The Agermanat Correllengua will celebrate its central event on April 21st at Plaça Comercial in Barcelona with various musical groups from the Catalan Countries. This musical and cultural day will be a key point in the journey of the Flame of the Language, and will feature Auxili, Els Catarres, La Fúmiga, and Companyia Elèctrica Dharma, among other well-known groups and artists such as Júlia Colom, Mar Grimalt, La Maria, Pèl de Gall, Pitxorines and Xanguito, Abril, and Maxime Cayuela.According to the presentation, this event will take place at eight in the evening, after the arrival of the flame in the Catalan capital has already made its way through the city streets all afternoon. Beyond musical enjoyment, the Correllengua manifesto will also be read, in favor of the Catalan language and linguistic rights. Immediately after, the collective performance of the Correllengua song, Amb el cor, interpreted by the participating artists, can be seen. This song was featured by about twenty groups, among which La Gossa Sorda is also included, which is one of the few that will not attend the central event, according to the forecast. The day will conclude with the final concert by Auxili, which will close the celebration.The Correllengua Agermanat is a non-competitive popular relay race that aims to bring the Flame of the Catalan Language throughout the linguistic domain, with more than 1,500 kilometers to cover. The initiative, which was conceived by Joves de Mallorca per la Llengua in collaboration with a hundred entities, will start on April 19th in Perpignan and will end on May 5th in L'Alguer. Registrations to participate in the Correllengua have been open since March on its website.

It had not been long since the Constitutional Court's ruling on the new Statute, when Professor Marc Carrillo, a professor of constitutional law at the UPF and a great expert in the contemporary legal history of Spain, warned us, in a work meeting of the Research Group on the Francoist and Democratic Eras (GREFD-UAB; currently, Research Group on Dictatorships and Democracies, GReDD-UAB), that everything that referred to the Catalan language in the public sphere had come out profoundly affected. In non-legal terms, in this area of the TC ruling, the most radical and retrograde Spanish nationalism had prevailed, the kind that has always maintained, since imperial times (returned to the present and for which King Felipe VI does not have to apologize because, as a very beloved novelist in Spain wrote, his predecessors brought them urban planning, sewers, and something else) until our days (more than 500 years!), that the nation is founded on language and religion; that is, the Spanish language and the most rancid Catholicism. With Catholicism fallen into disgrace, the language remained (and remains). The final result was a foregone conclusion.

A simple question to ChatGPT (“What is the approximate number of unfavorable rulings against the Catalan language that have occurred during the democratic period?”) gives us a rather long and, above all, disheartening answer. The AI does not dare to give a specific number, but it distinguishes: if we stick to rulings that have limited Catalan normalization policies, especially in the educational and administrative spheres, the figure ranges between twenty and thirty rulings against the Catalan language. However, if we broaden the focus (which must be broadened) to interlocutory orders and resolutions considered minor (precautionary measures, enforcement of judgments, etc.), the figure easily rises to “diverse dozens” of judicial decisions against Catalan issued during the democratic period, that is, from 1978 onwards. The areas affected by rulings that limit the use of Catalan are, for the most part, the educational system, followed by regional linguistic regulations, linguistic requirements for civil servants, institutional use, and signage. In summary, a sustained judicial effort over time to minimize or erase the presence of the Catalan language from public spaces, especially in schools. That linguistic diversity be politically attacked, vilified in the media, and pursued judicially and even policed almost as if it were a crime, is an unacceptable situation for anyone with a minimum of democratic sensibility and common sense. It is, plain and simple, a disgrace.Judges are people who have been able to win the competitive examinations to become judges, and therefore are perfectly capable of understanding that Catalan is the language of Catalonia, with all that this entails. It is another matter that they decide not to accept it. The fallacious reasoning that attempts to present Spanish as if it were a language in danger due to linguistic immersion in Catalan is exactly the same (equally unacceptable) as those that say that feminist demands are a danger to men, or that the integration of immigrants endangers the continuity of Western cultures and societies. They are expressions of supremacism, and this is what the judges who issue jurisprudence against an official language, as fully deserving of respect as any other, do: spit supremacism with a stroke of the pen. To use justice and place it at the service of a political ideology, in this case that of state Spanish nationalism.

From this ruling by the High Court of Justice of Catalonia against Catalan (I say “against Catalan” because it seeks to prevent our language from being “armored” in classrooms) a clear conclusion can be drawn: only a state of its own guarantees the legal protection that any official language has in its own territory. It shouldn't necessarily be this way: in a truly plurinational state, Catalan would be as Spanish as Castilian. But that's not the case, and I don't think I'm mistaken if I say it never will be. The only language we have a constitutional duty to know is Castilian. This is proclaimed by Article 3 of the 1978 Constitution, which at the end also states that “the different linguistic modalities of Spain” are a richness “that will be the object of special respect and protection”. Well, it's good that they protect Catalan!  

I've been able to see and hear, on social media, the speech given by TV3 sports journalist Xavier Bonastre to say goodbye to his colleagues on the day he retired (for months now I've only been seeing people from my own circle). fifth (who are retiring, and it's a somewhat unsettling reminder). From here, I congratulate Xavier Bonastre on his retirement and for so many years of good work, and, especially, I congratulate him on the words he spoke at his moving farewell.

We're ending the week with gasoline prices climbing and the war escalating. To give you an idea, the US Treasury Department has announced it will temporarily authorize countries to buy Russian oil from tankers in transit.Iran's new supreme leader, son of the previous one, says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed While Netanyahu remains silent and bombs, Trump speaks to continue occupying the center of the stage alone and says things like the increase in fuel prices is bringing many benefits to American companies.

This is the story of a sleepy girl and a bouncy fish. Many years ago, in a place called Catalonia, some grumpy gentlemen with mustaches and beards the color of shoe polish, or nuclear detergent, believed that Catalan wasn't dead but rather a Sleeping Beauty. They set up franchised stores throughout the country and christened them "La Renaixença" (The Catalan Renaissance). What did they want to sell? Salt spray! No, just kidding. They believed that Catalan would awaken after its narcolepsy of 1714, possessing a literary language, a language of culture. And how would they achieve this? With sex.

The Valencian Academy of Language (AVL) issued a ruling a few days ago in which – as could not be otherwise – it rejected the Valencia City Council's intention to use two forms of the city's name from now on: one in Castilian (Valencia) and another invented one (Valencia, with an acute accent on the andThis spelling, according to the governing coalition—comprised of the PP and Vox parties—best reflects how Valencians pronounce the name of the capital of the Valencian Community. The Valencian Language Academy (AVL) presents all the relevant philological arguments to conclude that Valencia only has one name: it is in Valencian (that is, Catalan) and is written with an open accent, not a closed one. There is absolutely no need or justification for using a Castilian version of the city's name. And even less so for circulating this monstrosity, "Valencia," which is simply a serious spelling mistake and a gratuitous display of the rudeness and anti-Catalan fanaticism of the PP and Vox leaders. Because it is common knowledge that the aim of these two ultranationalist parties is not to write "how Valencians speak" (there is no language in the world that is written "how its speakers speak"; if you'd like to learn more philological information, I recommend reading the AVL's opinion), but rather to practice secessionism. that there is a distinct "Valencian language" separate from the Catalan language. Why? Because they think that by doing so they are acting against Catalonia and in favor of Spain. The reasoning is completely delusional, and simply transcribing it is embarrassing, but it is what Spanish ultranationalism has always defended and proclaimed. They are deniers and enemies of science, culture, and knowledge in all areas, but in this one (regarding the Catalan language and the hatred they harbor for it) more than any other, because they believe that the existence and vitality of Catalan are incompatible with the existence and vitality of Spain.

The battle for the language has returned to the forefront in the Valencian Country with the PP government with the support of Vox, but also in the municipal government of the capital city, where the mayor María José Catalá has waged a war against Catalan and the toponym of her city. The first year of her term already announced that she wanted to Castilianize València and its toponym to include a bilingual designation with Valencia in Spanish and a secessionist Valencian version, Valéncia, with the endorsement of Vox and anti-Catalanist groups; last July the City Council approved it, sending the proposal to the Valencian government; and this Friday the Valencian Academy of Language (AVL) has issued a harsh report in which it rejects the change, as reported by Levante and confirmed by ARA.

The battle over language has resurfaced in the Valencian Community under the PP government, supported by Vox, but also in the city council of the capital, where Mayor María José Catalá has launched a campaign against the Catalan language and the city's name. This marks the first year of her term. He already announced that he wanted to Castilianize Valencia and its toponym to include a bilingual name with Valencia in Castilian Spanish and a secessionist Valencian version, Valencia, with the support of Vox and anti-Catalan groups; and in July of last year the City Council He approved it and sent the proposal to the Valencian government.But this Friday the Valencian Language Academy (AVL) issued a harsh report rejecting the change, as has been reported. Levant And the ARA has confirmed it.

I was reading the editorial for Three Kings' DayFrom the newspaper AHORA, about the momentous events unfolding in the world. I believe that editorials, like reviews (literary, musical, etc.), like what we call "opinion" pieces, should not only provide content. They should also be well-written. And so, I come across this sentence: "But, indirectly, the alarm also affects a Europe that is hesitant and incapable of asserting its collective power and its democratic and humanist values, as has been seen recently with its staunch resistance to the contempt with which Trump has treated the EU." There is a word here that makes me shudder, for its precision, its boldness, its erudition. Stagnates. I know it, not from family tradition, but thanks to a book. "Estantiz" or shelf. A "spoiled" food item, one that "is not fresh," says the DIEC (Dictionary of the Spanish Language). The dictionary's example of figurative language, by extension, is precisely about politicians. I read this word, also used figuratively, in a passage from a zarzuela (Spanish operetta). The Remei collectionFrom Anselmo Clavé (yes, yes, the one with the hearts). I'm quoting from memory. La Tuietes, the protagonist of the play, written in verse and set in Caldes de Montbui, refers to a suitor as "a gentleman more stingy than the game they throw in the town square."

This slogan alone would suffice to respond to the constant (and well-intentioned) suggestions that Catalan should try to become a more "friendly" language. The argument, as is well known, stems from the unease of some sectors (almost always Spanish-speaking) regarding the existence of coercive or punitive measures to protect the use of their own language. They say this, of course, for our own good and for the good of the language. We have no doubt about that. But since it is fitting to respond with the same empathy and the same selfless good faith, here comes yet another attempt. This time, it's not to justify the coercion or sanctions, but also to justify the desire for primacy: Catalan is not just any language. It is not only official. It is not even merely "our own." It also possesses a universal value, inherent in itself, which is the fact that it can be identified as the language of freedom.

A theory is circulating that the use of Catalan is declining in Catalonia because it has become "unpopular" due to language normalization policies. This theory has been embraced by the People's Party (PP), according to [source missing]. he told NOW the Catalan general secretary, Santi Rodríguez, and before by CitizensSeveral Popular Party leaders maintain that they are "concerned" about the decline in the social use of Catalan, which they attribute to this supposed antipathy, especially, they say, among young people. The PSC also had pointed out in 2019 to the "instrumentalization" of the language by the independence movement and how this may have damaged it. Is there a solid basis for this theory? In those territories where the same policies have not been applied, has the use of Catalan not declined?

I've just arrived from Mexico and I'm struck by the paradox that I suddenly hear less Catalan spoken in Barcelona than at the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL). The FIL was a fabulous bubble of self-esteem. It was full of Catalan-language authors—74% of the invited authors wrote in the country's own language—and those who write in Spanish, who for obvious reasons were the most successful there—Javier Cercas or Eduardo Mendoza—naturally also frequently used Catalan in private conversations.

After the latest data was releasedSurvey of Linguistic Uses of the Population It is clear that the Catalan language's recovery must involve providing it with clear rules for its use. I am not referring, of course, to grammatical rules, but to political rules. The most important would be to make its knowledge as mandatory as Spanish. To live and work in Catalonia, it is necessary to know Catalan.

On Wednesday night, in Card game Four Barcelona restaurants competed to see which offered the most complete breakfast. Two of the chosen establishments served traditional fork breakfasts, while the other two opted for a more casual approach. brunchOne of the contestants, Ingrid, whose surname is German, explained that her origins were 50% Germanic and 50% Catalan, although it was clear she was much more familiar with Spanish. She also explained that she had been educated in a German school. However, Ingrid made a point of speaking Catalan at all times, despite the difficulties it presented. She struggled to conjugate some verbs and used some barbarisms when she couldn't find the right word. She never complained, never switched to Spanish, and when the other contestants and the presenter wanted to test her culinary knowledge, she always gave her explanations in Catalan, slowing down when necessary to think carefully about how to say it. It's not very often that you see someone on television so resilient in using Catalan, especially when others are treating you with condescension.

The Republican, EH Bildu, EAJ-PNV, BNG, Comuns, Compromís, and Más per Mallorca groups have presented a bill to guarantee genuine multilingualism in Spain by correcting the monolingual bias of state institutions and ensuring citizens' effective right to communicate in any official language. This is a commitment made by the PSOE when the Congress of Deputies was constituted in August 2023, similar to promoting the institutionalization of Catalan in the EU, but implemented more slowly and with the advantage that it only depends on majorities in the Spanish Parliament.

Have the international migration waves – the arrival of 3.7 million foreigners in 25 years, of whom 1.7 million have stayed to live in Catalonia – played a role?– Are the expectations surrounding the linguistic hegemony of Catalan definitively changing? This is the key question posed by the debate on immigration and language held Tuesday afternoon at the Institute for Catalan Studies (IEC), as part of a series of discussions organized by the institute and the newspaper ARA. The atmosphere is undoubtedly pessimistic, but constructive.

Choppy sound, overlapping speeches, and constant "I can't hear you," "I can't hear you," "I can't understand you." This was the situation experienced by the nearly 700 teachers who logged on last week to the information session about the evaluation criteria for the Catalan language exams in preparation for the university entrance exams next June. Beyond the meeting's technical problems, several teachers complained that the session's content was less enlightening than expected and that some of the criteria introduced in last year's university entrance exams "don't make sense." According to teachers from DocentsCAT—which includes more than a hundred Catalan language teachers—and the Pere Quart Collective—the group of teachers who have been advocating for Catalan literature in the classroom for the past ten years—two aspects particularly concern them: the large number of people Required readings have been removed from the curriculum And the fact that the syntax exercises don't stipulate that it's necessary to use the new grammar of the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC).

One effect that the blockage, or the refusal by omission, of recognizing Catalan as an official language in Europe can easily have is the reinforcement of anti-Europeanism in Catalonia, or in the Catalan Countries. This is an undesirable effect that, if it occurs, will have been fostered by the European elites themselves and their hesitant, reticent, hostile, and technocratic attitude toward the linguistic diversity of the European Union. The paralysis of the recognition of Catalan, Galician, and Basque as languages of Europe is another example of the EU's lack of capacity to provide an interesting, positive, and active response, not only to geopolitical problems, but also to its internal reality.