PODCAST: Catalan language under threat? – school and streaming woes

Are social, political and technological challenges putting the long-term survival of Catalan at risk?

Pupils in class at Frederic Godàs school in Lleida, September 13, 2021 (by Salvador Miret)
Pupils in class at Frederic Godàs school in Lleida, September 13, 2021 (by Salvador Miret) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

November 27, 2021 10:55 AM

September 19, 2022 07:56 PM

 

Catalan is a vibrant, living language with 10 million speakers and a history stretching back to the Middle Ages, but statistics show a decline in use and language activists say it needs more protection, not least in classrooms and on online streaming platforms. Press play below to listen or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify.

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Guifré Jordan and Gerard Escaich Folch join Lorcan Doherty to discuss recent developments affecting the language, including a Supreme Court ruling on Catalan-medium education.

Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, president of the European Language Equality Network, and Òscar Escuder, president of Plataforma per la Llengua (Platform for the Language), give their views on the social, political and technological challenges.

This week's Catalan phrase is 'clar i català', or 'clear and Catalan'. It means to say something frankly and concisely.  

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