Catalan+Language+of+Spain

**__History and basic Information of the Language__** Catalan is one of the four official languages spoken in Spain, along with Basque, Castellano and Gallego. It has been in existence since the 9th century after the fall of the Roman empire. It was developed from Vulgar Latin on both sides of the Pyrenees mountains, which is located in Northern Catalonia in France. It is a romance language that's spoken by 9.1 million people in Spain, France, Italy and Andorra. It’s the official language in regions of Spain (the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Valencia, [|La Franaca in Aragon], Carche in Murcia), France (Northern Catalonia in Pyrenees-Orientas), in Italy (the city of Alghero) and Andorra. Although the language is still official in France, the language is no longer in official documents in present-day Catalonia due to a royal decree by King Louis XIV of France called the Treaty of the Pyrenees which took place April 2, 1700. This language is apart various language families such as Indo-European, Italic, Romane, Itlao-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance and East-Iberian. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_language ) Although it's a minority language, it has flourished as well as became dominant on the east coast side of Spain. It's a language with a high prestige like that of Castillian, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Rumanian and French (Rees, 313).
 * Catalan: Language of Spain **

**__Catalonia: The Culture and Influence behind Catalan__** Catalonia is a city in Spain located in the Northeast corner of Iberia. It has given Catalan people the opportunity to distinguish themselves from other Spanish speakers as well as the French. They have maintained a strong economic status, which has kept them able to keep their culture in existence. This also played a major role in them being the first area in Spain to industrialize (Brandes 24).This city is also able to maintain their unique identity and culture through certain dances as well as through specific symbols. These include the flag known as the quatre barres, which contains four red stripes and the image of the Virgin of Montserrat. The Virgin of Montserrat is a representation of the popular mind of Catalonia. As far as cultural dances, the sardana is done in cities, towns and villages throughout Catalonia in addition to where Catalans may come together and congregate. It's a circle dance that came from Northeast Spain in the 19th century. It represents harmony, democracy, and brotherhood as is represents a key symbol of Catalonia. These are people who fully display pride in their culture. This can be seen through their mural known as the mural of sardana. On the mural it says “For a Catalonia that is free, prosperous and classless" (Brandes 25). Catalan and its use in Education __**  In Catalonia, Catalan is the most common and popular language used to teach students. Spanish is also used, depending on which language is most comfortable to the student. However, the student must also be fluent in both languages. Nevertheless, the balances between the two languages are unequal. The force of Spanish threatens the Catalan language. However, Spain’s government Constitution says that the different linguistic traditions in Spain are an important and enriching part of the country’s culture and heritage and should be respected and protected (Ferrer 189).    The history of Catalan education dates back to 1560 when a man by the name of Consell de Cent opened the first Catalan school, but by 1718, the Bourbons had banned Catalan medium education, resulting to the closing of the school. However, people did do something to fix this issue. In 1749, another man by the name of Baldiri Rexach published an influential written work to speak out against the banning of Catalan and by 1780, the Societat d'Amics del Pais de Mallorca was able to open two schools which was catered to Catalan learning. As a result, it became easier to develop Catalan education, which allowed Catalan literature as well as strengthening Catalan as a standard language (Grant). **__Struggles of the Language__** Although the language thrives, it has also went through a time where the language was under limitations. Under the dictatorship of Franco (1939-1975), he only allowed traditional Spanish to be the official language throughout Spain. By doing this, Franco would unify all of Spain under one language for a national identity. As a result, several Catalan newspapers as well as business cards were prohibited. Sardanes dances were also banned. Children with Catalan names were christened and had their names replaced with Castillian names. Even after the death of Franco, the language and its people still faced opposition. When the 1992 Olympics were hosted in Barcelona, the Catalan language was acknowledged as a European community language. Therefore, Catalonia was looked at as a monolingual city. However, this issue was cleared up in a 1994 court case proving that Catalonia was a bilingual city which contained the Catalan language and the use of Spanish. However, it was also shown that Catalan was the most common language used and was ordered that everyone should be fluent in both languages just like students attending school (Rees 315).
 * __ [[image:http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/catalonia-next-state.jpg width="272" height="178" caption="external image"]]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-WPExRxmQc__ 


 * __Works Cited__**

Brandes, Stanley. "The Sandara: Catalan Dance and Catalan National Identity." __The Journal of American Folklore__ 103 (1990): 24-41.

Ferrer, Ferran. "Languages, Minorities and Education n Spain: The Case of Catalonia." __Comparative Education__ 36 (2000): 187-97.

Grant, Nigel. "Language Policy and Education: Some Scottish-Catalan Comparisons." __Hispania__ 28 (1992). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_language

Rees, Earl L. "Spain's Linguistic Normalization Laws: The Catalan Controversy." __American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese__ 79 (1996): 313-23.