Since the Basque REGION lies within the borders of the Spanish state schools should al be taught in A mode. The D mode needs to be terminated.

Can anyone answer a question for me ? - I'm planning a visit starting in Cataluna for the end of April and May this year. I've been taking Castillian lessons at night school sort of in preparation. I'm going to be in Barcelona, Navarra, The pyrenees area initially and wondered after hearing from a number of college friends, if my use of Castillian would be welcomed over English since Catalan is used more widely ? Also, how far afield is Catalan spoken, and would French be spoken or understood nearer the Pyrenees ? Gracias !

Hi, Jaybe -

Since you'll be a non-Spaniard in Catalunya (you're British, yes?), almost anyone will be glad to converse with you in Castilian. Some Catalans get irked at people who move there from other parts of Spain and who -- to borrow a British expression -- can't be arsed to learn a single word of Catalan. As it happens, most Spaniards I know who've moved to Catalunya learned the language quickly. In any case, you should have no trouble getting by in Castilian there.

As for those folks who feel a distaste toward Spain's regional languages: remember that Spain as we know it was created through Castile's bloody conquest of neighboring nations, each of which had a language and culture with a long history. Add to that the fact that for much of the twentieth century those languages were suppressed through a variety of legal means, in a despicable attempt to destroy those cultures. If I were Catalan, Galego, Basque, etc., I'd insist on full co-recognition of my native language too. And I'd want signs in the local language (which was illegal for forty years under Franco). Yes, have everything in Castilian as well, but I fail to understand the bile-spewing anger that legal recognition of the regional languages stirs up in some people. If anyone has grounds for anger, it's the folks whose languages were practically crushed out of existence through use of military force and oppressive policing.

You make a good point viajero I agree with you signs sould be posted in the regional languages but in smaller letters under neth the predominant Spanish language so that people coming or in that understand the Spanish is the official language of Spain. Fortunately for the Basque, Catalans and Galegos is the fact they are allowed to carry on traditions and speak their languages but unfortunately their freedom to speak these languages and traditions has seemed to make them want independence more then Francos oppresion.

There was a failed independence attempt in Catalonia in 1934, and the Basque Nationalist Party was founded in 1894.

Today´s independent tendencies were there before Franco. What is happening now is just a conitunation of pre-Franco times.

Well, I ought to check this board a little more frequently. I need to check in to see who's been dragging my name through the mud. Let's see, today's winner is: FERNANDO . See the following:

Oddly enough, I never mention "pure Basque" race. If you would actually read my posts thoroughly, you would see that I was simply making an observation based on the current linguistic base and the linguistic mix in Euskadi. As has become your M.O., your tendencies towards me are antagonistic, not to mention inflammatory and puerile.

I appreciate a good debate, but not at the expense of reason. Please think before you post, even more so when you choose to accuse, and refrain from letting past experience cloud your present...and don't ever insinuate that I am racist.

Check out your internet connection CaliBasco... it seems that you have a two month delay

Therefore we should assume that Madrid's population is not "madrileña", USA's population is not american, and why not, perhaps World's population is not terran if we aprove the extraterrestral life origin theory.

Or perhaps what you are saying is that basques are different, and should be kept appart from andalucians and other diluting blood, in order to keep their culture more basque, and more pure. Are you of those who think that accepting mexicans in the USA is diluting american's culture? or perhaps that accepting Mogreb's people in Spain is going to dilute spanish culture?

Not any single culture is going to be isolate and appart of influences. Much less the basque one, which has been living in relative harmony until some nationalistic fascists started to blow people away.

Fernando

I checked and the connection seems to work just fine.

The quote you referenced has to do, once again, with the language. Of course in any situation where there is immigration, a mobile population, etc. you're going to have a "struggle to keep the language alive". Ummmm...

Just ask any one of the hundreds of latino kids I've taught Spanish to over the past ten years why they're in my classes. The most common answer? "Because my parents don't want me to forget my raíces." Since moving to the U.S., they find it harder and harder to keep their linguistic heritage alive. I'm not sure how that's fascist. If you could let me know, I'm sure it will expand my apparently narrow mind.

If you're inferring that I'm a fascist, I guess I fail to see the connection between an observation which makes complete sense, and has been proven in the laboratory of my life, and an ideology which, in addition to not allowing you to even make observations, is competely senseless. This of course was proven in the laboratory of Spain from 1939-1975...where linguistic diversity was punished, not celebrated.

I'll keep checking the connection. Those opinions I have which have been verified with facts don't seem to change too often, but check with me in two months.

No, I'm not inferring in any way that you are a fascist. I sayed "nationalistic fascists who started to blow people away". This time is me who doesn't see the connection.

I have demonstrated a hundred times what I think about cultural and language diversity in Spain. For me one of the richnesses of Spain is to have various languages, that we should conserve.

I also think that spanish is the common language all around Spain, and I don't believe that catalonian is more catalonian than spanish, or that basque (language created from batua and a bunch of spanish words, and that has been imposed over other dialects of basque, disregarding the cultural diversity of the basque language) is more basque than spanish.

When in one's own country some people try to impose the use of a language (for example Franco with spanish, and now nationalists with the regional languages) we are violating the people's right to decide in which language to speak.

Conserve and use all languages yes, impose the use of any language no.

Fernando

Spain is a democrazy any one can speak any language they want but the official language and most widely regonized language in Spain is well.... Spanish of course regional languages need to be helped along but Spanish needs to survive along side these regional languages to keep the integrety and unity of the Spanish state. As if it hasnt al ready gone thanks to the Basque nationalist bastards.