10 tricks to maintain your Catalan gracefully

BarcelonaThat the habitual use of Catalan is in decline we already know it through surveys, and that there are speakers reluctant to learn it, we see it with the controversiesBut how can ordinary citizens contribute to changing the linguistic landscape in their daily lives? One of the most harmful habits regarding language is linguistic convergence in Spanish; that is, switching languages by default, without anyone having asked. This is a widespread habit (only one in four regular Catalan speakers) maintains Catalan when someone addresses them in Spanish) and is a phenomenon that contributes - on the initiative of Catalan speakers - to the submission and residualization of Catalan. a habit that can be changed and it quickly becomes natural and easy. But sometimes taking the first step can generate doubt, discomfort, laziness, or even fear, because of the reaction it will receive.

A the start of the #repte21dies campaign, Bierge explained 10 tricks to avoid switching languages and feeling uncomfortable.

1. Set concrete and achievable goals"Start with the easiest situations, with your friend or strangers, rather than with your boss who hates Catalan," Bierge exemplifies.

2. Practice conversation bilingual To break the automatism of speaking Spanish, so your brain gets used to it. Try doing it as a game with friends.

3. Neutralizes discomfortThink differently: instead of thinking "he won't understand me," think "he definitely can." If necessary, find other ways to make yourself understood; use gestures or tone down the complexity of your language if you see the other person is limping: "You don't need to say the hours with quarter notes," Bierge suggests.

4. Make the change or problem explicit"Do you understand me well if I speak Catalan to you?" you can ask. "If you don't understand me well, don't worry, I'll translate whatever is necessary for you." This is a viable situation, for example, to avoid having to change languages at a neighborhood meeting, and it reverses linguistic responsibility. The agreement can also be made explicit: "You speak whatever you want, and I'll speak Catalan."

5. Don't get bogged down in radical cases"If you bleed to death or are stopped by the police, it's fine to change your language in these critical cases. It's easier to be assertive when people aren't armed."

6. Avoid argumentsThere's no need to get angry, because this tires and inhibits speakers. If someone politely asks you to change languages because they don't understand you, you can repeat it in Spanish. If, on the other hand, they mistreat you or give you an order in Spanish, try to delingualize the situation: "Excuse me, are you giving me an order?" or "Are you calling me?"

7. Internalize questions and answers so that when there is any problem you have your position clear.

8. Put the horn inLike any change in habits, you can rectify. "If you switch to Spanish, rectify, think about the next step. As you rectify, your brain rewires itself until you're doing it the way you want," says Bierge.

9. Add ironyIf someone asks you to speak Spanish, you might get a little funny and look astonished: "What? You don't understand Catalan at all? Not at all?" People usually take the bait and admit they do. "Oh, wow, I thought it was incredible."

10. Reward yourself. "If you see that you've managed to get the other person to change and speak to you in Catalan, a Màgic Andreu medal. If someone thanks you for speaking Catalan, a Màgic Andreu medal." "Reward yourselves for speaking their language, in their country, with everyone. I promise you that few experiences are as liberating, dignifying, and cathartic as this. There is no collective freedom if it's not made up of free individuals," Bierge concluded.

According to experts, breaking the habit of changing languages would change the linguistic landscape and would, in turn, attract people to Catalan—because surveys also indicate that 93% of adults understand it and 80% can speak it. It's clear that there are other problems affecting the health of the Catalan language that don't require individual activism but rather policies to counter the effects of globalizing phenomena—such as the wave of migration and the invasion of technology—Catalan-phobic political attacks (the 25% of Spanish in schools in reports by MEPs led by the PPs)—the immersion in healthcare—and the lack of structural resources, among others. But the situation of Catalan must be addressed proactively and positively, in all areas; to paraphrase the linguist Carme Junyent, Catalan depends on them, but it also depends on you.