The situation of the use of Catalan
We are increasingly concerned about the decline in the social use of Catalan. Although the children study in Catalan, they often socialize and play in Spanish. In addition, many citizens enter a bar and order in Spanish, without attempting to use Catalan. This raises the question of whether the waiters cannot speak or understand Catalan. Those who defend the use of Catalan are accused of fundamentalists, but ordering a beer in Spanish and continuing the conversation in Catalan at the table can seem discriminatory and classist, even if in many cases it is not conscious. This normalization of certain behaviors without questioning what we are doing is a problem.
Examples of normalizations
In recent years, we have seen several normalizations that are worrying. Political parties such as Ciutadans, the PP and Vox have begun to mix Spanish and Catalan in their interventions in Parliament, causing a certain shock. In TV3 series, it is also not unusual to hear dialogues in Spanish, justifying it with the fact that they are co-productions or for reasons of verisimilitude. In addition, some novelists and publishers have increased the number of titles in Catalan in which we find puns, expressions and dialogues in Spanish.
The importance of plausibility
The authors and editors who defend this practice argue that it is justified when the plot shows linguistic conflict or when a character talks to a civil guard or a doctor who does not speak Catalan. We are not saying that all the characters must speak in Catalan, but it could be transcribed in Catalan and a footnote added to specify when a character speaks in Spanish. This would be a simple and painless solution to avoid the loss of the Catalan language in novels.
conclusion
Literary creation should not be limited by any conditioning, but it is important to be aware of the implications. In the case of dialogues, a simple and painless solution can be found to preserve the Catalan language. An effort must be made to avoid the normalization of this practice and to ensure that Catalan continues to be present in literary works.
