Language Research

6. Language in everyday life: The use of language in everyday life, e.g. education, broadcasting, and other

ARAGONESE

Today the presence of the language at institutional level practically does not exist, nor is it used in local administration.

Aragonese is only taught in some schools in a very small number of towns as a voluntary extra-curricular subject.

The language has a token presence in radio but is non-existent in television. In the written media it has a stronger presence with some magazines being printed in the language and appearing infrequently. A newspaper published in North Aragon includes a weekly supplement in Aragonese.

ASTURIAN

Only some departments in the Autonomous Community Administration accept documents written in Asturian. The language is rarely used in courts, legislative texts or public signs.

At present, the language is used in some pre-primary and primary schools as a medium of instruction and is optionally available as a subject at the primary and secondary levels. It is available as an option in the teacher-training colleges and at the University of Oviedo. The language is also taught to adults, and the regional government funds these efforts.

Television programs in Asturian, practically speaking, do not exist (a few minutes per day). Radio programs are more frequent. There is one weekly newspaper in Asturian, “Les Noticies”. Other newspapers publish some extracts in the language. A few magazines are published in Asturian. Media initiatives are supported financially by the government.

BASQUE

• In Autonomous Basque Community

Any citizen has the right to deal with the administration in Basque. Many administrative documents are published in both languages. The government and public administrations decide for which posts in administration knowledge of Basque is required. Although constant efforts are being made, as yet, the language has not become the normal working language of the administration. Everyone has the right to use the language in court, and the judicial authorities have to provide a translator, if needed. However, court cases are held in Spanish.

Law No. 10 of November 24, 1982, entitled “the Basic Law on Normalization of the Basque Language Use”, recognizes a pupil's right to be taught in both Basque and Spanish at all educational levels up to University level. The 1983 Decree on Bilingualism created the following 4 different linguistic models, which are still valid in the education system:

Model X: Teaching is entirely in Spanish

Model A: The Basque language is a language subject

Model C: Approximately 50% of all subjects are taught in Basque and the other 50% in Spanish

Model D: All teaching is in Basque with Spanish taught as a language subject

It is also possible to complete a teacher-training course entirely in Basque. Attempts are also being made to offer university courses entirely in Basque. The Basque government has also set up an institution to organize the teaching of Basque for adults and to support initiatives made in this field by other institutions.

There are about a dozen private radio stations broadcasting in the Basque language. The public radio station “Euskadi Irratia”, which can be heard in the entire Basque-speaking territory (including Nafarroa/Navarre) and the French Basque Country broadcasts in Basque only. In 1982 a television service in Basque was set up by the Basque autonomous government, broadcasting for the entire Basque-speaking region and nowadays for the whole Basque Country on both sides of the border. This has had a tremendous impact on the revival and the standardization of the language. Two daily newspapers publish 20% of their articles in Basque. There is one daily newspaper (Euskaldunon Egunkaria) published entirely in Basque, which is funded by popular subscription.

• In Navarra (The Navarre Autonomous Community)

The 1986 language act stipulated that all government decisions and resolutions be published in both the Basque and Castilian languages, but it has not been practiced.

A Basque Translation Service has been established within the administration, for all citizens to use Basque in their dealings with the administration. Everyone has the right to use the language in court, and the judicial authorities have to provide a translator, if needed. However, trials are held in Spanish.

The Community of Navarra has established a Basque Teaching Service. It subsidizes and supports the teaching of Basque in all schools of the Basque-speaking zone and in other schools in Navarra where there is a demand. Navarre is divided into three linguistic zones for the purpose of primary and secondary education. These range from the strong Basque-speaking areas, where almost 83% of students are taught in Basque and have Spanish as one of their subjects, to areas where the number of Basque-speaking students accounts for just 25%, to the Spanish speaking areas of Navarre, where only four per cent of students are taught through the Basque language. The Navarre Parliament has received a petition, signed by 48,000 people, which asks the Parliament to debate the reform of the Basque Language Law, with a view to creating just one language zone in the region, in place of the three currently existing. The petition asks the Parliament to make Basque an official language throughout Navarre.

The amount of Basque used on local radio stations and on the regional Spanish television is minimal, but broadcasts from the Basque Community can be received without much difficulty. There are half a dozen private radio stations broadcasting in Basque. There is one daily newspaper (“Euskaldunon Egunkaria”) published entirely in Basque, which is funded by popular subscription.

The UZEI (Unibertsitate Zerbitzuetako Euskal Ikastetxea), a Basque language center, which carries out terminological and lexicographical studies aimed at contributing to the standardization of the Basque language, is working on four new dictionaries. The intention is to solve many of the problems encountered by those wishing to use Basque in computing. The center is producing a dictionary of Basque for Windows and another for the Internet. The center will also publish a dictionary of legal terms and another of geographical terms. The contribution of UZEI to the standardization of Basque has been immense since its creation as a non-profit-organization in 1977. It has received public funding since 1987, but the real effects of its work and of that of others in the same area has been seen over the last ten years, according to the director of UZEI.

CATALAN

• In Catalonia

Public officials and civil servants must have knowledge of Catalan. However, each citizen has the right to use either Castilian or Catalan when dealing with the administration. Official documents are published in both languages. Catalan can be used in court, although this is often hampered by a lack of knowledge of the language among the judiciary.

The 1983 Act stipulates that Catalan should be the normal language of education at all levels. However, if the language of the home is Castilian, children may receive the first years of their education in that language. These provisions are being implemented gradually. By 1990 about 30% of the pupils were educated entirely through Catalan. Teacher training is available in the language. Catalan is the official language of the three Catalan universities, but any student or professor is entitled to use either Castilian or Catalan. There is also an extensive network of adult education programs in the language. According to the Generalitat (the Catalan Government), in practice, Catalan universities offer on average 60% of their classes in Catalan and 40% in Spanish.

In radio and television broadcasting some stations use both languages and some of the stations broadcast in Castilian or Catalan only. A number of daily and weekly newspapers and other periodicals are published entirely in Catalan. In addition, some Spanish-language newspapers carry articles in the language.

• On the Balearic Islands

Catalan is the language normally used on signposts, policy documents, public information notices etc. Administrative forms and documents are available in both languages. In the regional Parliament the majority of the representatives express themselves in Catalan.

At present the language is taught in all schools and at all levels, but only for a limited number of hours. The number of schools where Catalan is used as a medium of teaching is very small.

The Balearic government has passed a new decree (125/2000, of September 8, 2000) to regulate the pre-school, primary and secondary education. The decree states that the Catalan language is to be both the teaching and the administrative language. Apart from fostering its use in all these education levels, the decree also refers to each school's “linguistic projects” as well as to “individual linguistic rights”, which may lead to some variation in the use of Catalan in those centers in which there are children from immigrant families, mainly in Palma de Mallorca.

It is possible to receive the broadcasts of the Catalan and Valencian television channels on the islands. The presence of Catalan on radio is limited to a few hours a day. Several newspapers are published in the Balearic Islands but only one is entirely in Catalan. There are some periodicals in the language, and some towns publish local papers in Catalan.

• In Valencia

The language has a limited presence in public administration. It is used on signposts, policy documents, public information notices etc., often in conjunction with Castilian. However, the Valencian public administration itself makes little use of the language in its working procedures.

Parallel classes through Valencian have been introduced in the schools. In 1990 about 5% of all schools had such Valencian “streams”. At the universities both Castilian and Catalan are official languages and either may be used in any circumstance, although Castilian is the majority language.

In the Valencian Community, the debate on the non-implementation of the law allowing bilingual education still goes on. This is due to the lack of teachers required to certify their knowledge of Catalan (Valencian in authonomous legislation) by the right wing Popular Party government.

The use of Valencian in the audiovisual media is limited. Some local radio stations broadcast in Valencian.

GALICIAN

Members of the public can use the Galician language in their dealings with the administration. It is also possible to use this language in court. Public officials must have a working knowledge of Galician. Official documents are published in both the Galician and Castilian languages. Most representatives in the regional Parliament use Galician during their debates. In the offices of the autonomous government (Xunta de Galicia), Galician is used almost exclusively for both oral and written purposes. The language is also used in the local administration of a large number of municipalities. Only regional offices of state administration (including the judiciary) in Galicia use Galician sporadically. Generally, public signs are in the two languages.

Those applying for jobs in the regional government of Galicia will no longer have to pass a test in the Galician language, so long as they can present a certificate showing that they have basic skills in the language. The certificates, replacing the language exam, can be obtained after completing a sixty-hour language course. Critics of the new rules on tests for civil servants say the decision to eliminate the language test for civil servants undermine the positive steps that have been taken to protect Galician in the past. The “Mesa por la Normalización Lingüística”, a non-governmental group that watches over matters affecting language policy in Galicia, has warned that this is a step in the wrong direction. It announced it would continue its contacts with those responsible for language issues to try and resolve the problem.

According to the 1983 Language Act, Galician is the official language of all educational institutions. It stipulates that at pre-primary level and during the first two years of primary school the mother tongue of the pupils (either Galician or Castilian) should be used as the teaching medium. From the ages of eight to fourteen pupils should be taught through Castilian, with Galician being taught as a subject and used as a teaching medium in at least one subject. The Act specifies further that at the secondary level, the language be taught as a subject and used as a teaching medium in two other subjects. At present, all primary schools teach the language as a subject, but only 67% of the schools also use it as a teaching medium for one subject. Nearly all secondary schools teach Galician as a subject, but only 30% also teach two other subjects through the language. Teachers who want to enter primary or secondary teaching posts have to pass an exam in Galician. Language courses are organized for practicing teachers. Prospective teachers are trained to teach Galician and to use the language as a medium of instruction. At the universities Galician is rarely used as a teaching medium, except for courses in Galician Philology. It is also taught as a subject in other faculties. About 20% of the university professors use the language as a teaching medium. Adult courses in Galician exist primarily for public officials who need to have knowledge of the language.

A public television channel, which is controlled by the autonomous government, broadcasts in Galician. The regional station of state public television provides additional hours. A public radio station set up by the autonomous government of Galicia broadcasts entirely in the language. There are also some other radio stations, both private and public, with Galician broadcasts a few hours per day. There is no daily newspaper in the language. However, one weekly paper is published entirely in Galician, and there are quite a number of other periodicals in the language. Some Castilian-language newspapers also carry articles in Galician.

OCCITAN (ARANESE)

The Aranese General Council uses the Aranese language regularly. In regards to the local administration, use varies from one town council to another.

Aranese is the language of instruction during the first few years. Spanish and Catalan take leading roles later, but in principle each language represents a third each. At the end of the school cycle, however, Spanish is the majority language and Aranese is taught as a subject only.

There is one program a week in the Aranese language on the Catalan television service and a short daily program in the radio schedule of the Autonomous Community. One Catalan newspaper carries a weekly supplement in the language. 

Top of page

Updated (May 2001)

NAVARRE

The use of the Basque language is decreasing in the Public University of Navarre. This year proportion of all studies taken in Basque is 3.5% less than last year except for teaching studies, which are entirely in Basque.

Such a decrease could be caused by the growing lack of requests for education in Basque but on the other hand the public opinion polls undertaken by the University itself proved that almost 20% of the students would like to be lectured in Basque. 

Top of page

Updated (July 2001)

BASQUE

In 1990, the Deputy Ministry for Language Policy initiated a program to convince private companies operating in the Basque Country to sign a two-year long program that introduces different levels of linguistic normalization in the firm's activities. The main goal is to make the companies competent in the use of Basque language in their economic activities. The Basque government supports the plan economically, including translation of documents, formation of personnel, creating and introducing computer programs and establishing a “Basque language committee” to control the application of the project. After a few years of pilot programs in selected companies, the plan is now fully activated and up to 60 firms participate in the project. Once the two-year program is finished, every company must set up an own “continuation committee” to keep up the project without the support of the institutions. Most of the companies that have joined the program are located in Gipuzkoa, the strongest Basque-speaking province, and several private firms from Bizkaia. Companies from the third Basque province, Araba, are still reluctant to get involved in normalization plans. This experiment led by the Basque government has already attracted the interest of other minority language communities in Europe. For example “Berie foar it Frysk”, the Council for the Frisian Language, is particularly interested in the issue. 

Top of page

Updated (August 2001)

GALICIA

In Galicia, a group of promoters, “Edicións de Referencia”, is working to launch a daily newspaper in Galician language. The promoters are by now gathering support among citizens interested in financing the project, which will cost around 500 million pesetas (3,01 million Euro). The aim of the project is to sell up to 7.000 copies per day (over a population of two million) and to start publishing the newspaper next spring.

There is a regional television channel, which is run by the autonomous government. The TV station, named ‘Television de Galicia’ (TVG), broadcasts more than a hundred hours per week exclusively in Galician language. The channel has gained acceptance from the public. Apart from TVG, the regional government also owns a public radio station broadcasting 24 hours a day in Galician language. Other private and local radios also use Galician in their programs, but there is not a legal regulation that establishes linguistic quotas in public or private media. More recently, an Internet media group, Vieiros, which includes updated general and cultural information, has had unexpected success and is one of the most visited sites in the Galician territory. 

Top of page

Updated (April 2002)

ASTURIAN

The Asturian nationalist political party Andecha Astur has recently asked the central government delegation in Asturias to intervene in relation to the lack of public use of the Asturian language. In particular they are not satisfied that the informative bills in Oviedo and Gijón's railway stations are written in three languages - Spanish, English and Catalan, two of which are not official in the principality.

According to this political party, such circumstance represents a lack of respect for the Asturian-speaking citizens' right to be informed in their own language in state public services such as the railway. 

Top of page

Updated (July 2002)

THE BALEARIC ISLANDS

Four Balearic Islands have Catalan culture and traditions. A poll currently released shows that 48.7 percent of the population cannot write in Catalan. Another 27.7 percent has an “acceptable” level in writing and only 23.6 percent write it correctly.

The figures related to the oral use of the language are more optimistic. Up to 59.9 percent can speak it correctly, compared to 23.3 percent, which cannot speak it at all. Another 16.8 percent speak the language, although not fluently. As for comprehension, the poll shows that up to 76.2 percent of the population can understand Catalan correctly, another 16.8 percent can understand much of it, and 7.1 percent do not understand it at all.

These figures are the result of a deep study carried out by the Government of the Balearic Islands. One of the conclusions that worry the linguistic authorities is the fact that among young people, the Catalan language is widely seen as a “cult issue” and not a “popular issue.” This could lead to a situation that its use would be reduced to cultural places such as schools, universities or administration, but keeping it away from social life, such as cinemas or musical events.

However, the poll confirms that the Catalan language situation is improving, especially among young people who have attended Catalan schools. As a result, only 37.7 percent of people under 30 cannot write in Catalan, which is more than 10 percent under the general level. The situation is also diverse when comparing the different islands. In Menorca, the situation is better than in the other two main islands: 73 percent of the population in Menorca speak Catalan fluently. Only 51 percent claim this in Eivissa or Ibiza, and 54 percent in Palma, which is the islands' capital city.

Source: Eurolang, http://www.eurolang.net/, Barcelona July 16, 2002, by Jaume Clotet 

Top of page

Updated (August 2002)

STAMPS

“Organització pel Multilingüisme,” being in charge of the campaign to use the official languages other than Spanish in post stamps and other related goods, has recently sent a letter to all members of the Spanish Congress and Senate asking them not to jeopardize the purpose of the campaign, as well as to move towards a full recognition of the multilingual reality of the State, as it happened in other states such as Finland, Switzerland, Canada or Belgium.

More than 300 municipalities of Aragon, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Autonomous Community have so far expressed their support to the campaign. Out of 3,731 stamps issued in Spain since 1850, Catalan has only been used in 31 of them, Galician in 11, and Basque only in 4, therefore neglecting other languages such as Aragonese, Asturian or Aranese. The initiative concerning the use of official languages other than Spanish in post stamps has been also supported by the parliaments of Catalonia, Navarre and the Balearic Islands by means of three respective white papers or law proposals submitted to the Spanish Congress in Madrid, though unsuccessfully.

Source: Mercator News; August 2002;

http://www.troc.es/ciemen/mercator/index-gb.htm

CATALAN

The Catalan Government's Department of Linguistic Policy, also known as the Generalitat, has released its annual linguistic report, in which the situation of the Catalan language is analyzed. The report, which refers to the year 2001, shows that the language situation has improved in many fields, but also demonstrates the necessity of further work.

Concerning education and public administration at both local and regional level, Catalan is used as the primary language. The only part of education, were the progress of Catalan is stagnating, are the universities. An increasing number of foreign students, along with multinational studies and research have caused that Spanish or English frequently substitute for the local language.

According to the report, despite a special plan, the use of Catalan is minimal in trials and other legal activities. As an example, in 2001, only 9.8 percent of the notary documents were written in Catalan. However, hundreds of officials join free language courses organized by the Catalan administration every year.

Another difficult field for Catalan is the economic sector and services. Here, great differences can be seen between companies. Although the majority of big commercial companies use the language in their business activities, some companies (such as Carrefour) use Catalan only in less than 40 percent. The greatest problem, however, are product labels. Around 2 percent of the products have labels in Catalan, although up to 71.4 percent of the Catalan population thinks that it should be used for labeling. Nonetheless, the situation has improved since 1989, when only 308 firms used Catalan labeling on their products compared to 1,538 companies in 2001.

As to media, the report shows clear signs of progress. The Catalan public television and radio network broadcast 100 percent in Catalan and according to preferences, it has the leading position. Two new local TV stations were founded in 2001, and both use Catalan most of the time. However, many Spanish TV stations reach Catalonia and they altogether hold the majority part of the audience. As for radio, the situation is similar. Many Spanish language radio stations get a big part of the audience. Nonetheless, some positive signs were noted: two private radio stations that started in 2000, managed to double their audience last year.

In printed media a new sport daily appeared and since it has an agreement with a private newspaper company, it sells more than 50,000 copies every day. Apart from that, a second free daily is published in Barcelona, with more than 150,000 copies every day. Around 30 percent of its content is in Catalan, which contributes to the boosting of the language in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, where it has a more fragile status. The oldest Catalan newspaper, “Avui,” celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. It sells around 35,000 copies per day. Up to 28.6 percent of all newspapers sold in Catalonia are in Catalan.

Referring to new technologies, last year up to 47,241 web sites had information in Catalan, making a total of 1,682,000 web pages in the language (27.1 percent of Catalan homes have direct access). Up to 49.8 percent of Catalonian Internet users regularly visit web sites in their language.

Source: Eurolang, www.eurolang.net, Barcelona, August 6, 2002, by Jaume Clotet 

Top of page

Updated (October 2002)

LABELS

Following a long tradition of defending the Catalan language and culture at a grass root level, a new Organization of Consumers and Users of the Catalan Language (Organització de Consumidors I Usuaris en Llengua Catalana) has been established in Catalonia. The organization aims at boosting the use of Catalan on food product labels – a sector where nowadays it is almost non-existent. Though in 1998, the Linguistic Policy Law was adopted to promote the use of Catalan on commercial products, the law foresaw no penalties for those companies that violate it.

According to the organization, there is a potential market of 11 million consumers who, to some degree, speak or understand the Catalan language. The overall aim of a campaign is to promote a respectful use of Catalan on the products, particularly taking into account that many customers understand it and they buy their food also on a linguistic basis. This may, at some point, also bring financial benefits for the companies. The main tool to attract people is a website that divides the most common products into different categories. The companies or trademarks, which use Catalan on their labels, either alongside Spanish or even exclusively, are listed there as well.

The promoters of the website want businessmen trading with or in Catalonia to do exactly the same as they do in other countries, even in those with a smaller population. They refer to the fact that Catalan, according to the number of speakers, is the seventh language spoken in Europe, after German, English, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.

One of the partners of this initiative is the Association for the Use of Catalan on Labels (ADEC), which publishes regularly a list of food companies that use Catalan on their products. They announced an impressive increase when in 1989 only 308 companies used Catalan while ten years later; in 1999 already 1,538 firms did the same. Among the companies that are especially aware of this linguistic issue are producers of water and wine, along with the companies selling traditional food products, such as cheese, milk, eggs or chocolate.

Source: Eurolang News, Barcelona, October 3, 2002, by Jaume Clotet, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=3859

EDUCATION

The third symposium on teaching of Catalan to Non Catalan-speakers, which was held in the Catalan town Vic, ended with a general call to promote the social use of the language. After more than twenty years of regular teaching of Catalan in schools, the results are far from what was expected, though the language is not dying out.

Experts on the subject put forward five suggestions to achieve this goal:

1. Continued action by the regional administration to finance and support new educational projects to keep up with the linguistic normalization strategy

2. Active plans to guarantee the presence of Catalan in new technologies

3. Elaboration of a multilingual educational system which takes into account the situation of Catalan

4. Changes in the formation and preparation of teachers

5. A political multilateral agreement to initiate active presence of the language in many social fields where it has not been permanently installed yet

As an example of the fragile situation with the Catalan language, a survey on the use of language by 12-year-olds carried out in 52 schools in Catalonia was issued to the symposium attendants. It showed that despite active learning of the language in both private and public educational centers, most students do not use it regularly outside their schools. So far, up to 60 percent of youngsters speak and communicate in Spanish, whereas only 34 percent use Catalan. Another 6 percent use both languages equally, even in the same conversations. According to the researchers, the results of the survey show that Catalan has little presence in daily life among children, who study the language for several years as a compulsory subject.

Children from Spanish-speaking families only use Catalan in 20 percent of their conversations or other communication. The results were slightly better for bilingual families (where one parent speaks Catalan and the other one Spanish). In these cases, up to two thirds of the conversations are in Spanish. Finally, in Catalan-speaking families, only 50 percent of communication is in Catalan. The study reflects that Catalan is a minority language nowadays even in its own historical territory.

A total of 700 professors, teachers and linguistic experts attended this symposium whose next edition is scheduled for the year 2007.

Source: Eurolang News, Barcelona, September 9, 2002 by Jaume Clotet 

Top of page

Updated (November 2002)

ASTURIAN / EDUCATION

Almost 90 percent of Asturians were favorable to the idea of the indigenous language being taught at schools.

Educational establishments can be divided to:

a) Those in the state ownership (approximately 60 percent)

b) Those privately owned but supported by state funds (around 30 percent)

c) Those completely private (above 10 percent)

PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION

At this stage the language is integrated into a wider sphere because communication is not solely rooted in a verbal language but also in gestures, art, music, etc. The language of instruction in pre-schools is Spanish; however, for educational reasons the teachers in rural parts of Asturias utilize Asturian in their first contact with pupils seeing it is the language they use at home. Similarly, children's songs, tales, stories, legends, etc. are published in the Asturian language. The systematic teaching of Asturian is limited because only 1,370 children in the state educational institutions are interested to be taught in this language (just over 10 percent of the total).¹

PRIMARY EDUCATION

Except specific situations and some pilot experiments, Asturian is taught only as a subject in primary schools. Teaching of the Asturian language, despite it is voluntary, is a full part of the curriculum and is integrated within a pupil's school record. Generally, there are two lessons a week, each lasting an hour.

The establishments dealing with teaching Asturian are concentrated in the central industrial areas (the larger municipalities of Uviéu, Xixón and Avilés and the coalmining areas of the Rivers Nalón and Caudal). As for the rural areas, schools in the southwest region of Cangas del Narcea educate the majority of the Asturian speaking students.

The number of pupils studying Asturian in primary schools is 14,238. The percentage of voluntary attendance in Asturian language classes (where the conditions of the educational establishment make it possible) amounts to nearly 65 percent. The remaining 35 percent receive classes on Asturian culture as an alternative.

SECONDARY EDUCATION

Asturian is an optional subject in secondary schools. This language has been insufficiently introduced due to particular administrative problems in the government of the Principality of Asturias connected with a given full authority in the educational issues. Teaching of the Asturian language is a part of the curriculum.

ADMINISTRATION

The use of the Asturian language by the Asturian government is confined to the action of the Ministry of Education and Culture and it covers promotional reading campaigns, advertisements, announcements of cultural competitions, the publication of resolutions in the Principality of Asturias Official Bulletin (BOPA), etc. The use of the Asturian language in parliamentary life is occasional and restricted to particular political groups.

Source: Mercator Education, Regional Dossiers, The Asturian Language in education in Spain,

http://www1.fa.knaw.nl/mercator/regionale_dossiers/regional_dossier_asturian_in_spain.htm

GALICIAN / EDUCATION

The Spanish Parliament has established the basic coordination of the educational system through the LOGSE Law. According to this law, school attendance is compulsory and free from 6 to 16 years. The LOGSE Law is identical for all schools, private or public.

PRE-SCHOOLS

In most urban centers Spanish is the main teaching language because it is the language of the majority of pupils. In rural areas both languages are used; however, Galician predominates. Data given by the General Office of Linguistic Policy state that 39 percent of the centers never use Galician and that in 40 percent of schools 15 hours per week are taught in Galician (1998).²

In the school year 2000/2001, there were 52,238 pupils in pre-school education in Galicia.

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

At this level the law requires teaching of Galician as a compulsory subject for four hours a week (the same as Spanish) and using it as a language of instruction in the natural, social and cultural sciences. In many schools these subjects are taught in Spanish because there is no linguistic teaching model for Galician. Its use depends on several factors, which are directly related to the teachers' efforts and dedication (pupil's language, teachers' linguistic competence, the existence of teaching materials, the location of the school, etc.). At private schools, mainly in urban and semi-urban centers, the Decree 247/95 is even less respected because Spanish there is the language of instruction at all levels.

The following table shows the percentage of the students' mother tongue and the first language in which they write and read.

It seems that in urban areas students do not start their education in Galician because they are less numerous than those whose mother tongue is Spanish. Thus Spanish prevails and the lessons will be given in this language. In rural areas the situation is different. The speakers of Galician are more numerous and thus in many cases teaching is carried out in Galician.

All Galician students are able to understand, speak, read and write Spanish (they become active bilinguals), but it cannot be said about Spanish students. Schools help to develop writing and reading skills, but they do not contribute to the normal use of the language because of the insufficient normalization efforts in Galicia. Children with Spanish as their mother tongue have more difficulties to become bilingual, because only 20 to 25 percent of their education is carried out in Galician. In the table below; however, we can see a strange fact. The percentage of their reading and writing skills in Galician is higher than that of Galician native speakers. Researchers explain it as follows: firstly, Galician speakers are concentrated in rural areas and being confident in speaking their Galician dialect, they are less interested in writing. On the other hand, Spanish students want to compensate this way their lack of oral competence in Galician and are not confused by their dialects. Nevertheless, this strange phenomenon has not been studied in detail yet.

Source: Study of the University of Vigo (1997/1999)

In the school year 2000/2001, there were 137,286 pupils studying at primary level in Galicia.

SECONDARY SCHOOLS

In regards to the language policy, the law stipulates that four subjects must be taught in Galician - two obligatory subjects (social and natural sciences) and two optional subjects.

In practice, the centers do not meet this legal requirement and there is neither a bilingual model (50 percent) nor a monolingual model in Galician. In private centers only the Galician Language itself is taught in Galician. There are no official data about teachers' language used during the classes. The Mesapela Normalización Lingüística, parents' associations and unions file complaints about the nonobservance of the law on the use of the Galician language.

In post compulsory secondary education Philosophy is taught in Galician, as a common subject with one of the specific subjects in every modality in the 1st year. In the 2nd year, History and Galician are common subjects and some of the specific subjects in every modality are taught in the Galician language. Galician continues to be a compulsory subject for 3 hours per week.

In the academic year 2000/2001, there were 173,788 students in secondary schools in Galicia. All of them had Galician as a subject, but it is not known how many of them received the necessary instruction in Galician.

UNIVERSITIES

Since 1990 there have been three public universities in Galicia: the University of Vigo (UV), the University of A Coruña (UC) and the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC). The national distance-learning university UNED also operates in several towns in the region (Pontevedra, A Coruña and Ourense). At present, 100,000 students study at those three universities.

The statutes of the universities state that Galician is their official language together with Spanish, according to the Spanish Constitution and the Galician Statute of Autonomy. Since 1988 a Galician language test has been included in the entrance examinations for university and it has the same weight as a Spanish language one.

ADULT EDUCATION

There are two types of state schools, where adults can enroll to study major international languages and Galician in the modern language courses. They exist throughout the whole Spain and are a unique way of making language courses accessible to a wide audience. In the EPA (Educación para Adultos) people over 18 can register, while in the EOI (Official Language School – Escuela Oficial de Idiomas), 16 is the minimum age.

The EPA tries to guarantee the acquisition, updating and broadening of knowledge and skills needed for personal and professional development. Systematic education, training for the labor market and socio-cultural education are included in the EPA.

The EOI trains pupils in linguistic skills to gain competence in the studied language. The EOIs are official language schools recognized by Spain's Department of Education, and in Galicia, by the Education Council (Consellería de Educación). A diploma obtained from these centers is highly regarded in the business community. It, together with a university degree, gives a person the ability and capacity to teach the language in medium regular education.

The first EOI in Galicia was set up in A Coruña 25 years ago, but in the last 10 years many EOIs have been established. Nowadays, there are centers in Pontevedra, Vigo, Ourense, Lugo, A Coruña and Ferrol. The studies comprise five courses (five years) divided into two cycles: elementary (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and advanced (4th and 5th). At Galician EOIs students can choose between English, French, German, Italian, Galician and Portuguese. At the EOI of A Coruña people can also study Russian and Spanish.

In Galicia, 4,881 pupils are registered in the EPA and approximately 15,000 students are involved in the EOI.

ADMINISTRATION

All administrative documents are written in Galician - certificates, forms, payrolls, etc., but at lower or internal levels the use of Galician or Spanish depends on teachers, managers and civil servants. Spanish is used more often in oral communication than Galician. Civil servants have to pass several examinations to work in public universities including written tests in the Galician language, which is not compulsory.

Major part of the documentation is written in Galician and on the whole, civil servants are Galician and know the language but documents in Galician do not make sense if the language used by the civil servants is Spanish.

Recent data (1998) given by the General Office of Linguistic Policy (Dirección Xeral de Política Lingüística, DXPL) informed that 82.5 percent of educational centers use Galician in their administrative functions; 15.4 percent work partially in Galician and 1.6 percent work totally in Spanish. Relations between centers, pupils and other institutions are in Galician in 66 percent of cases, in Galician and Spanish in 23.5 percent and totally in Spanish in 1.7 percent.

This information seems to be contradictory to the former data, but this is due to the fact that the DXPL analyzed the formal use of the language, e.g. in administration, while the real use of Galician in teaching was not being revealed.

Source: Mercator Education, Regional Dossiers, The Galician Language in education in Spain,

http://www1.fa.knaw.nl/mercator/regionale_dossiers/regional_dossier_galician_in_spain.htm

CATALAN / EDUCATION

Until 1992, about one-third of private schools used Catalan as the main medium of instruction. Language choice was a result of the management of the schools and the parents, which left room for more variety in language policy. After the 1992 Decree and 1998 Law, all schools - private and public - must use Catalan as a medium of instruction (nursery schools are an exception) while Spanish is the second school language.

According to SEDEC (Service for Catalan Teaching), in 1995/96, 36 percent of all the children spoke only Catalan at home; 47 percent had Spanish-speaking background and 15 percent were bilingual in their families. One percent of the children were bilingual in Catalan and another language (not Spanish), while the same proportion spoke only the other language at home (neither Catalan nor Spanish).

The nursery school kids have the right to receive education in their mother tongue, but after this level, schooling continues in Catalan. At schools with more than 75 percent of Spanish pupils the Linguistic Immersion Program can be applied. At the end of compulsory secondary school studies pupils should attain a full oral and written competence in both languages.

PRIMARY EDUCATION

While the Catalan language is to be used as the medium of instruction in primary education, teaching of the Spanish language begins at the first compulsory stage. According to the immersion program, children start learning Catalan (reading and writing) at the age of six, followed by acquiring of the oral skills.

SECONDARY EDUCATION

The linguistic normalization of the Catalan language at secondary level has been more difficult to carry out. There are still some teachers who are not competent in Catalan. Moreover, there are also teachers who speak the language, but do not use it at schools. This problem is more present in post-compulsory secondary education, where the barrier to speaking Catalan is stronger due to the higher level required. But in spite of these difficulties, the use of Catalan has been increased.

Source: SEDEC, Evolution of students 1991/1996

Despite the great advance of the Catalan language in the educational system during the last twenty years, the use of Catalan in schools is still not optimal. Language politics are directed to find new ways how to involve everyone in the process of normalization. Thus one can expect a complete “Catalanization” of all the schools with Catalan being the first language and Spanish the second language of instruction. However, students must have the same command of both languages at the end of compulsory education.

SEDEC (THE SERVICE FOR CATALAN TEACHING)

This specific organization, existing within the Department of Education, promotes Catalan and deals with everything related to Catalan in education. This service also runs the Program for Linguistic Immersion (PIL), which, taking into account the varied sociolinguistic situation in the country, tries to support the government's goal to make Catalan the language of instruction in Catalonia.

Another institution dealing with the linguistic normalization of Catalan is the Institute of Catalan Studies (IEC), which is involved in studying the language, setting the norms and ensuring that the process of normalization is coherent.

IMMIGRANTS

An increasing number of foreign pupils, the vast majority from the Third World countries, are educated in Catalonia, without being familiar with the Catalan language. Bearing in mind this new social and cultural reality, the Department of Education emphasizes the necessity to integrate these pupils into the system and to devise strategies to facilitate their further active participation in the school's programs and communicate with their environment.

To see the progress of these children the SEDEC provides consultation for teachers with a team of experts. For secondary school immigrants there are also oral and written language courses, which are organized for pupils in the same area.

Source: Mercator Education, Regional Dossiers, The Catalan Language in education in Spain,

http://www1.fa.knaw.nl/mercator/regionale_dossiers/regional_dossier_catalan_in_spain.htm

¹ The sources refers to the situation in the academic year 2001/2002, the Statistical Department of the Vice-Ministry of Education (Planning Department, Educational Institutions and Infrastructure

² The Dirección Xeral de Política Lingüística (DXPL) admits in a letter from August 17, 1999 that some sections of Decree 247/95 have not been fulfilled: “There are a number of urban educational centers which do not respect the decree on the minimum number of subjects which must be taught in Galician.” The letter also says that the presence of the Galician language in those centers is “negligible or nonexistent.” This information comes from a letter/report, which was sent to the Mesapola Normalisazión Lingüística (MNL) by Valedor do Pobo. Information was required through this channel, since an official request for information of the MNL to the autonomous government was ignored.

Top of page

Updated (April 2003)

THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO LESSEN THE USE OF CATALAN IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

According to a statewide Law on Education proposed by the governing party “Partido Popular” (PP), the number of hours of Spanish that children receive at primary schools should increase at the expense of Catalan, Basque and Galician.

Representatives of the minorities do not agree with many orders contained in this law; however, the language issue is particularly serious. It is clear that the Spanish government tries to lessen the use of the Catalan language in primary schools, when children are especially receptive and sensitive to language learning.

The proposed law seeks to establish a total of 350 hours in Spanish for seven and eight years old children.

If the law is passed the number of courses in Spanish will increase from 2 hours to 5 hours per week, inevitably making education in Catalan weaker. Up until now Catalan and Spanish were in an equal position concerning the time devoted to language learning.

The Catalan Education Department stated that since Catalunya controls public education, the Catalan government will not follow the PP's proposal on education.

Except Catalunya, the issue has also provoked sharp criticism in other Catalan-speaking areas such as País Valencià and Illes Balears. According to the unions, in case this decree will be passed, the Catalan government can either increase the number of hours destined for Catalan language learning from 2 to 5 (which would probably be difficult for schoolchildren) or it can accept that Spanish will be prioritized and supersede Catalan.

Source: Eurolang News, Brussels, March 31, 2003, by Alexia Bos Solé & Davyth Hicks, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4182

COUNCIL TO GIVE GRANTS TO INCREASE CATALAN SHOP-SIGNAGE

The Department of Barcelona City Council and the Institute of Urban Landscape and Quality of Life announced that it would grant a financial aid for all shop window signage written in Catalan. The Department plans to pay up to 40 percent of the total cost of a new sign (a maximum of €600).

The campaign should help shop owners to be aware of the importance of having shop-window signs in Catalan.

In January 2003, a five-year deadline set by the Language Law expired. The law states that all businesses are obliged to use the Catalan language in their shop windows. In case this rule is broken, the fines ranging from €300 to €3,000 can be imposed.

Despite the moratorium and the fines, the level of compliance to this law is still low, especially in the Barcelona area. According to a study carried out by the Generalitat's Department of Linguistic Policy in 1997, only 32.9 percent of shop signage was in Catalan. Other survey carried out in 2001 pointed out that only 213 out of 375 shops in the district of Ciutat Vella in Barcelona had shop-window signage in Catalan. This situation can be caused by the fact that shop owners who recently immigrated to the area do not know about the law. For this reason leaflets in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Urdu, giving information about the restoration of business premises and the use of Catalan are planned to be distributed.

Source: Eurolang News, Brussels, April 7, 2003, by Alexia Bos Solé, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4198

CATALAN GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES A CAMPAIGN TO INTEGRATE IMMIGRANTS

The Generalitat, the Catalan autonomous government, has launched a massive media campaign calling on the Catalan population to use their language when addressing foreign people especially immigrants.

Around 400,000 immigrants who have arrived in Catalonia over the last few years, provokes a heated debate regarding their linguistic integration.

The campaign entitled “‘Tu ets mestre” (you are a teacher) shows how 45,000 immigrants learn Catalan every year. Thirty thousand of them are children and the remaining 15,000 are adult immigrants enrolled in one of the multiple courses available for adults.

The campaign shows an immigrant in three different daily situations when he/she asks the audience to use the Catalan language while speaking with him (“Help me, talk to me in Catalan”).

According to Jordi Roigé, a director general of the Linguistic Policy of the Generalitat, most Catalans do not use their language when talking to someone who physically does not seem to be a Catalan, and usually they change to Spanish. Thus many immigrants who might be studying Catalan may feel that their efforts are in vain.

However, this campaign has also raised criticism from some social organizations, which have been battling for years to improve the situation of the Catalan language.

Though the Platform for the Language (Plataforma per la Llengua) evaluates this public campaign positively, its representatives wonder whether the Catalan authorities put the integration problem on the shoulders of the citizens instead of doing as much as they can.

According to this organization, the main goal of the communication campaign is good because it makes clear that, if Catalan speakers do not use the language with newcomers, they will never integrate. Most immigrants are aware that some knowledge of the Catalan language will make their life easier and will provide them with more professional opportunities.

Nevertheless, many mistakes have been made in the linguistic integration policy, especially a lack of coordination among the different administrations and government departments. The shortage of Catalan language courses, which meant that several hundred immigrants who wanted to study Catalan did not have a chance to do so this year, is a good example. However, for the next year more courses are planned to be organized.

According to a spokesman of Itran, the Associació Catalana Amaziga, which represents the Berber community in Catalonia, this campaign arrived a bit late. Still he considers the campaigns and programs to be necessary and hopes that this one may change the Catalans' mentality and will lead to using the language with foreigners. Mr. El-Molghy believes that the Catalan language is a major integration factor for foreigners. In his case, after living for fourteen years in the Catalan village of Manlleu, he uses Catalan daily.

The campaign is a key part of a more ambitious plan designed by the Generalitat to cope with the arrival of thousands of immigrants every year. The plan was approved by the Catalan government on February 4, 2003 and seeks as many newcomers as possible to learn Catalan. To achieve this goal, dozens of new language courses are organized together with a vast program that informs businessmen who employ immigrant workers about promotion of the normalized use of Catalan in factories and shops.

Source: Eurolang News, Barcelona, March 14, 2003, by Jaume Clotet, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4207 

Top of page

Updated (May 2003)

SURVEY ON THE LANGUAGE USE IN BARCELONA AREA

The outcome of a recent official survey, dealing besides other social issues also with the use of languages in Barcelona's metropolitan area, has revealed that despite the supportive policies in this respect, which have been locally implemented, the use of Catalan is still decreasing, especially among the youngest generations.

According to the figures provided, more than half of the population (56.1 percent) considers Spanish as their first language, whereas only 29 percent states the same with regard to Catalan. On the other hand, 13.5 percent of the interviewees affirms that they have an equal command of both languages.

Another relevant information arising from the survey is that 90 percent of young people are able to speak and write Catalan, though its use in personal and social relations among them is much lower.

The current situation is a result of the growing urbanization of the city's surrounding areas as well as by migration waves (both Spanish national immigrants especially in the 50s, 60s and 70s, and present foreign immigrants, who generally adopt Spanish as the main language of communication).

Source: Mercator News, April 2003, http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/index-gb.htm 

Top of page

Updated (June 2003)

CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE HISPANIZATION OF THE SPANISH POST OFFICE

The Organization for the Multilingualism (OM) has started a campaign against, what it sees as, the progressive “hispanization” of the post offices in Spain. The state company Correus i Telègrafs (the Spanish Post Office) has been using Catalan and Spanish in its offices of Catalunya, Illes Balears and País Valencià. However, from January 1, 2003, the company launched a campaign in order to change their corporate image without respecting the bilingual signs in the bilingual communities of the Spanish territory.

For this reason, the OM has started a campaign to promote the linguistic normalization of the Spanish post-office under the slogan “Correus Plurals” (a plural post office). It aims to change the current Correus i Telègrafs' logo to the one that respects the Catalan language as well as the other official languages in the state. This organization also requests that all documents, websites, postage stamps, and any other postal goods issued by the National Coin and Stamp Factory should be issued and circulated in the Spanish, Catalan, Galician and Basque languages.

According to the OM, the monolingual signs on public companies such as Correus i Telègrafs contravene language legislation which states that public entities and companies should guarantee bilingualism in the communities where there is more than one official language. Moreover, such a monolingual policy causes a significant decrease in the presence of the Catalan, Galician and Basque languages.

Source: Eurolang News, Brussels, June 18, 2003, by Alexia Bos Solé, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4283 

Top of page

Updated (September 2003)

CATALAN TELEVISION LAUNCHES 24-HOUR NEWS CHANNEL

For the first time ever, a minority language will have its own 24-hour television channel broadcasting exclusively news. On September 11, the public Catalan Broadcasting Company (Corporació Catalana de Ràdio i Televisió) launched the project called 3/24. By January 2004, it plans to become fully operative, preparing 48 news bulletins per day.

The structure of the channel will follow the BBC or CNN model. The first minute will be dedicated to a news summary followed by 15 minutes of general news, both Catalan and international. Then 3/24 will offer the weather forecast and the traffic situation. Both items are traditionally very appreciated by the Catalan public. After that, sports news will come and, on the 24th minute, a series of cultural and special reports.

Apart from this general scheme, the channel will also pay attention to different topics. All parliamentary information will be included in a special daily section called “Canal Parlament.”

The new 3/24 Channel will employ around a hundred people. Its launch involves the creation of new geographical centers for Catalan television. To those of Girona, Tarragona and Lleida, CCRTV has created new centers in la Seu d'Urgell, Andorra and Tortosa. The main center, as usual, will be located in Barcelona.

With this channel, the Catalan public television will have three channels (TV3, Canal 33 and 3/24). The first one, TV3, was created 20 years ago and broadcasts many different programs, including news, films, TV series and contests. Canal 33 was created later and focuses on cultural and children's programs, along with sports.

Catalan television, despite using exclusively a minority language, is not the television for the few. Over the last 14 months it has been beating all other channels in viewing figures. It has complete coverage in nearly all Catalan territories, including the Balearic Islands, País Valencià and Catalunya Nord in France.

Source: Eurolang News, Barcelona, September 9, 2003, by Jaume Clotet, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4379

TV SHOW TO HELP BASQUE LEARNERS

The Basque public television (EITB) has decided to use a TV show for educational goals. ETB1, the Basque language channel of EITB, has started to recruit twelve people for the show called “Barnetegia.”

Barnetegia refers to rural houses where, usually during the summer, Basque language students live with their teachers for a short period to learn Euskera (Basque). It is one of few places where solely the Basque language is used.

The program's structure will be similar to that of other shows of this nature. Over 45 days the contestants will have to prove that they are making real progress in Basque language learning. They will also have to prove that they can cohabit with the other contestants and the teachers.

In an attempt to promote the Basque Country, the contestants will receive their lessons in different parts of the territory, mainly outdoors. This will increase the attraction of the program and will save the audience from watching a school classroom for hours.

Before being accepted, a contestant will have to prove that he/she has knowledge of the Basque language equivalent to grade B, provided by HABE, the official institution that coordinates and centralizes Basque language learning.

The winner of the contest will get a worldwide trip visiting the “Euskal Etxeak,” the Basque communities around the world.

Filming of the show will start in October and will be ready for broadcast by the beginning of next year.

Source: Eurolang News, Bilbo/Bilbao, September 29, 2003, by Jaume Clotet, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4405

Top of page

Updated (October 2003)

“PLATAFORMA PER LA LLENGUA” SIMPLIFIES THE PROCESS OF COMPLAINING AGAINST LINGUISTIC DISCRIMINATION

The Catalan language organization “Plataforma per la Llengua” has launched a new complaint form on its website, which will simplify submission of a formal complaint about linguistic discrimination.

The most usual complaints are those against restaurants (for having the menu in Spanish and not in Catalan) and private societies.

Once Plataforma de la Llengua gets a formal complaint from a Catalan speaker, the organization redirects it to the Catalan Institute of Consumption and then the complaint is managed by the public administration of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan government).

Plataforma per la Llengua deals with every complaint in a different way. In case of a woman who was fired for teaching in Catalan, the procedure covered the following steps: 

1. The organization forwarded an appeal for the unfair dismissal

2. It submitted a formal letter to the competent authority

3. It started a campaign in the media

Apart from this activity, the organization currently works also on another initiative. Organizing a welcoming party for Erasmus students in Catalonia will present Catalan as an “added value,” thus avoiding the conflicts that the choice between Catalan and Spanish usually generates in the Catalan universities.

With this project Plataforma per la Llengua also wants to examine the loss of Catalan at the universities and to encourage them to do more for Catalan.

Source: Eurolang News, Brussels, October 8, 2003, by Alexia Bos Solé, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4419 

Top of page

Updated (December 2003)

A GREAT SUCCESS FOR THE FIRST EVER BARCELONA EDITION OF THE CATALAN LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER “EL PUNT”

November 30 was a historic day for the Catalan media when the Girona based newspaper “El Punt,” written exclusively in Catalan, faced its biggest challenge ever. It launched an edition in Barcelona and its metropolitan area, where the Catalan language does not have such a strong position.

However, the public lived up to the expectations and over 30,000 copies were sold during the day. Taking into account that around 47,000 copies were printed and distributed in the Barcelona metropolitan area, the project was seen as a great success.

“El Punt” was founded 25 years ago, shortly after the Spanish regime authorized publishing of the Catalan language newspapers. Since then it has become the first among all Girona newspapers.

Apart from “El Punt,” there are two other Catalan language Barcelona based newspapers, “Avui” and a daily “El Periodico” which is published in two languages, Spanish (60 percent of sale) and Catalan (remaining 40 percent).

Source: Eurolang News, Barcelona, December 1, 2003, by Jaume Clotet, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4526

Top of page

Updated (May 2004)

CATALAN, BASQUE AND GALICIAN MAY SOON BE USED IN THE SPANISH SENATE

The recently elected Basque President of the Spanish Senate (Senado), Javier Rojo, has asked for elaboration of an economic and technical report on the possibility to introduce Catalan, Basque and Galician as working languages in the Spanish Senate. This report should analyze the advantages and drawbacks of such a step and additional costs which implies translation and interpreting services. However, according to Mr. Rojo, the introduction of multilingualism in the Senate is just a question of political will.

Currently, only Spanish is permitted in the Senado, as well as in the Spanish Congress. Moreover, the Senate's website is still only in Spanish and English. The senators are allowed to use other languages on two occasions: on the day of the President's take-over and in the so-called Debate on the State of the Autonomous Communities, which has only been held twice.¹

Source: Eurolang News, Barcelona, April 29, 2004, by Alexia Bos Solé, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4543 and Mercator News, April 2004, Avui, http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/index-gb.htm

¹ According to the Standing Orders of the Senate (Sections 11 bis and 56 bis.7)

Top of page

Updated (September 2004)

SECURITY GUARDS DEMAND RESPECT FOR THE USE OF GALICIAN

In Galicia there are about 15,000 security guards working in 65 companies. They demand to be allowed to use the Galician language in their identification cards and in exams, as well as to have training courses on Galician.

Currently the Ministry of Interior only accepts the cards in Castilian. Although the guards work in Galicia and anytime they can be asked to speak in Galician, there are no training courses in their language and the exams to become a security guard have to be taken in Castilian.

The Galician language NGO¹, supporting the guards' efforts, addressed a letter to the Ministry of Interior and required a solution based upon the linguistic rights confirmed in the Constitution, the Autonomous Statute and the Law on the Use of Galician.

However, the Ministry informed that the security guard cards must be issued in Castilian as the guards can work all over the Spanish state.

Source: Eurolang News, Vigo, September 6, 2004, by Alexandre Giráldez, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4750

¹ A Mesa pola Normalización Lingüística.

Top of page

Updated (February 2005)

A NEW MAGAZINE IN CATALAN

A new Catalan magazine, "Nat", ("born" in Catalan) has been launched in Catalonia.

"Nat" costs 4 Euros and publishes wide-ranging articles on nature and fauna, news, practical proposals for leisure time and excursions and routes. An initial print run of 50,000 copies has been distributed in over 7,000 different selling points in Catalonia, País Valencià, Balearic Islands and Andorra.

Source: Eurolang News, by Alexia Bos Solé, February 3, 2005, www.eurolang.net

A NEW DRIVING LICENSE DIFFERENTIATES BETWEEN CATALAN AND VALENCIAN

While until now Spanish driving licenses included a bilingual text (in Spanish and in one of the three co-official languages), a new, more modern and handy edition of the document is being issued in four different bilingual versions, corresponding to Galician, Basque, Catalan and Valencian. Moreover, the form to apply for a license is also available in four bilingual versions.

However, the difference between the Catalan and Valencian version of a driving license recently incited controversy in the country. The original Spanish word "expide" ("to issue") has been translated into Catalan as "expedeix" and into Valencian as "expén", which is an incorrect translation because in the Valencian language it means "to sell".

The possibility to issue a multilingual driving license is already implemented in other countries, such as Finland (in Finnish and Swedish) and Wales (in English and Welsh, although Welsh is not an official language).

Source: Mercator News, January 2005, http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/index-gb.htm

Top of page

Updated (April 2005)

THE USE OF GALICIAN IN SCHOOLS 

"A Mesa pola Normalización Lingüística" is not satisfied with the way how the use of Galician at schools was checked by education inspectors. This chief Galician NGO and A Xunta (the Galician government) have been engaged in a legal battle on the use of Galician at schools for the past year. 

According to A Mesa, two out of three primary and high schools (67 percent) use Galician less than they should and thus they infringe the law. Some schools even force students to buy books in Spanish. However, A Xunta does not agree with these figures. The government states that almost 97 percent of schools comply with the law¹. 

Galician language and literature is a compulsory subject, just as Spanish language and literature. In order to avoid Galician being a foreign language in its own country and to incorporate it as a regular working language, the 1995 Decree (247/95) ordered that Galician should be used to teach other subjects. Therefore in primary and high schools at least two other subjects must be taught in Galician, constituting 30 percent of the curriculum². Books and other resources must be also written in Galician. 

Although even the 30-percent use of Galician has caused controversy, the Plan of Linguistic Normalization, recently approved by Parliament, aims to achieve the use of Galician in at least 50 percent of subjects. A Xunta has not still said when this modification is to be implemented but A Mesa believes it will be as soon as possible. 

Source: Eurolang News, Cangas, March 24, 2005, by Alexandre Giráldez, http://www.eurolang.net/news.asp?id=4975 

YOUNG IMMIGRANTS ENCOURAGED TO LEARN THE BASQUE LANGUAGE 

The Basque Department of Education and the NGO "Kontseilua" have signed an agreement aiming to improve knowledge of the Basque (Euskara) language amongst young immigrants, mostly those from outside the EU, living in the Basque Autonomous Community. "Kontseilua", formed from around 50 organizations, is to design language projects for immigrant students and their families to teach them cultural and linguistic features of Euskadi. 

To achieve such a goal, "Kontseilua" will have to take diverse actions, mostly in the domain of education. According to a Kontseilua member, José Javier Íñigo, they will study the possibilities of adapting books and other education materials to help immigrants learn Basque more easily. 

Immigrant students share specific features that must be taken into account: they do not enter the school at the age of 3 or 4 but much older (around 10), they usually arrive in the middle of a course and their parents cannot help them with the language since they usually do not speak it (Kontseilua also plans to offer specific courses on the Basque language and culture for parents). By learning Basque immigrants’ chances of integration and getting a job will increase. 

The Basque Country has been a popular destination for immigrants for decades, mainly in the 1960s and 70s. The Franco’s dictatorship prevented the education system from teaching Basque to immigrants. 

Today there are 10,600 immigrant students in the Basque Autonomous Community. Around 69 percent of these are from Latin America, 25 percent from Africa, 6 percent from Asia and 10 percent from the European Union. 

Source: Eurolang News, Cangas, March 22, 2005, by Alexandre Giráldez, http://www.eurolang.net/ 

1. This percentage does not include private schools, which 27 percent of Galician students attend.

2. According to A Mesa, if a teacher in one of those subjects does not use Galician, the school does not comply with the law, even if all the other teachers use Galician.  

Top of page

Updated (October 2005)

".CAT" DOMAIN FOR CATALAN SPEAKERS WORLDWIDE 

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), an organization responsible for the coordination of Internet domain names, announced that the application submitted by the Catalan Association "Associació puntCAT" asking for the creation of a new domain for the Catalan linguistic and cultural community fulfils prescribed requirements. It has therefore authorized the establishment of .cat as a new Internet domain. 

The ICANN assessment of the Catalan cultural community was very positive and the initiative had wide support from Catalan institutions, including the Catalan government and Catalan civil society. 

The puntcat association was created in 2001, and since then has been working on the approval of a new domain name. From now on the .cat domain represents Catalan language speakers and it is the first domain, at a global level, specifically 'designed' for a linguistic and cultural group. 

Source: Eurolang News, Barcelona, September 22, 2005, by Alexia Bos Solé, http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2454&Itemid=1&lang=en

Top of page

Updated (February 2006)

NEW IT TOOLS AVAILABLE IN BASQUE 

The Department of Language Policy of the Basque government has made available new electronic dictionaries to assist people working in Basque. These are available as plug-ins from the site http://www.euskara.euskadi.net. There are two bilingual dictionaries, one Basque – Spanish and the other Basque – French, and a third dictionary of synonyms. Once the dictionaries have been downloaded and installed, it is possible to consult them at any time from within a document being worked on. 

Source: Mercator Media News, January 2006,

http://www.mercator-central.org/newsletter/newsletter20.htm#2 

NEW LOCAL DAILY NEWSPAPER IN BASQUE 

The development of the Basque language press has taken another step forward with the appearance of a new daily - "Busturialdeko Hitza". The paper first appeared on 31 October 2005 and since December 2005 it has been published from Tuesday to Sunday. This brings to a total of six local daily papers printed in Basque under the Hitza title. 

Source: Mercator Media News, January 2006,

http://www.mercator-central.org/newsletter/newsletter20.htm#2

Top of page

Updated (March 2006)

"CATALAN WITH YOU ALL THE WAY" CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED 

The Catalan Institut Ramon Llull has launched a new campaign entitled 'El català va amb tu' (Catalan with you all the way) as its slogan to promote the use of the Catalan language for social and informal purposes. The campaign is directed mainly at young people aged fifteen to twenty-nine who are fluent in Catalan. According to the 2001 census data, the level of fluency among people in this age group, who were taught in Catalan in schools, is high. Ninety-six percent of them understand Catalan, eighty-eight percent speak it and about eighty percent can write or read Catalan. Despite this fact, they are not using the language as much as might be expected. 

Source: Eurolang News, March 24, 2006 by Davyth Hicks http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2572&Itemid=1&lang=en

Top of page

Updated (May 2006)

GALICIAN LANGUAGE RIGHTS WATCH SET UP 

At the beginning of April 2006, the Galician Language Rights Watch was set up in Santiago, Spain. This new institution has been promoted by judges, lawyers, sociolinguists, university professors and law professionals in view of the situation of the Galician language and the violation of the language rights its speakers undergo daily. 

In the presentation ceremony, a new manifesto and a warning document addressed to the administrations and society in general were read. Along with urgent actions for 2006, the manifesto proposes to issue and disseminate an annual report examining the sociolinguistic situation in Galicia, to verify and demand the public administrations to observe the law on language issues and to study the public funding policies and its results. 

Particularly for the year 2006, they want to implement some of the measures established in the General Plan of Galician Language Normalization approved in 2004. For instance, they want to ensure 33 percent of use of Galician in pre-school and 50 percent in primary, secondary and high school education. Moreover, the founders of the institution demand TV and radio stations to carry out a commitment of increasing the broadcasting in the Galician language as it is stated in the Plan. 

Finally yet importantly, the Galician Language Rights Watch will monitor the application of the international treaties related to the rights of Galician-speakers such as the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages and the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights. 

Source: Mercator News, April 2006 http://www.ciemen.org/mercator/notidetail.cfm?IDA=881&lg=gb

Top of page

Updated (March 2007)

MORE BASQUE IN SCHOOLS 

The Government in the Basque Autonomous Community is planning to reform the system of education - to make Basque (Euskara) main language in education. By now, there have been three models of education offered both in state-run and private schools: 

1. Model A - education offered entirely in Spanish, where Basque was taught as a subject four hours per week for children from the age of six on

2. Model B - half of the subjects were taught in Spanish and the other half in the Basque language

3. Model D - pupils were taught entirely in Basque with some Spanish and English or French

However, the system came under increasingly strong criticism over the last decade. Surveys by the Government have shown that only Model D guaranteed that students were proficient in Euskara by the time they reached secondary school. Additionally, Model D was also chosen by the parents of more than 90 percent of three-year-old infants in the Basque Autonomous Community. The rest chose model B, leaving model A as marginal. 

Now, most parties in the Basque Parliament have decided to change the current system. The scheme presented by Tontxu Campos, Secretary of Education of the Basque Autonomous Government, will make Euskara the main language of education, will set up minimum linguistic requirements for both official languages for every student and will give freedom to school boards to decide their own policy. 

In regard to languages, Campos said: "Basque and Spanish, both have the same legal status, so when students finish their education they must be equally proficient in both". 

Students' language skills will be tested twice under the new scheme. At age 9-10, the students will be required to achieve the European B1 standard in both Basque and Spanish - they will have to show that they are able to understand simple texts or speeches on familiar subjects and that they are able to write and talk on the same level. By the age of 13, they will pass an exam for the B2 standard with complex tests and ideas on a variety of subjects. They will also have to pass a B1 test for English or French by the time they finish secondary education (age 15-16). 

Furthermore, schools will be free to make their own schemes and change the proportion of time they give to each language. For instance, in mainly Spanish-speaking areas they will be able to increase the number of subjects to be taught in Basque in order to intensify the exposure to the lesser used language. In mainly Basque-speaking areas, where it is easier for students to learn both official languages, schools will be able to increase the time for English or French. 

The Government would like to implement the new scheme by 2008/2009. However, those students who started learning in the three-model system will continue in the chosen model until they finish school. 

Source: Eurolang News, March 12, 2007 by Edu Lartzanguren http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2844&Itemid=1&lang=en

Top of page

Updated (April 2007)

VALENCIAN TV TO BE CLOSED 

The Valencian Government has announced the close-down of Catalan television that has been broadcasting for over twenty years. 

In 1985, the Valencian cultural association, Acció Cultural del País Valencià (ACPV), installed several relay stations to enable the reception of Catalan TV in the Valencian region. At that time, it was the first and the only TV station broadcasting in Catalan. 

Today, the Valencian Government claims that the programming of its four channels is "illegal" and does not have an "administrative license". Furthermore, it is threatening to fine the cultural association from 60,000 Euro to 1,000,000 Euro and to cut off the broadcasts indefinitely. 

In regard to this issue, campaigners have pointed out that there are dozens of other TV stations broadcasting in the same "irregular" situation. And the only difference between them is that they do not use the Catalan language. 

ACPV have been joined by various professional associations of journalists, universities, civic bodies and political parties in denouncing this attempt at censorship and have called it an attack on their language and on their right to choose from a variety of information sources. They also claim that the Valencian Government does not have the legal authority to enforce these measures. 

A statement from ACPV says: "In today's global world in which citizens have direct access through the Internet to information of all kinds and where they are able to watch TV channels from all over the world, it is incomprehensible that such a questionable administrative decision might forbid the Valencians from choosing freely their sources of information and leisure in their own language, at the same time this punitive measure destroys a powerful means for the normalization of their language. Furthermore, the cultural institutions, groups and persons defending the right to receive Catalan TV state that the action undertaken by the Valencian Government contravenes agreements signed by Spain in the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML), ratified in 2001 and now being part of Spanish law." 

The campaigners are referring to Article 11.2 of the ECRML which says: "The Parties undertake to guarantee freedom of direct reception of radio and television broadcasts from neighbouring countries in a language used in identical or similar form to a regional or minority language, and not to oppose the retransmission of radio and television broadcasts from neighbouring countries in such a language. They further undertake to ensure that no restrictions will be placed on the freedom of expression and free circulation of information in the written press in a language used in identical or similar form to a regional or minority language." 

In order to facilitate Catalan TV reception, the Government of Catalonia has offered the Valencian Government an exchange of their respective public TV channel frequencies. The Valencian Government, however, have responded negatively - they will not sign any agreement on any exchange. 

Meanwhile, ACPV has taken the case to court claiming that the Valencian Government does not have legal authority in this matter, and that the attempt to close Catalan TV is against the law, which is currently subject to revision in the Spanish Constitutional Tribunal. 

Source: Eurolang News, March 29, 2007 by Francesc Esteve

www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2856&Itemid=1&lang=en 

Top of page

Updated (November 2007)

BASQUE USED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE EU INSTITUTION 

On 18 November 2007, Basque was used for the first time in the EU Council of Ministers. Miren Azkarate, Basque Minister for Culture and government spokesperson, used Basque at the Council of Ministers meeting on Education, Culture and Youth. Speaking to the press, she has called for official recognition of Basque at the EU level saying it would bring Basques “closer to Europe”.

She has noted that it is not logical that official languages in different areas of the EU member states such as Basque, Catalan and Galician have only limited recognition by the central agencies of the EU. That is not good for the languages as well as for people who speak them because it makes them much distanced from the EU.

Before entering the meeting, Azkarate made it clear that the key to the official recognition of Basque, Catalan and Galician in the EU is the Spanish State. She was heard to say: “The condition for Basque, Catalan and Galician to be recognized as official in the European Union is that the Kingdom of Spain does its homework and recognizes all three languages as official languages in Spain and also formally requests such recognition in Europe. If Spain does this, Basque, Catalan and Galician will be at the same level as all the other languages of Europe.”

Currently, for Basque to be used at EU Council meetings the intervention must be announced in advance and then a text must be given to the translators to be translated into the official languages of the EU.

To date, the use of Basque at the EU level is limited to the following areas: 

1. Written communications from citizens and the institutions and organs of the EU – these letters are translated into an official language, processed in that language, and with the answer translated into Basque;

2. Speeches in Basque at the Committee of the Regions meetings;

3. Basque Autonomous Community legislation adopted by the co-decision procedure by the European Parliament and the EU Council;

4. Translation of some general EU documentation into Basque.

Miren Azkarate also pointed out that, “Basque, Catalan and Galician have restricted use in the central institutions of the Spanish State, they cannot be used in Courts and the central institutions are monolingual Castilian. We have much to gain in Europe, but we still have a lot to do with these central (Spanish) institutions”.

The involvement of the Basque, Catalan, and Galician autonomous governments in the EU decision-making process is one of the claims that have been requested since the accession of Spain to the European Union. (Eurolang 2007)

Source: Eurolang News, November 19, 2007 by Davyth Hicks http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2987&Itemid=1&lang=en 

Top of page

Updated (December 2007)

CATALAN TV CLOSED DOWN IN THE VALENCIAN REGION 

The government of the Valencian Autonomous Region in Spain has closed down broadcasts of TV-3, Catalan TV station based in Barcelona.

The Valencian Government ordered an “Immediate stop” to TV-3 broadcasts within their jurisdiction and a fine of 300,000 euros on ACPV (NGO Acció Cultural del País Valencià – the owner of the TV station) for infringements of telecommunication legislation.

The vice president of the Valencian government, Vicente Rambla (right wing Partido Popular), insisted that their decision is in compliance with the law and within the terms of a legal order.

In a statement, ACPV has condemned the action as a “serious attack on democracy and the freedom of expression” and insisted that the people of the Valencian region and other Catalan-speaking areas would certainly respond to it.

The president of Catalonia, José Montilla (Catalan PSOE), considers the cutting of transmissions as politically motivated action in the run-up to forthcoming elections.

The Valencian administration have long claimed that not Catalan but Valencian as a separate language is spoken in the region. Spanish Court, however, ruled that Valencian is the same language as Catalan. Many Valencians do not feel ‘Catalan’, associating Catalonia only with the autonomous region rather than the historic Catalonia, which includes Valencia, the Balearic Islands and the region around Perpignan, referred to as the Catalan-speaking areas. Spanish right-wing politicians often argue that Catalan nationalists (mostly left wing) are attempting to eliminate Valencia's separate identity and force it into a political union of all Catalan-speaking areas.

Many Catalan politicians, in turn, argue that the right wing is using this issue to portray Catalans as linguistic imperialists in order to win the support of the center and to divide and weaken a potentially powerful Catalan identity. They claim that many of the most ardent advocates of a separate Valencian linguistic identity do little to defend the indigenous language, which is losing ground to Spanish especially in coastal areas.

Source: Eurolang News, December 17, 2007 by Huw Jones http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3010&Itemid=1&lang=en 

Top of page

Updated (June 2008)

FALSE COMMENTS ON THE LANGUAGE USE IN MAJORCA

A week after Air Berlin Director Joachim Hunold falsely claimed that Castilian Spanish is no longer official language in Majorca, number of institutions have expressed their concerns.

According to them, Hunold in his editorial for Air Berlin's in-flight magazine attacked the Catalan language when he wrote that “these days Spanish is no longer an official language and that there are towns on the island where children cannot speak Spanish”. He was responding to a letter sent to Air Berlin by the Department of Language Police of the Balearic Government inviting the company to use “the official languages of the Balearic Islands”.

Groups such as “Obra Cultural Balear” or websites “e-criteri” and “Catalunya Acció” expressed their indignation by organizing mailing campaign demanding an apology.

In the meantime, Francesc Antich, head of the Balearic Islands Government, is to meet the Air Berlin Director to explain their language policies.

Source: Nationalia Ciemen, News in Brief, June 9, 2008 http://www.nationalia.info/en/events/25http://www.nationalia.info/en/events/25Air

Top of page

Updated (August 2008)

137,200 BASQUE SPEAKERS

The latest results of the Sociolinguistic Survey show that the number of Basque speakers in the Basque Autonomous Community has increased over the years.

This increase in the bilingual population, especially among young people, has also been recorded in Navarra, although the rate of growth is slower than in the Basque Community. In spite of the gradual decline in the use of Basque in Iparralde, the downward movement has slowed and there are hopeful signs that the number of Basque speakers will grow.

This kind of survey is carried out every five years, with the main aim of determining the sociolinguistic situation of the Basque Country by analyzing the level of linguistic competence and the use of the Basque language, as well as attitudes in favor of its promotion.

Source: The Basque Government, Presidency Press and Communication Office, Informative newsletter about the Basque Autonomous Community No.113-2008, Basque News http://www.lehendakaritza.ejgv.euskadi.net/r48-457/en/contenidos/noticia/boletin_eusk/en_369/adjuntos/ingles_113.pdf

Top of page

Updated (July 2009)

PORTUGUESE WILL BE TAUGHT IN EXTRAMADURA REGION

An agreement between the Spanish and the Portuguese Governments will allow six schools in the Estremadura region to offer the Portuguese language as an optional subject. Under the agreement, teaching of Portuguese will be offered over the whole of the autonomous community within four years, and the Government of Portugal will provide the teachers and the resources needed to fulfill the accord. It is estimated that there are 10,000 Portuguese speakers in this region.

Source: Nationalia Ciemen, News in Brief, July 16, 2009 http://www.nationalia.info/en/news/542

Top of page