To speak Catalan without living or working in Catalonia

BarcelonaHe has a slight accent and a cadence that suggest he comes from far away and that Catalan is not his mother tongue. However, both the pronunciation and vocabulary of Alejandro González, a 25-year-old Hispanic-Colombian, are excellent. And even more so considering that he has never lived in Catalonia nor, for now, does he have any intention of settling there. He is not driven by need, nor obligation, nor even love, which are the factors that usually push someone to learn a language. In fact, it wasn't until he landed in Toulouse to study a master's degree four years ago that he became curious about the language and culture of a friend who introduced herself as "a Catalan from Barcelona".

Then he started researching online more about the origins of his new friend, and when he heard songs in Catalan, he discovered "the beautiful sound" it has. "I think Catalans are very lucky to have this language," he says in a video conference from his home in Brussels, where he lives and works in the banking sector. "I don't need Catalan for work or to live, I simply really like speaking it – says the young man –. It's very presumptuous of me to say I speak Catalan because I still have a lot to learn".

From time to time, González speaks in Catalan with his friend, who also lives in the Belgian capital, and with other friends he has made. In fact, he is counting down the days until Canet Rock, which will take place on July 4th. The previous edition he attended, encouraged by his Catalan friends, he discovered that "it is much more than music" and that it is an event of political relevance during the late Franco era.

Weak pronouns

In his list, he says that The Tyets, Mushka, Txarango, and La Gossa Sorda are not missing, whom he hopes to bid farewell to live at their last concert at the end of the year. He also likes "older" groups like Manel or Els Amics de les Arts and also mentions Lluís Llach. The best expressions? Plats Bruts. From time to time, he says, he watches other programs or gets informed with the Telenotícies and especially on social networks he follows conventional media like ARA. González has had a taste of the history of Catalonia and says he has been surprised by the "contact" with France, the existence of Northern Catalonia, and Catalan resistance to the dictatorship, and he also resonates with October 1st and Carles Puigdemont. , by Roger Bastida, a Sant Jordi gift.Passeig de Gràcia. History of a family