Relearning Catalan after retirement: "I want to speak it with my grandchildren."

BarcelonaAt a few minutes before noon, about twenty people gather in the gardens of Can Mantega, in the Sants neighborhood. The group jokes (in Catalan) to break the ice. The fact that such a large group uses Catalan on the streets of Barcelona is, unfortunately, becoming a situation that is almost endangered. However, the truth is that there are people eager to learn it, speak it, or improve their Catalan, as demonstrated by the Catalan conversation groups organized for years by the Coordinator of Associations for the Catalan Language (CAL) in various locations throughout the region.

"I've been a lifelong resident of Sants, but Catalan was prohibited at school. I still struggle with writing, so I take advantage of the opportunity to speak it," says Victoria. Carmen, who arrived in Catalonia in the 1960s, says that Catalan allows her to "gain a social life." Both are over seventy, already retired, and represent the majority in the group. But there is one common denominator: they admit that they do so primarily to communicate with relatives who use Catalan as their first language. "I want to speak it with my grandchildren," says one of them. "They help us a lot to learn, but we need to get our act together," admits another.

The Xerrem program arranges free weekly meetings with people of different ages, backgrounds, and goals. They range from people born in Catalonia seeking to gain fluency, to newcomers who don't speak the language but want to, and people who have settled there for a long time who want to take the step of making Catalan their primary language of socialization. Although they normally meet at the community center, this week the learners in the Sants group visited the neighborhood's gardens to learn more about the nature that surrounds them. But, in reality, it is a strategy to foster interest in Catalan and its use beyond the classroom.

This Thursday's guide is a good example of how the program should work. Geroni, a Mexican biologist who arrived in Catalonia two years ago, participated in Xerrem some time ago. "Having been offered to be a guide today is magical, because I've been able to share my knowledge and for the first time, I've done it in Catalan," he says.

The main challenge facing Xerrem is giving learners the confidence to use Catalan on a daily basis, as many of them admit to feeling embarrassed when speaking it. Geroni overcomes his shyness and says he tries to speak Catalan everywhere. However, the other person often switches to Spanish to continue the conversation, which is an obstacle for him. "I would ask Catalan speakers to be patient with those of us who are learning the language so we can improve," he says.

Goal: Reach 300 groups

Project director Saoka Kingolo says that Xerrem's method is "to stretch the language of people who have things to say and want to say them in Catalan." CAL seeks to foster social cohesion and appreciation for Catalan culture through intercultural dialogue. Kingolo himself arrived in Catalonia 37 years ago and from the beginning was determined to learn Catalan. "I made it a personal struggle: no one would leave me on the sidelines for not knowing the language," he explains.

One in three Catalans shows interest in learning or perfecting the language. With these figures, there are 2.3 million people who want to study Catalan, but the places available in private organizations are not enough to meet the demand. Open courses like Xerrem make the language accessible to everyone, but the organization regrets not having enough support from institutions. "Our goal is to reach 300 groups, and we will achieve it," Kingolo assures.