In order to secure his seat as prime minister, Pedro Sanchez promised the Catalans that Catalan would not only be allowed as a language in the Spanish parliament, but that the EU would also have Catalan as an official language.

Of course, the Galicians and the Basques immediately shouted „we too!“ and were included on Sanchez's wish list. Were the Valencians forgotten? Can this be explained by the fact that the Catalans see the Balearic Islands and Valencia as part of their empire and that Sanchez has therefore not forgotten Valencia, but has simply followed the wishes of the „Països Catalans“?

Readers of my blog are not unaware that the Catalan separatists have financially supported the previous Valencian government in Catalanising the Valencian language. This should hardly have remained unknown to Sanchez.

Thus ABC now headlines: „Families and teachers demand the separation of Valencian and Catalan courses at university 'because they are different languages'“. and writes: „The identity debate over Valenciano has resurfaced at the beginning of the 15th legislature of the Spanish government. legislative period of the Spanish government flared up again with vigour after the new president of Congress, Francina Armengol, announced that she would allow the use of Catalan, Galician and Basque in the lower house and the current president of the government, Pedro Sánchez, pledged to apply to the European Union to make these three languages official languages, disregarding the official language of the Valencian Community, which is included in its Statute of Autonomy.“

The Valencian newspaper Las Provincias quotes Gonzáles Pons: „This means that Valencian will be abolished as a language and can be considered Catalan in Congress and in Europe.“

No wonder headlines are piling up like: ' href='https://www.abc.es/espana/comunidad-valenciana/indignacion-gobierno-mazon-ninguneo-sanchez-armengol-valenciano-20230818074657-nt.html'>„Mazón's government outraged by Sánchez and Armengol's 'disrespect' for Valencian language“ and ' href='https://www.abc.es/espana/comunidad-valenciana/generalitat-avisa-sanchez-armengol-tolerara-ataque-valenciano-20230818123707-nt.html'>„The Generalitat is preparing an institutional declaration 'in defence of the region's language, culture and signs of identity'“.

I leave it to the reader to speculate where this will end. I continue to believe that everyone has the right to speak what they want. Those who want to be understood should make an effort to speak foreign languages. Those who want the official EU languages of English and French to be translated into their own regional dialect or language are welcome to do so at their own expense. Are the English and French the lucky ones in this because they don't need translators?

The only thing that comes to mind is the question and answer game:

What do you call a trilingual person? Trilingual

A bilingual person? Bilingual

Monolingual? English (can also be replaced by Yank or, unfortunately, too often by French as well)

Speaking only one language is not an advantage if you want to communicate with other peoples. Imposing your own language on others is not democratic.