not the language of the street. And 70 per cent of companies here never use Basque.' Marqués's group has appealed to Spain's ombudsman, Enrique Múgica, arguing that their rights are being denied. But Patxi Baztarrika, deputy head of linguistic politics for the Basque government, said: 'Spanish is present and should be. To say that Basque poses any threat to it is ridiculous.'

In Catalonia, Catalan is the language in all state schools, with Spanish only taught for up to three hours a week. An anti-nationalist party, Ciutadans (Citizens), was launched in 2006 to oppose 'linguistic politics' in Catalonia, but its leader, Albert Rivera, has received death threats. 'Fifty per cent of the population of Catalonia are from Spanish-speaking origins, and it is impossible to study in Spanish in private schools or in state schools,' said Carina Mejías, spokeswoman of the opposition right-wing Popular party in the Catalan parliament.

Bernat Joan, a Catalan Euro-MP and expert on linguistics, said: 'This protest would only be legitimate if students did not have adequate Spanish teaching. This is not the case.'

In Galicia, at least half of teaching must be in the regional tongue. Gloria Lago, a founder of Bilingual Galicia, said: 'The children ask to be taught in Spanish and this is not allowed because the law prevents it. When the bell goes, they start speaking their own language.'

However, Marisol López, Galician head of linguistic policies, insisted: 'Children study in two languages. If we don't discriminate positively in favour of Galician, Spanish will dominate.'


(Published: 10.05.2008.)

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