This interview involves two respondents namely; Helena and Jeroni. Helena was born in Catalonia to immigrant parents. Her mother was born in Spain and moved to Catalonia about thirty years ago while her father is English. She was born and raised in Catalonia. Jeroni was also born and grew up in Catalonia. Both Helena and Jeroni speak three languages namely; English, Spanish, and Catalan. Most Catalonian people speak Catalan though the majority of them are conversant with Spanish as well. Therefore, most of the Catalonian people are either bilingual or multilingual. Moyer and Rojo found out that speakers are now finding the importance of learning the language of both majority and minority groups in a country.
They are both enrolled at a local university in Catalonia where they are currently studying in their fourth years. They both said that the environment in the institution has a very liberal atmosphere and that majority of the students are very involved in political matters, and they have politically liberal minds where they challenge different government acts.
The institution of higher learning where they study has immigrant students from different parts of the world. These include; the United States of America, China, and different nations in the European Union among other countries. Majority of these students speak Spanish as opposed to Catalan. These students especially those who come from South America and Mexico mainly speak their native language, Spanish, in place of Catalan when they are in Catalonia. Moyer and Rojo assert that countries now have the role of recognizing the rights of people who come from different locations and speak different languages.
In their interactions with the different immigrant students, Jeroni and Helena have observed that there are still many students who come in and learn the Catalan language. The languages used in the teaching process are mainly Spanish and Catalan. However, Helena said that she had been taught most of her university subjects in English. Moyer and Rojo found out that for the system of rights to be democratically actualized, linguistic and cultural differences between different people ought to be viewed in a manner that is increasingly context-sensitive.
Jeroni and Helena also said that students are comfortable with their accents and do not actively try to change them. However, they both confirmed that there is racism in the country and that the reason why most people are racist towards immigrants is that they come into their country and steal their jobs. Catalan is an international tourist center, and the Catalans are happy to welcome them. However, they are more tolerant of immigrants than welcoming, since they feel that they are competing for similar opportunities which leads to resentment. Both Jeroni and Helena, therefore, feel that immigration is adversely affecting their countrymen because many of them are resentful towards the immigrants.
Helena said that she does not think that Catalan will stop being used in the country because she believes that many people choose to speak Catalan over other languages and many immigrants are learning and using the language. Conversely, Jeroni thinks that the use of the Catalan language will diminish over time. This is because the majority of youths in Catalonia are choosing to speak in Spanish over Catalan.
From the deductions made by Moyer and Rojo, it is evident that Catalonia is a plural democratic society and it relies on its different institutions to regulate its citizens and implement its policies. Therefore, if the country decides to foster the growth of the Catalan language, it can do so by ensuring that all learning institutions teach different subjects in Catalan. Therefore, Moyer and Rojo assert that teachers in various schools can assign a value to different cultures and languages within a learning institution.
References
Burgen, S. (2012). Immigration complicates Catalonia's separatist picture. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/20/immigration-complicates-catalonia-separatist-picture
Costa, M. (2017). Interview sp. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm-T70Ejt8Y
Mayer, M., & Raja, M. language, migration, and citizenship: new challenges in the regulation of bilingualism. The State, The Economy and Their Agencies in Late Modernity.
Request Removal
If you are the original author of this essay and no longer wish to have it published on the customtermpaperwriting.org website, please click below to request its removal:
