Job Discussion Forums

[gatosazules]

Hi guys,

I am thinking of teaching English in Spain and despite various research, I am still confused about which regions of Spain speak Spanish. The biggest reason I want to go to Spain is to improve my Spanish, so I would be really disappointed if I ended up in a region where the majority spoke a different language.

For example I've heard that in Barcelona many people speak Catalan, but I've also heard that they speak Spanish too. I'm just confused about which language is spoken most often because I want a total immersion experience.

I'd really appreciate to hear from people who have first-hand experience living in Spain. Or if anyone knows of books or other resources of information about Spain that would be great too.


Thanks!

[Moore]

People do speak "proper" Spanish in Barcelona, but the local language is Catalan. Everyone there speaks Spanish, but will speak Catalan amongst themselves. They might get a bit shirty with a Spaniard for speaking in Spanish, but they will happily talk to a foreigner in Spanish on the basis that at least you've made some sort of effort.

I remember my flatmate there who was a new arrival to Spain, asking me what a word meant, not realising it was written in Catalan.

If you want a total immersion experience then avoid Barcelona (and possibly the Basque country, Galicia, and Valencia).

That said, it's an amazing city, and just as valid an experience of Spain.

For "proper" Spanish, head to cities like Madrid or Seville, but it would be sad to discount the other cities mentioned above as they are superb places with lovely people.





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[Isla Guapa]

[quote="Moore"]People do speak "proper" Spanish in Barcelona, but the local language is Catalan. Everyone there speaks Spanish, but will speak Catalan amongst themselves. They might get a bit shirty with a Spaniard for speaking in Spanish, but they will happily talk to a foreigner in Spanish on the basis that at least you've made some sort of effort.]

I wonder how "proper" the Spanish spoken in Barcelona will be in the future. I remember reading a few years ago that instruction in castellano in the public schools was being decreased in favor of English. I have friends who have lived in Toledo for many years (he's Spanish and she's from the States). Although he thinks that Barcelona is a great city, he refuses to visit it any more because of the way he's been treated by the Catalan-speaking inhabitants. My friend and I are thinking of visiting there on our own and pretending to be US tourists, so we won't be castigated for daring to speak Spanish in public!

[Grimace420]

I would say that as far as the spoken language goes, there's no difficulty finding opportunities to practice in Barcelona. Even for the minority of extremists and separatists who would, for example, favour Catalan over Spanish to the point of making the school curriculum "bilingual" in Catalan and English (leaving the Spanish language completely out if they had their way), you as a Spanish-learning foreigner are not the enemy and people will *always* respond to you in Spanish if that's what you address them in.

However, I would also say that living in a predominantly Catalan-speaking area takes the edge off the immersion effect, even if it's only to a small degree. As an example, I remember that one of the first signs I noticed in Madrid the first day I arrived said "En Bater�a" and I then saw that the cars in the street were parked perpendicular to the kerb, side-by-side. Or you'll see a shop with lots of tools and building supplies named "Ferreter�a" and you won't need to go home and look it up in a dictionary or the equivalent in a different language. When you take the metro every day, you'll get "Atenci�n: estaci�n en curva. Al salir tengan cuidado para no introducir el pie entre coche y and�n" drilled into your head. That's when you start picking up Spanish through concepts rather than translations and constantly seeing written Spanish around you is a helpful part of laying the foundations for fluency, though it certainly won't make or break your success.

[jonniboy]

[SirKirby]

[littlelauren86]

[jovencito]

The official language of Catalu�a is Catalan. The state government is clamping down on Spanish and it has been relegated to the 3rd language (English is the 2nd) in the school system. Spanish is treated as a foreign language behind English. In official Catalu�a, Catalan is the only language that is allowed. Stores have to have their signs in Catalan. If they put up signs in Spanish they get fined. Doctors have recently been ordered to only speak Catalan with their workmates and their patients. If the patient cannot speak Catalan then, apparently, sign language has to be used. Spanish can be used only in emergency, life-threatening situations.

This ridiculous state of affairs will not stop people speaking Spanish, but be prepared to learn Catalan before you go there. Most TV and radio is in Catalan as well.

Barcelona is not the best place in Spain to learn Spanish.

[Isla Guapa]

[Sublime]

[jovencito]

[Isla Guapa]

Indeed it is! I know it's all about politics and making compensation for bad things that happened during the Franco era, but it has become counterproductive. Unless the Catalans have made great strides in learning English, if they de-emphasize the learning of castellano in the schools, they will end up with a population that can't communicate with anyone who doesn't speak Catalan.