Speaking Catalan in Spain.
Interview with Clara Vergés Torra

LISTEN (L): Tell us something about yourself, especially the language(s) you speak and the country where you are living. What is your mother tongue? Which other languages do you speak? Where and how did you learn those languages?

CVT: My mother tongue is Catalan, and it’s the same of my ancestors. I love it and I’m proud of it. I also speak Spanish perfectly, but it’s not my language, it’s an imposition of the Spanish state. I am not complaining about speaking Spanish, I am complaining about the forms. I understand and speak a little French, and I have an average level of English (our schooling doesn’t work well learning languages and due to my family’s limited financial capacity the only place I could learn languages was at school).

La meva llengua materna i paterna és el Català, igual que la dels meus avantpassats. Me l’estimo i n’estic orgullosa. També parlo perfectament el Castellà, però no és la meva llengua, és una imposició de l’estat espanyol, no em queixo de parlar Castellà, em queixo de les formes. Entenc i parlo una mica de Francès, i tinc un nivell mig d’Anglès (la nostra escolarització no treballa bé l’aprenentatge dels idiomes i per poca capacitat econòmica de la meva familia l’únic lloc on podia aprendre idiomes era a l’escola).

L: How and where is your language used? Is it widely used or not? Is it normal to hear your language everywhere or not? Do you use it in all of your life activities or not?

CVT: My language is used throughout the country, Catalonia, and also in Andorra, in Alghero (part of the island of Sardinia) and in the Catalan area of southern France, as well as in part of the Valencian Country within Spain and the Balearic Islands. Historically, we call all these places “the Catalan Countries”. I live near Barcelona and the more you are in a city the more you hear other languages and Spanish is used for migration issues. But I speak, hear and read Catalan every day at home and outside.

La meva llengua és utilitzada a tot el país, Catalunya, a Andorra, a l’Alguer una part de la illa de Cerdenya i a la zona Catalana del sud de França, també a una part del País Valencià dins d’España i a les Illes Balears. Nosaltres en diem, històricament, de tot això Països Catalans. Visc aprop de Barcelona i quan més estàs en una ciutat més sents altres idiomes i es fa servir el Castellà per temes de migracions. Però el parlo, sento i llegeixo cada dia dins de casa i fora.

L: Can you describe some of the challenges that prevent you and other people from using your language on some occasions? Have you ever felt any pressure not to use your language in some contexts? Have you ever been explicitly forbidden to use your language?

CVT: The challenges of my language are the attitude of Spain towards it. Historically they have wanted to make us feel like second-class citizens, and have ridiculed the use of Catalan. It still happens. And this creates an important rumour about us, the Catalans, that when you speak your language you are sometimes frowned upon. For instance: if I am in Madrid and I call my mother and I talk in Catalan, someone will ask why I am not talking in Castillian, while I am having a private conversation. If I go to Barcelona and I ask for something to drink in Catalan in a bar, they will tell me that they don’t understand and that it’s not polite on my side not to do it in Castilian (that doesn’t happen everywhere and with everybody, but it does happen many times). Every week I find somebody telling me that I should not speak Catalan and often in public services (like Guardia Civil, Policia Nacional Española, ministeri d’Hisenda …).

Els reptes de la meva llengua són l’actitud d’España cap a ella. Històricament ens han volgut fer sentir ciutadans de segona, i han ridiculitzat el seu ús. Encara passa. I això fa que es crei una rumorologia important sobre nosatres, els catalans, que quan parles la teva llengua siguis a vegades mal vist. Per exemple: si jo sóc a Madrid i truco a la meva mare i parlo en català, algú em dirà que per què no parlo en castellà, quan estic tinguent una conversa privada. O si jo vaig a Barcelona i en un bar demano una beguda en català, em diran que no m’entenen i que sóc maleducada per fer-ho en castellà (no passa a tot arreu ni amb tothom, però tè lloc masses vegades). Cada setmana em trobo algú que em diu que no parli català i molts cops en serveis públics (com la Guardia Civil, Policia Nacional Española, ministeri d’Hisenda …).

L: Can you give an example of when speaking your language represented a problem or a challenge for you? What happened? How did you feel?

CVT: My job is to teach adults: I create an advertisement for a course in Catalan, I create materials in Catalan, and I start teaching the class in Catalan. Someone always asks me to do it in Spanish because it is easier for them to listen to it in Spanish. If I refuse, they get crossed and complain to my client who organises and pays for the course. Therefore, either I shut up and make a change or I have to find complicated arguments to be able to teach in my language, which is the language of the territory and as well of the course public announcement. In the end, once it’s over, they tell you that you’ve been very rude and they will compare you to the Nazi movement.

La meva feina és donar classes a persones adultes: jo  creo publicitat d’un curs en català, creo els materials en català, començo a impartir la classe en català i algú sempre demana que ho faci en castellà per què li és més fàcil escoltar en castellà . Si em nego s’enfaden i es queixen al meu client que és qui organitza i paga el curs. Aleshores, haig de callar i canviar o a vegades inventar-me arguments estranys per poder fer-ho en la meva llengua, que és la llengua del territori i que és com s’ha publicitat el curs. I al final igualment quan acabes et diuen que és molt maleducada i et comparen amb el moviment Nazi.

L: Do you think that there could be anything that could be done? By whom?

CVT: It’s up to us, the population, to maintain our language. Our institutions must subsidize culture, education, and media in Catalan.

La mateixa població ens hem de mantenir en el nostre idioma, i sobretot les nostres institucions han de subvencionar cultura, educació, mitjans de comunicació en Català.

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