If you are going to Spain this summer, don’t think that speaking Spanish will be enough! Depending on the region you visit, you will hear other languages or dialects. In Spain, Spanish is the official language, but there are several other languages that make Spain a multilingual country.
You might have heard Basque, Catalan, Occitan or Galician if you have visited Barcelona, you have surfed the Bay of Biscay in the Basque Country, or if you have walked the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela. These are co-official languages, which mean that they are only official in their regions. Apart from Catalan, they can be considered as minority languages, as most of the people use Spanish as the language of communication in most daily contexts.
Dialects also contribute to the linguistic richness of the country. Even though their use is decreasing in most of the cases, Asturleonés, Aranés, Aragonés, Extremeño and Fala are still spoken, especially in rural areas.
All the 4 languages have different policies, and have a different degree of relevance depending on the regional government. Spanish is taught in schools in the whole territory as an obligatory subject, and in the multilingual territories it is mixed together with the co-official language. For instances, the vehicular language in the Catalonian school system is Catalan, and there is only one subject taught in Spanish, which is Spanish Language.
If you plan to move to one of the multilingual regions, and you plan to integrate linguistically, you can attend language lessons and then pass the exam to have the official diploma. These are very useful and very often an essential requirement in professional contexts, in public institutions, or if you want to work in close contact with local clients.
Even though Galician and Catalan/Valencian are close to Spanish as they are romance languages, Basque is a completely different language, and do not expect to understand a word even if you speak all the other romance languages. The origins of this language are unknown, and it is considered to be one of the oldest languages in the world.
Learning the regional language will make you understand the culture and will help you connect with the inhabitants of the region. Welcome to this multilingual country!
Bienvenido! Ongi etorri! Benvingut! Benvido! Benvengut!
Article written by Helene Aguirre Mindeguia
Student of theMA Learning and Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts
Study-visitor at Termcoord