We Are Who We Speak:
Chaining the Swirls of Languages and Cultural Pride
By
TAM Hin Yan Edison
Barcelona, to almost everyone in the world, is a vibrant city that is famous for its wild
nightlife, endless beaches, and magnificent architecture. To me, there is one more essential
element that helps weave the Barcelona charm.
When I first arrived in this dazzling city, what surprised me the most was the
countless traces of similarities between Hong Kong and this capital city of Catalonia.
However unexpected it was, my attention totally drifted away due to the written and spoken
language – Catalan – one of the four official languages in Spain.
I had learnt Spanish for a year, since then, I had been longing for an opportunity to
reside in this Mediterranean country to “feel the vibes”. Being chosen to study in Barcelona
for a year was undoubtedly a dream come true; more importantly, I knew this year would be
immensely special given the different language systems between Catalan and Spanish, and
the vigorous call for independence that has been bubbling up in Catalonia.
Catalan originated from Catalonia, one of the 17 autonomous communities in Spain. It
is commonly spoken in Catalonia, Balearic Islands, and Valencian Community (where it is
known as Valencian) in Spain and in Andorra. It is also being recognised as a minority
language in France and Italy. Despite sharing the same root of Vulgar Latin, this Romance
language displays a considerable difference from those of the Iberian Peninsula.
“El català és la llengua pròpia de Catalunya i la singularitza com a poble (Catalan is
the language of Catalonia, and distinguishes the latter as a people)” according to the
University Language Guide published by La Plataforma per la Llengua (The Pro-Language
Platform, a non-governmental cultural institution). This statement has made a significantly
powerful impression on me regarding how Catalans have been working considerably hard to
protect and promote their language, thus to dignify and uphold their distinctive identity.
In recent years, the Autonomous Government of Catalonia has been making strenuous
efforts to call for a referendum of independence. Putting the economic, social, and political
factors aside, the rationale of becoming independent relies heavily on their Catalan language
and culture, and that they are eager to be recognised as Catalans. Jordi, my mentor, who is
doing a Master degree in Applied Linguistics, told me about the experience his parents had in
Iberian Spain: while the couple was travelling on the metro, chatting in Catalan, one of the
passengers disdained them as an inferior race, shouting at them how they were not welcomed
there. Jordi’s parents were horrified and furious, as the intense insult to their dignity of being
Catalans was utterly intolerable. Their experience partly contributed to the initiation of the
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Catalan Independence Movement, and it displayed that language and cultural identity are
inextricably intertwined in our daily life.
After spending two months in Barcelona, I observed that Catalans take great pride
from and are comfortable with their identity. As I was the only exchange student in the
French course, I was able to spend much more time trying to understand Catalan students.
Whenever we talked to each other for the first time, they introduced themselves as Catalans.
Therefore, I learnt the trick – when in Barcelona, or Catalonia, we should always be
open-minded, and ask – “Are you Spanish or Catalan?”. They never take this question as an
offense. Instead, they will open up to us and smile with admiration at our cultural sensitivity.
Besides, as a widely adopted approach, we should always learn some colloquial Catalan to
demonstrate our friendly gesture – starting from simple greetings and practise with cashiers at
supermarkets, and applying some daily expressions while talking to our classmates – the
effort we put into making the conversation more pleasant can definitely encourage effective
bonding.
I always intended to use Spanish while chatting with my Catalan contemporaries. This
is not only because it provides a valuable platform for me to practise my Spanish oral and
listening skills, but also due to the inadequate proficiency in English among most of the
Catalans. I had been contemplating about the causes that lead to the scarce competence in
English before discussing with Pol, my Catalan flatmate, who is an undergraduate student in
Philosophy, and Jordi. I understand that the psychology of preserving one’s culture and
language can be very powerful, yet, Pol and Jordi described the inevitable outcome as due to
the invincible pride of being Spanish or Catalans, despite the acknowledgement of English
being a lingua franca. However proud the citizens are, there is an increasing number of
English learners in Spain. Jordi commented that most of them have started to believe that
English is a useful tool for reaching the rest of the world and becoming more mobile.
In Catalonia, schools follow a bilingual system, in which students have to learn
Catalan and Spanish since early age and are tested to prove the proficiency in both languages.
This is a very special characteristic of being a Catalan, as “there is no native Catalan in the
world who only knows one language”.
Catalans consider bilingualism as a gift, and they wanted to introduce Chinese
language in their education system as well in view of the considerable large amount of
Chinese immigrants in Catalonia. They aimed at allowing Chinese students to appreciate and
understand their own language because they believed that these youngsters should be given
the chance to recognise their Chinese identity despite the emigration decision made by their
parents. However, Catalan linguists later found out that Chinese language does not mean
Mandarin merely, but many other languages – they consider Cantonese as a language, not a
dialect. In order to be respectful to other cultures, the Autonomous Government decided not
to implement such a policy, but to encourage schools to set up extra-curricular Chinese
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language courses instead.
While I was giving compliments to such an impressive achievement and thoughtful
gesture of the Autonomous Government, Jordi was embarrassed and emphasised that linguists
should be ashamed since the discovery of different Chinese languages was only made in
recent years. It was totally understandable as Jordi, a dashing Catalan and a Linguistics
student, recognised the essential coordination between one’s language and identity. On the
other hand, he mentioned that the bilingual policy aims to regain the place Catalan deserves
amongst the diverse languages in Europe. There was a decline in Catalan usage in history
because some Catalans wanted to speak the right language. They defined right as in the one
the aristocrats in Madrid spoke, as they wanted to socialise with those with authority and
wealth. Fortunately, Catalan linguists were concerned about that and started to propose a
series of Catalan conservation plans. As a result, the situation in Catalonia changed from
“only linguists care” to “all Catalans are concerned”.
In Hong Kong, the policy “biliteracy and trilingualism” is being executed in our
education system, in which students are obliged to learn and understand Cantonese, English,
and Mandarin. In recent years, there have had numerous controversies in Hong Kong and
Guangzhou over the superiority of Mandarin over Cantonese, and the majority usage of the
two languages in the mass media. I consider Cantonese as a language since I am proud of my
status and the unity in the city. As defined by one of the auditors at a lecture given by Max
Weinreich, a sociolinguist and Yiddish scholar, “A language is a dialect with an army and
navy”. Jordi and I reached a consensus that Cantonese and Catalan are languages, which is,
in all likelihood, due to the mutual understanding of both political and social situations in
Hong Kong and in Catalonia. The cultural pride arose from being a Hong Konger and a
Catalan altered our perception of the standing of a language or a dialect.
In connection with the Kong Qingdong Controversy in early 2012, the Peking
University professor accused Hong Kongers of a lack of patriotism and of nurturing a
colonial mentality. He made a remark on the incapability of Hong Kongers to speak a “real
Chinese language” because of the colonial frame of mind, thus labelled them as “bastards”
and “dogs”. This echoed with the experience of Jordi’s parents, who were insulted in Iberian
Spain. By defining and defending our own language, we are, at the same time, protecting and
dignifying our identity. The longstanding tension between the two places has led to an
increasingly large number of Hong Kongers losing the sentimental links to the mainland
China. However humiliating Kong’s remarks were, the ability of speaking Mandarin as
mentioned is worth examining.
In Catalonia, we can speak Spanish to all Catalans, who can reply to us in fluent and
grammatically correct Spanish despite the differences between the two languages; In Hong
Kong, can Hong Kongers articulate Mandarin? With regard to one of the objectives proposed
by the Catalan National Assembly, Catalonia is and will remain a multicultural society and
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Castilian (Spanish) will remain a very important and praised language in the independent
Catalonia. This statement implies that Catalans will still be respectful to Spanish even if they
become independent. Catalans are projecting their generous way of thinking to the Spanish
identity despite all the strained relations between the two governments. I trust that this can
also be applied in Hong Kong, where we should make full use of the multilingual
environment to enrich our linguistic knowledge. More importantly, we can demonstrate to the
Beijing Government that we are well educated and liberal, thus help minimise
discriminations in the society.
Being granted the chance to stay in Barcelona for a year is undoubtedly one of the
most exquisite experiences I have ever had in my university life. The great deal of similarities
between the two world-class cities makes me feel at home, while the subtle differences make
me do self-reflection and contemplate possible ways to improve my way of thinking by
learning from the Catalans. Whenever I talk to my Catalan friends, we always emphasise that
I am a Hongkonger and they are Catalans because we are eager to be recognised all over the
world. As a result of thorough communication, both of us can comprehend by what means
Hongkongers and Catalans are employing in order to safeguard their own cultural pride and
languages. It is perhaps worthy of note that almost all of my Catalan friends and my
ERASMUS classmates were very surprised by how tolerable and calm the protesters were
during the Umbrella Movement. In particular, the number of protestors astonished the
Catalans because the population of Catalonia is more or less the same as that of Hong Kong.
They admired the persistence and courage that Hongkongers bear. I believe they also
assimilated a lot after acquiring up-to-date information about Hong Kong so that they can
apply the successful parts in their upcoming protests.
“Som el que parlem!/ ¡Somos lo que hablamos!/ We are who we speak!” By spending
time absorbing the city, the culture, the people, and the languages, I am very exhilarated to
anticipate what I am going to encounter and who I am going to meet up with next. Every
challenge is a valuable learning opportunity and every new friend is an inspiration – both
leave me with a precious space for giving thought to my own identity. I firmly believe that
the experience is undoubtedly one of the many sparkling surprises during the exchange
period. Before I return to Hong Kong in August, I am confident that I will come across the
vicissitude of my ERASMUS journey. By extolling the virtues of Spanish and Catalans, that
is to bear the psychology of “mañana (tomorrow)” – be it an easy approach of living or to
hold hopes for tomorrow – I am ready to live the entire incredible year to the fullest!
(1,935 words)
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This is one of the three campuses of Pompeu Fabra University – Poblenou Campus. It is one of the
well-preserved factory complexes in Barcelona where one of the many symbolic chimneys is situate. The slogan
reads ‘Estudiants, decidim! (Students decide!)’. It was dedicated to the Catalan Independence Movement (9N
represents 9 November, the day the referendum took place).
This was the finale of La Mercè. It is one of the biggest festivals in Barcelona and it takes place on 24
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September every year since 1871. The celebration this year started from 19 September. This year, the fireworks
and magical fountain performance took place at Plaça d'Espanya (Spanish Square) in Monjüic and the
performances were held in Catalan.
This was a weekend festival organised by the Esco Foundation in the Raval neighbourhood. It took place at
Plaça de Salvador Seguí (Salvador Seguí Square). The Foundation aims at offering community help to families
with disadvantaged children in this neighbourhood where a lot of immigrants are living in. By organising
various public events, the awareness in the society regarding the difficulties that many families are facing
everyday can be raised.
Barcelona is the very populated capital city of Catalonia. However, the pavements are very wide with a lot of
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plantation going on everywhere. Thanks to this thoughtful and successful urban planning, it allows all the city
dwellers to breathe some fresh air despite the very heavy traffic and the continuous flow of citizens and tourists.
Walking around Monjüic is one of my favourite weekend activities. There are a lot of spots where you can keep
a look out of this significantly developed city.
Whenever we take a glance at the sky, we can always see the swirls left by civil aircrafts. Not only Barcelona
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possesses heavy traffic on the road and on water, but also above our heads.
In recent years, there have been numerous protests directing to the overload and misbehaviour of tourists. Many
citizens have to make some effort in order to enjoy the scarce tranquillity. This is one of the ten beaches in
Barcelona. It was very quiet when I visited there partly because almost no tourist would take a more than 15
minutes walk from the famous Barceloneta Beach to sunbathe on another man-made beach.
About the author
TAM Hin Yan Edison is a 3rd year student majoring in Integrated Business Administration
(Marketing and Management of International Business), and minoring in Spanish and French.
He is currently participating in a year-long exchange program at the Pompeu Fabra
University in Barcelona, Spain with United College GOAL Program (2014-2015).
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