The Catalan Language: Standardization, Challenges, and the Future
Location of Language in Different Areas of Use
The standardization of any language can be observed in various general areas, including three main ones: education, mass communication, and administration.
Education
The school is one of the cornerstones for language standardization and the dissemination of a standard. Pursuant to the 1983 Lei de Normalització Lingüística, the Principality of Catalonia developed language immersion programs in the primary education cycle. According to recent data, over 87% of primary students in public schools receive an education in Catalan, while the private school percentage is 75%. The presence of Catalan in secondary and high school teaching is significantly less, around 51%, with varying percentages between private and public schools.
In higher education, according to current legislation, both students and teachers can use either of the two official languages, which makes the percentage of use of the Catalan language vary from one university to another.
In Valencia, today, a higher percentage of Catalan language use is observed in primary public education than in private schools. The teaching language is developed through the Teaching Program of Valencia (ENP) and the Immersion Linguistics Program (PIL). Currently, more than 100,000 children in Catalan areas follow one of these programs. In high school, the proportion goes down to 25,000 students who follow the ENP. At the university level, as in Catalonia, the differences between universities differ considerably and range from 20% in Castellón to a negligible percentage at the University of Alicante.
In the Balearic Islands, in the 1995-96 academic year, about 60% of schoolchildren received primary education wholly or partly in Catalan. The University of the Balearic Islands has played a leading role in standardization and language advocacy. Currently, 60% of classes are in Catalan.
In Alghero, classes are in Catalan in primary education and also in Sardinia. In Northern Catalonia, the Deixonne Act of 1951 allowed for Catalan language classes for one hour weekly. School networks like La Bressola gather a large number of children who are learning basic French and Catalan.
The Media
Since 1976, initiatives like Radio 4, created in 1989 in Valencia, and Northern Catalonia’s Ràdio Arrels have emerged. Television is the most powerful and decisive tool for standardization, particularly since it plays an important role in creating a model of the standard spoken language. TV3 and Canal 33 in the Principality of Catalonia, together with programs broadcast in Catalan from TVE’s Sant Cugat studios, Channel 9 in Valencia (which regularly broadcasts programming in Valencian in Castellón), and many local broadcasters (like BTV) contribute to this. Areas that do not have their channels are covered by Catalan and Valencian television.
Catalan newspapers, especially the local press, have regained readers and undergone a strong resurgence. Today, Regió 7, El Punt, El Periódico de Catalunya, Segre, Diari de les Illes, Diari d’Andorra, and the sports daily El 9 are the most noteworthy. Also noteworthy are general-topic journals like Serra d’Or and El Temps, or more specialized ones like Avui or Sàpiens.
Institutional Use
In organisms that depend on the Catalan Government, the presence of Catalan is total. Citizens have the right to be served in their language, as required by the Civil Service Act of 1984. In some specific areas, such as courts or notary publics, most activities are still carried out in Spanish.
In other Catalan-speaking lands, the institutional situation is quite different.
Lack of Actual Use
In many areas, the Catalan language has a much smaller presence. Today, it is possible to live in Catalan-speaking territories without having to know the language.
Secessionist Attitudes
Among some sectors of the population, especially those who used Castilian as a symbol of their position of power, opposition to standardization has arisen, and secessionist attitudes against language unity have been defended, despite all internationally recognized scientific organizations.
Political Obstacles
From 1980 onwards, a series of state provisions have attempted to curb the public use of Catalan. Laws and other provisions approved by Parliament have also been challenged, mostly due to an unfounded fear of the disappearance of Spanish in Catalonia.
Change and Fall of Prepositions
- The prepositions “with” and “in” change to “to” and “from” before an infinitive.
Example: think of coming -> come to think - Prepositions are dropped before the conjunction “that.”
Example: threatened to expel him -> the threat that they eject him