While Catalan and Spanish compete, English is making its way in, laments Carme Riera. Classes used to be held in Spanish, and Catalan was heard in the hallways. Spanish and Catalan are cousins… Imposing Catalan is a mistake, languages must be amicable. «If you have the word in Spanish, why use the English one?» she objects. The independence movement has appropriated Catalan, a language that must belong to everyone», she stresses. Riera sees this badly: «He's the bullfighter of the '27 Generation, I hope they reintroduce him into the commemoration». From her teaching experience at UAB, she recalls that in 2017 she assigned Galdós for reading: «The students didn't like it because of the many descriptions. I will answer them when they put it in Catalan». As a backdrop, the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of 'Te deix, amor, la mar com a penyora' (I leave you, love, the sea as a pledge). Riera remembers that her parents spoke Spanish to each other and Mallorquin to their children: «Bilingualism is an extraordinary luxury». Carme Riera participates in the 'Converses' program on Cope Catalunya i Andorra before flying this Sunday to the Guadalajara International Book Fair. In the Mexican capital, she will represent Barcelona, the guest city of this edition. The cultural autumn was startled by the controversy between the RAE and the Cervantes Institute: «It coincided with the X International Congress of the Spanish Language in Arequipa and more was said about the squabble between institutions than about the 'Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Language (DHLE)' that I presented. And it's not just in the classrooms: «I would ask our parliamentarians if they have read any fragment of Don Quixote… Reading doesn't make you a better person, but it gives you greater knowledge of things, the ability to reflect and critical sense», she concludes. The RAE's deputy director is concerned about the spread of English as a 'lingua franca' to the detriment of Spanish, the mother tongue of more than five hundred million speakers: «Shop signs are in English and people refer to 'Black Friday' instead of 'Viernes negro', which I think is stupid. And she gives examples: «I received an invitation from the Generalitat with the expression 'save the date'. Another autumn controversy has been the exclusion by Minister Urtasun of Sánchez Mejías in the centenary of the Generation of '27.
Cultural Dispute in Catalonia: Languages, Politics, and Literature
Writer Carme Riera comments on the tension between Spanish and Catalan, criticizes the imposition of Catalan, and expresses concern over the expansion of English. She also touches on cultural and political disputes, including the conflict between the RAE and the Cervantes Institute.
