Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0336/03365.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 15KB | 267 lines

$Unique_ID{COW03365}
$Pretitle{379}
$Title{Spain
The Various Languages of Spain, a Live Cultural Inheritance}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Embassy of Spain, Washington DC}
$Affiliation{Embassy of Spain, Washington DC}
$Subject{spanish
language
spain
de
national
languages
madrid
public
theatre
world}
$Date{1989}
$Log{National Library*0336501.scf
Pedro Almodovar*0336502.scf
Table 29.*0336501.tab
Table 30.*0336502.tab
}
Country:     Spain
Book:        Spain 1989
Author:      Embassy of Spain, Washington DC
Affiliation: Embassy of Spain, Washington DC
Date:        1989

The Various Languages of Spain, a Live Cultural Inheritance

     In the 16th century, Castilian acquired primacy over the other languages
of the Peninsula. Its use in the colonization of America as the language of
the Spanish conquistadores made it synonymous with Spain and the
Spanish language, as it became known throughout almost all the world. However,
Castilian is not the only Spanish language; at present, there are, and there
was, even in those times, other Spanish languages which make up a singularly
rich linguistic patrimony.

     In the present day, Castilian is the official language and the language
of culture of almost 300 million people the world over. Of these, more than
220 million speak it as their mother tongue. These figures make the official
language of the Spanish state the most widely-spoken romance language, an
expressive instrument of a community which embraces two different worlds and
which is spoken by people of all different races.

     The Royal Academy of Language, located in Madrid, is entrusted with
"purifying, clarifying and giving splendour" to the language, in close
contact with other Latin American academies, and mitigating the problems
arising from the use of a language spoken in such a large geographic expanse.
Its members are recruited from among the most prestigious literary creators
and erudites.

     The Constitution recognizes the right of the Autonomous Communities of
the Basque Country, Galicia, Catalunya, the Balearic Islands and the Community
of Valencia to use their own languages without jeopardizing the use of
Castilian (ie. Spanish). The rest of the Spanish languages represent the
principal feature of cultural identity of these Autonomous Communities where
they are spoken: Basque, Gallego, Catalan and Valencian; this latter is very
closely related to the Catalan language.

     Romanticism awoke Spanish regional literature, which had a rich
literary tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, from its temporary
lethargy. The Francoist dictatorship prohibited, at first, and then hindered
the use of these languages, which found themselves confined to use in the
home and encountered serious difficulties for their development as a cultural
vehicle; this was only overcome thanks to the tenacity of private institutions
which preserved their study and fostered their use. At present, these
languages are spoken by some 9 million persons, the most widely spoken being
Catalan, which is also the official language of the Principality of Andorra,
and is spoken in certain areas in Sardinia, Italy, and in the French region of
Roussillon. Among the most important Catalan writers of today, the poets Joan
Brossa and Pere Gimferrer, stand out, along with the novelist Manuel de
Pedrolo. Two well-known writers in the Gallegan language are Alfredo Conde and
Carlos Casares. In Basque, the work of the late Koldo Mitxelena is known as
the true author of the unification of euskera batua.

Three Hundred Million Spanish Speakers, the Basis of a Powerful Publishing
Industry

     In the last few years, literature and journalism have had a great
influence on each other. A few novels written by women have been successful,
and the knowledge of Latin American literature, equal to that of other
languages, increases day by day. The climate of liberty and far-reaching
means for disseminating information allow for a great optimism with respect
to the future evolution of Spanish literature, which is awaking a growing
interest the world over.

     The extension of the Spanish language has determined the existence of an
important publishing industry, centred, above all, in Barcelona and Madrid.
Since 1981, Spain has occupied fifth place in the world regarding titles
published and fourth place for its volume of exports. Publishing is divided
into three principal categories: books for children and teenagers; textbooks;
and Spanish and Latin American literature. In the latter category, Spanish
production increased almost 16% in just 1987, offering 38,314 titles. In
spite of the difficulties that are posed by greatly competitive market and
constant technical renovation, the Spanish publishing world is a very dynamic
sector and has indisputable economic and cultural impact.

[See National Library: The Biblioteca Nacional (National Library) is the
custodian of the nation's cultural past. The facade of the Library. Madrid.]

     According to figures of readership, based on a recent survey carried out
by the Ministry of Culture, 46% of the population of over 14 years of age
spend an average of 41 hours per quarter reading, which is equivalent to 3,2
hours per week, although 63% of the population spends less than two hours per
week. The condition of Spanish libraries was one of the aspects that most
needed attending to; great deficiencies still exist, in spite of the efforts
of the public powers in the last few years. A basic point of these endeavours
has been the reform plan of the National Library, directed towards having this
great centre fulfill its function as a depositary for the country's cultural
memory and a place for privileged research. The extension of the system of
libraries and its computerization are two other goals that are being pursued
at present by the Spanish policy for libraries.

     Spanish publishing production is exhibited both in National Book Fairs
and in the most important international ones. In 1983, the International Book
Fair (LIBER) was created, which is held alternatively in Madrid and
Barcelona, and offers a complete panorama of publishing activity in the
Hispanic linguistic area.

     Public institutions, and, above all, the Ministry of Culture, encourage
reading through Promotion Campaigns of Children's and Youth Literature,
itinerant expositions and subsidies for publishing certain books. Since 1984,
there also exists a fund to help translate and edit Spanish literature in
foreign languages, which is beginning to produce optimum results.

[See Table 29.: Books published in Spain]

Spanish Musicians and Performers Have Triumphed on the International Stage

     The Spaniard's musical tradition has remained a force for the greater
part of this century. In the post-war period, such important composers as
Joaquin Rodrigo (composer of El concierto de Aranjuez) and the Catalan
Frederic Mompou became world famous. In the world of classical music today,
composers such as a Cristobal Halffter, Carmelo Bernaola, Luis de Pablo and
Tomas Marco are internationally renowned. With respect to performers, many
Spanish names currently form part of musical history: the guitarists Andres
Segovia and Narciso Yepes; the harpist Nicanor Zabaleta; the pianist Alicia
de Larrocha; the conductors Antoni Ros Marba, Miguel Angel Gomez and Jesus
Lopez Cobos; and, of course, the great opera singers Placido Domingo,
Alfredo Kraus, Montserrat Caballe, Teresa Berganza, Jose Carreras...

     In the last few years, the Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with
Autonomous and municipal institutions, has promoted a national network of
auditoriums. The one in Madrid, which has been recently inaugurated, allows
the Teatro Real to return to its original function as an opera house, and
the Teatro de la Zarzuela will be the site of Spanish light, comic opera and
of dance. Since 1983, the following have been created: the National Youth
Orchestra of Spain, the National Ballet of Spain, the Centre for the Diffusion
of Contemporary Music and