The Catalan Debate Goes On

The promotion of Catalan. This is not likely to be the last time this subject is visited. Last week, the Balearic Government rejoined the consortium of the Ramón Llull Institute. As reported in "Ultima Hora", the previous administration of Jaume Matas (Partido Popular) had left the consortium because of a "lack of political will"; it's reckoned that the real reason was the promotion of the Catalan language. The current president, Francesc Antich, called the return to the fold an "historic day" for the Catalan language and culture. The institute does indeed exist to promote the Catalan language.

Llull is not only one of the most famous of Majorcans in history, he is also one of the most interesting characters of all European history of the Middle Ages. He is rightly celebrated, and he is rightly associated with the promotion of Catalan - up to a point. That Llull was a highly significant mover in the development of the language is beyond dispute. He wrote in Catalan, and indeed his novel "Blanquerna", written in Catalan, is often referred to as the first European novel. This all said, Llull, I fear, might be looking down on this latest political manoeuvre in promoting Catalan with some disquiet.

A polymath, considered to have been an early influence on later computation and logic theories, Llull was also a multi-linguist who pressed for the creation of teaching in languages other than Catalan at major European universities. He was a far from one-dimensional person; his outlook went well beyond the confines of his island or his "country" (Aragon, of which Majorca was a part).

Figures from history are invoked for all manner of reasons and co-opted by all manner of movements. Llull is very much one of these. His Catalan credentials are unimpeachable, but, intellectually and for reasons of religious convergence, he was not wedded to Catalan alone. It is for this reason that I express some misgiving. Iconic he was and is, but as a figurehead for an exclusiveness of his native tongue, I am not so sure that he would approve.

But don't let us seek some anti-Catalan agenda. Let me say this: I find Catalan an intriguing language. It is more satisfying than Castilian as it possesses a sort of coarse refinement. It is rough-edge language, rooted in the relative obscurity of Occitan. It has little of the flair, grandeur and drama of Castilian. It is far less rounded; literally, in the instances where it dispenses with an "o" that would be found in Castilian. It has the feel of the underground, a sense of subversion. No wonder Franco sought to proscribe it.

It is said that the Catalan-speaking areas, especially that of Catalunya around Barcelona, have a more liberal tradition in various ways, be it art or thinking: more liberal, that is, than other parts of Spain. Defence of the language is understandable; it is understandable at emotional, cultural and intellectual levels. Yet this liberal tradition seems to run counter to a mono-linguistic dialectic, one in which the name of Ramón Llull is taken. Against his better judgement quite probably.

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