Spanish vs. Catalan
My stay in Barcelona has allowed me to better understand the co-existance of two official languages here: Catalan and Spanish, also known as Castellano. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, a small region in northeastern Spain where Catalan is widely accepted and spoken by 60% of the people, and Spanish is spoken by nearly everyone (98%).
Although many people speak Catalan just because it is the language of their region, some others who speak Catalan are considered separatists and are in favor of the movement to form their own country apart from Spain. Families make a conscious decision to speak either Catalan or Spanish amongst themselves. One of the reasons I will leave Barcelona to study in Madrid is that some classes in school here are taught in Catalan, and I think studying subjects like math and science
in Spanish will be hard enough!
The Catalan language, based on Latin and for lack of a better term, ressembles Spanish and French. For example, please in Catalan is "si us plau," which sounds similar to the French "s'il vous plaît." Yet Catalan is extremely similar to Spanish and some words are practically the same. Mountain in Catalan is "Montanya" and in Spanish it is "montaña." As for me, when they realize I don't speak Catalan, we converse in Spanish. Muchas Gracias!
Although many people speak Catalan just because it is the language of their region, some others who speak Catalan are considered separatists and are in favor of the movement to form their own country apart from Spain. Families make a conscious decision to speak either Catalan or Spanish amongst themselves. One of the reasons I will leave Barcelona to study in Madrid is that some classes in school here are taught in Catalan, and I think studying subjects like math and science
The Catalan language, based on Latin and for lack of a better term, ressembles Spanish and French. For example, please in Catalan is "si us plau," which sounds similar to the French "s'il vous plaît." Yet Catalan is extremely similar to Spanish and some words are practically the same. Mountain in Catalan is "Montanya" and in Spanish it is "montaña." As for me, when they realize I don't speak Catalan, we converse in Spanish. Muchas Gracias!
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| The flags of both Spain (left) and Catalonia (right) fly at the Catalan Regional Government Building. |
