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Catalan Language Rights in Spain: Challenges and Opportunities

Explore the sociological data and legal framework surrounding Catalan language rights in Spain, including its recognition, extension in education, mass media, and cultural life, consumers and market services, public sector implications, community sense, complaints, resolutions, and conclusions.

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Catalan Language Rights in Spain: Challenges and Opportunities

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  1. Rafael Ribó Síndic de Greuges de Catalunya Dublin, May 24th 2013

  2. Catalan language rights • Sociological data and legal frame for its recognition • Extension in Educational, mass media and cultural life • Consumers, Market services • Public Sector, civil servants in general, and Health system, Courts • Language, daily life and community sense • Complains and resolutions • Conclusions. Threats and advantages. Sindic’s role

  3. 1. Sociological data and legal frame for its recognition 1.1. Spain’s linguistic composition Galician 2,8 m. 6% Basque 2,3 m 4,5 % Catalan 13,5 m. 35 % Total population 47,27 million • Catalan Language area: • 13 and a half million inhabitants • 9th linguistic area in EU • More speakers than Danish, Finish, Slovakian, Greek, Portuguese, etc. • But not official language in EU: It’s not recognized as such. Cultural or political fact?

  4. 1. Sociological data and legal frame for its recognition LEGAL FRAME: Spanish 1978 Constitution: Art 3 languages and cultures: 1. Castilian is the official Spanish language of the State. All Spaniards have the duty to know it and the right to use it. 2. The other Spanish languages shall also be official in the respective Self-governing Communities in accordance with their Statutes 3. The wealth of the different linguistic forms of Spain is a cultural heritage which shall be especially respected and protected. Art 20.3 TV system: The law shall regulate the organization and parliamentary control of the mass communication media under the control of the State or any public agency and shall guarantee access to such media by the significant social land political groups, respecting the pluralism of society and of the various languages of Spain. Art 149.2 Autonomous communities knowledge and change: Without prejudice to the competences that may be assumed by the Self-governing Communities, the State shall consider the promotion of culture a duty and an essential function and shall facilitate cultural communication among the Self-governing Communities, in cooperation with them.

  5. 2. Extension in Educational, mass media and cultural life • School immersion: • Pedagogical model • Preventing separation • Social opportunities for promotion in equal terms • Skillfulness in Spanish equal or better than in other communities (Pisa and Spanish government results) • Validated by Constitutional Court Administrative decisions The Spanish Education Minister: “Our interest is to ‘Spanishise’ Catalan students”

  6. 2. Extension in Educational, mass media and cultural life • Mass Media: • TV: over 3,5 million viewers watching television in Catalan in Catalonia • Radio: more than 2 million Catalan radio listeners • Newspaper: more than 1 million people read newspapers in Catalan • Social networks: Catalan, the 19th most used language on Twitter 400.000 articles published in Catalan on Wikipedia, and the Catalan version is 15th place in the number of articles published

  7. 2. Extension in Educational, mass media and cultural life • Cultural production: • Movies growing • Music: Catalan music group in the top list at iTunes Spanish market 2 weeks ago • Theatre (2010): Over 161 universities all over the world offer courses in Catalan language and culture.

  8. 3. Consumers, Market services Consumer rights and linguistic norms in Catalan Statute 2006 Market and guarantees for selling State norms prevention: Big brand Big services deliveries: Call centres abroad Billing • 94% of products do not meet the legal requirements

  9. 4. Public sector, civil servants in general, Health system, courts • Health as universal service: public system doctors recruitment. • Civil servants inheritance and progressive requirement. • Catalan as normal language • Courts: • Rotation • Lack of autochthonous personnel • Lowering level of Catalan. Fear of translation and understanding • Only 8% of lawsuits are in Catalan • Only 13% of judgments are drafted in Catalan

  10. 5. Language, daily life and community sense • Right to live in your own language • Right and respect to live together with other speaking communities • Learning other languages and cultures. Openness • 120 languages Nowadays it is impossible to meet young people in Catalonia with whom you cannot speak Catalan.

  11. 6. Complaints and resolutions • Very low percentage • In front of State apparatus in Catalonia • Spanish Police and Civil Guard • Tax agency • Big services as Social security on retirement Pensions

  12. 7. Conclusions • Linguistic conflict as a political strategy from outside Catalonia • Attempts to divide Catalan language unity. Harming rights. • Catalan demands for self determination • Some Spanish answers for cleavages • A clear, fruitful and positive language inheritance and mandate • Catalan and Castilian speaking civil unity

  13. Buíochas a ghabháil leat! Thank you! Gràcies! Merci! Diolch i chi! Kiitos!

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