Neither apocalypse nor normalization: Catalan 40 years after the Normalization Law

40 years ago, the Balearic Parliament approved the Law of Linguistic Normalization. Forty years later, while it is true that the situation of Catalan as the native and co-official language of the Balearic Islands has not been normalized, it is also true that abnormality is too often accompanied by apocalyptic diagnoses. There are reasons for concern: Catalan is losing presence in many areas and young people, especially in informal relationships, are increasingly communicating in Spanish. However, if we only look at the glass half empty, we fail to see a part of the reality that is equally significant.

The first Barometer of the Social Council of the University of the Balearic Islands offers a relevant piece of data: 51% of students would like to receive classes mostly in Catalan, while 40% opt for Spanish. Some will focus on the fact that almost half of the students prefer Spanish. But we can also point out that more than half of the students at the public university are asking for more Catalan in the classrooms.

And this is not a minor detail. Especially if we consider that the UIB, which according to the Statute of Autonomy is the consultative authority on Catalan language matters, has been dragging a contradictory situation for years. There are degrees that are taught almost entirely in Spanish and the university itself set itself the goal of reaching 35% of teaching in Catalan when the real percentage barely reached 25%, three years ago. That is to say, there is a significant number of students who request more Catalan than what is actually offered by the institution that should be a benchmark in this area.

The data becomes even more valuable if we consider that many of these same students habitually use Spanish outside the classroom. It is the language with which they often relate to each other, the one that dominates social networks, audiovisual content, and a large part of youth socialization spaces. But it seems that when they think about university and their professional future, a majority consider it important to be competent in Catalan.

This means that, despite the difficulties, Catalan is still perceived as a useful tool. And here lies probably the key to it all. Languages are not maintained solely with emotional speeches or institutional commemorations. They are maintained when they are necessary, when they open doors, when they provide opportunities, and when society transmits the idea that mastering them is valuable. Now, however, the idea is often conveyed that Catalan is dispensable, that it is no longer needed, that it is an excessive requirement or a bureaucratic nuisance.

And, despite this, more than half of UIB students still want more presence in classes, surely because they see it as a tool for the future. The challenge for administrations, for the university, and for society in general is precisely to make Catalan increasingly useful, present, and necessary. Because when a language is useful, people not only defend it, they also use it.