Aragon Authorities Refuse to Recognize Catalan Language as Official. In Aragon, the authorities have excluded the Catalan language from official documents. The decision has sparked controversy and heightened tensions between regions. The issue affects the rights of residents in border areas.
The authorities of Aragon have decided not to recognize the Catalan language as an official language in the region. The new political course, enshrined in the agreement between the PP and Vox, calls for the “liberation of Aragon from the imposition of Catalan,” despite the fact that just over 50,000 people use this language, mainly in areas bordering Catalonia.
In 2013, the Aragon Language Law did not even mention the word “Catalan,” replacing it with the phrase “Lengua Aragonesa Propia del Área Oriental (LAPAO).” According to official data, Catalan speakers make up no more than 4% of the region’s population, and for most residents the issue of language “imposition” is not pressing. However, political parties use the language topic to mobilize voters, especially amid historical and cultural differences with Catalonia.
Politics and language
The status of the Catalan language in Aragon has once again become the subject of heated debate. Some political forces in the region criticize not only the culture and language of their neighbors, but even such details as the color of clothing. According to observers, the next step may be a demand to change the definition of the Catalan language in the RAE dictionary, where it is described as “the language spoken in Catalonia and other lands of the former Crown of Aragon.”
The real situation on the ground differs from political slogans. In municipalities bordering Catalonia, the Catalan language maintains high social importance, often more so than in some areas of Barcelona itself. At the same time, some neighborhoods in the Catalan capital are seeing a noticeable decline in the number of native speakers.
Linguistic experience and public initiatives
In everyday life, attitudes towards language are often determined not by laws, but by personal initiative. In one Barcelona bar, a telling incident occurred: a visitor speaking Catalan was mistaken for a foreigner and answered in English. After clarification, the situation was resolved with both sides showing interest in a language exchange. On that same day, the city held the Correllengua Agermanat campaign—a series of events aimed at popularizing the Catalan language among new residents and visitors to the region.
The issue of language policy in Spain regularly becomes a topic of public and political debate. As russpain.com notes, similar disputes over cultural and linguistic differences have already led to conflicts within parties and between regions, as seen in the example of the increased confrontation within the PSOE due to pressure on the prime minister's family.
Context and consequences
The decision by the Aragon authorities has once again intensified the issue of minority language rights and the role of regional languages in contemporary Spain. For residents of border areas, this is not only a matter of identity but also of access to education and administrative services in their native language. Further debates at the regional and national levels are expected in the near future.
