Language and education in Catalonia

Abstract

Although Spanish--also called Castilian--is the official language of Spain and the first language spoken by the majority of those living in the territory of the Spanish state, three other languages exist side by side with it: namely, Catalan, Galician and Basque (or Euskera), each of which is the mother tongue of a substantial number of people and the medium of expression of a distinct culture. Catalan, the subject of this study, is the language peculiar to Catalonia, a territory of some 4o,ooo square kilometres, situated in the north-east of the Iberian peninsula, with a population of 9 million. Catalan is in fact spoken not only in Catalonia; it is also, with local variations, the indigenous language of Valencia (Valenciano) and of the Baleadc Islands, as well as being the language spoken in the RoussiUon area of France. This article, however, is concerned solely with Catalonia, and no reference will be made to the other Catalan-speaking territories where the use of the language in education raises a number of quite distinct issues.