National Pact and no cold

Calls for individual and active responsibility among speakers ("I'll keep Catalan") are all very well, but they are still appeals to voluntarism. Prior to the commitment of individual citizens, the deep commitment of institutions to the language is essential. In this sense, that the National Pact for Language is finally activated The fact that the previous legislature didn't come to fruition is good news: better late than never, this pact is better than no pact at all. It's about reinvigorating the Catalan language and making it central to their country and society. Their absence is obviously negative, but it also says nothing about the policies and actions undertaken within the Pact. Working together. It's pointless, now, to be distracted by recriminations.

The media bears a clear responsibility in this matter, and we must begin by emphasizing that the now almost routine catastrophizing with which news about Catalan is presented is also unhelpful and could end up being (it already is) harmful. The crux of the matter lies in the profound demographic change that Catalonia and all the Països Catalans have experienced—and will continue to experience—a change in the face of which emotional attitudes are of little use. If we explain to those arriving from outside, with great fanfare, that Catalan is practically a dead language (something that is also false), while others joyfully explain that Spanish is a marvel, it's obvious that they will dispense with the dying language. What's more, if we insult those arriving from outside, or those who arrived seventy years ago, calling them colonists and murderers of the language and the country, we almost completely guarantee their rejection, and with good reason.

Working to revitalize Catalan requires a clear mindset and full attention to reality. The number of Catalan speakers isn't declining; it's growing, but not at the same pace as the population as a whole. For example. The situation in the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community is urgent, with governments, these ones, displaying very real hostility toward Catalan. For example. What's needed is dispassion, common sense, and listening to linguists and experts, not the legion of charlatans who try to reduce complex issues like sociolinguistics to the simplistic parameters of sports competitions.