Position of Catalan in Catalonia and of Irish in Ireland Essay

The issue of language is an important aspect of any people’s heritage. Every tribe or region in the world prides itself in a common language that is spoken among the people. It is this language, which bonds the people together. People will often feel elated upon encountering someone who speaks their language even in a far-off land. This kind of meeting always elicits a sense of kinship between the people. This is the reason why people guard their language jealously.

Therefore, we can confidently say that language is what gives people their identity. However, some issues have over time threatened to make some small languages obsolete. Due to the changes effected by people’s interaction in different places, some languages have been put on the brink of extinction. Good examples of some languages that were at the risk of becoming irrelevant due to outside influence are Catalan in Catalonia and Irish in Ireland. (Catalan Culture)

The Catalan language is spoken in a few regions of Spain. The language also has some following in Europe though other languages like English dominate it. Catalan is the official language spoken in one region of Spain called Catalonia. This region begins from Barcelona, stretches to Valencia, and covers some parts of Aragon. The language is also spoken in the Balearic Islands and Andorra. In Andorra, the language is the sole official language among the people. Other areas where the language is also spoken include the Southern part of France and Alghero in the eastern part of Italy. However, apart from Andorra, which speaks the language as its national language, other countries have not been quick to embrace it. (Bazarov)

The Catalan language has its roots in Latin. This language which was initially corrupted Latin was mostly used by Roman soldiers and merchants in the Roman Province of Tarraconensis. Soon, the romance in the language found a big following in a large part of Western Europe. The fall of the Roman Empire and the subsequent domination by Arabs and Visigoths did little to stifle the domination of the Catalan language. The Catalan language also resisted assimilation into the Gaul language. (Catalan Culture)

Before the turn of the 10^th century, Catalan had become a fully pledged language. By this time, the language could now be distinguished from its initial roots. By the middle of the 12^th century, the language had for the first time been produced in a hard copy. Soon, some learning materials written on the language began to appear soon to be followed by poems written in the Catalan language. Immediately after this, the language went full throttle.

For a period of two hundred years, the language expanded in the whole Iberian Peninsula. This came as an effect of the conquests made by Valencia where the language had found some following. As Valencia conquered more regions, so did the Catalan language grow. Some of the regions where the language grew because of Valencia conquests included Majorca, Sicily, Sardinia among other regions. Up to date, the language is still spoken in some of these areas albeit on small scale. (Catalan Culture)

The Catalan language remained a favorite among many people until late in the 15^th century when it began deteriorating. This happened after the union between Aragonese and Castilian kingship in 1475. When Philip V defeated the ruling party in Spain between 1705-1715, he did away with all the existing institutions in Catalonia and instead set up Spanish laws. This was followed by moments of oppression for those who spoke the Catalan language. Even in the absence of oppression, those who spoke the language were viewed as social outcasts. This saw the language slowly begin to disappear from society. This trend went on for close to four centuries by which time the language had almost disappeared. (Dwyer)

Following the 19^th century Catalan renaissance, Catalonia began experiencing a period of economic progress. This saw the reemergence of Catalan as a literary language. In the year 1906, the Catalian government organized a Language Congress where the Catalan language was reintroduced. In the following years, the government did everything to publish literary works written in the language. This was meant to ignite passion in the language.

In 1939, the Catalian government had managed to reinstate the Catalan language as the national language. However, the onset of the cold war soon after kept this language in check. People were not allowed to use the Catalan language in public and this threatened to extinguish the language again. During the cold war, the only use of the Catalan language remained on the home front. (Dwyer)

Even after the democratic institutions were restored in Catalonia in the mid 20^th century, the Catalan language still experienced challenges that kept it struggling to stay recognized. The first problem that the language encountered was that of classification. There had been a problem in placing the Catalan language in its original context. Some people claimed that the language originated from the Gallo-Romance while others claimed that it was associated with the Ibero-Romance language.

This confusion in the language’s origin made many people have difficulty in accepting its use. The Catalan language has also been undergoing a crisis caused by dialectalization. The dialect of Valencia differs from that of Barcelona. The two dialects differ in terms of pronunciation, vocabulary, and even in the use of verbs. This has posed a problem with the official dialect that is supposed to be used. This has been worsened by Valencians who claim that their language is different from the one used by other Catalans. This has caused an enmity that threatens to derail the language further. (Dwyer)

Despite the challenges that have been facing the Catalan language in Catalonia, the future now looks bright for the language. The Catalan government that controls almost all the schools in the area has introduced a policy that all students must learn the subject in school. Even though it’s not the official language used in teaching, this has been a commendable effort on the government’s side. Students who do not speak Catalan as their first language now have a chance of learning the language in school. This has managed to keep the language alive in Catalonia. However, this has not been an easy walk. (Dwyer)

Just like the Catalan language, Irish is another language that has been struggling to stay recognized. This can be seen by looking at its history. Irish is one of the oldest languages spoken in Ireland. Before the language evolved, Latin was the main language spoken then. The Irish language evolved from Celtic dialects spoke by Celts in the Iron Age. These Celts introduced this language to Europe over three thousand years ago. However, the real history of this introduction is blurred since Ireland was invaded many times making the exact date to be unknown. By the time the Celts conquered Ireland, the country had diverse languages as it had diverse people. These languages were finally influential in forming the Irish language. The Catalan language underwent this same influence. (Irelandseyes)

People who lived in Ireland initially called the Irish language Gaelic. This is why the language is filled with Gaelic myths and beliefs. Today, even some months of the year in the Irish language are named according to Celtic names. This shows the kind of influence that Gaelic had on the Irish language. Perhaps the biggest outside influence on the Irish language came because of the Viking invasions that happened continuously for three centuries. These invasions left permanent traces on both the culture and the language spoken at that time. Even to date, many Scandinavian words can be found in the Irish language. Examples of these words are the ones referring to ships and map reading.

In the 12^th century, the Normans brought with them a strong French influence on the Irish Language. This influence was especially on the area of the literature available at that time. Even today, some dialects of the Irish language carry with them a strong element of French. (Irelandseyes)This is the same influence that occurred to the Catalan language.

Another outside influence on the Irish language came about in the 17^th century during the period of English rule. During this time, England banned any form of education from the land. This forced all the teachers to abandon their duties and go into exile. This brought about a period where people could not communicate since the rulers spoke English a language that their subject did not understand. This forced people to use the little English they knew for communication. This scenario affected the Irish language negatively and made it disappear in Ireland during the whole period of English rule. (Library Ireland) This can be likened to the ban of the Catalan language between 1705-1715 by Philip V.

At the turn of the 18^th century, scholars had begun getting worried about the disappearance of the Irish language. This made them embark on a journey geared toward reviving the Irish language. This made the learning of Irish to be a recognized pursuit. By the end of the 19^th century, the Irish Cultural Revolution that aimed at reviving the language from extinction was founded.

This saw the rekindling of literary works written in Irish. In the last century, works written in the Irish language have been on the increase something that has saved the Irish language from extinction. Today, there are many short stories written in the Irish language thus further saving the language. In Ireland, the government is also doing everything within its power to publish newspapers and magazines to further increase and uphold the Irish language. This shows that just like Catalan, the Irish language has been struggling to stay recognized. (Irelandseyes)

The Catalan and Irish languages are examples of languages that have had to put a stiff fight to remain relevant in society. This was because of outside influence that threatened to make these languages extinct. Despite much persecution and repression, these languages have always rebounded back to the scene and managed to gain recognition. The Catalian and Irish governments are all at the forefront in trying to make the Catalan and Irish languages gain recognition among the people.

Works Cited

Batzarov, Zdravko. Catalan language. n.d. Web.

Catalan Culture. Catalonia- a region to discover. n.d. Web.

Dwyer, Michael. Daniele Conversi ‘The Basques, the Catalans and Spain. Alternative Routes to Nationalist’. 1997. Web.

Irelandseyes. Events in Irish history. n.d. Web.

Library Ireland. Irish history and culture. n.d. Web.