JLFS doesn't seem to be in the mood to tell us which one he wrote in


anyone know?

I am too busy eating my bacon buttie..................


PS, with health grilled toms on top.

Catalan isnt based on Spanish any more than Italian is based on Spanish. They just both happen to be Latin languages

Similarly Gallego and Asturian arent based on Spanish, they were Romance languages that evolved at the same time or even before Castellano.

Basque isnt related to any known language in the world, it is truely unique which makes it incredibly difficult to learn. It is also thought to be one of the oldest existing languages in Europe.

Lynnxa, Catalan and Valenciano are dialects which means the vocabulary may be different and there are small grammatical differences, but the sentence formation and underlying structure of the grammar is the same. There are plenty of online sources explaining the difference between a dialect and a language if you are interested.

I neither know for sure nor especially care

but ask any Valencian & they will insist that they are different languages

Well they are wrong! Any language book will confirm that they are dialects. As a language teacher I thought you'd be curious?

Like someone else said, they probably like to think they are different languages for political reasons

What I meant was that the languages are so similar to Sapnish.

I thought everyone could guess what I meant,but remember, it is not alway that easy for a foreigner to find the right way of expressing something in English, pardon my ignorance.

Yes and they are very proud of it.

Valenciano is spoken more than castellano around here obviously.

not about Valenciano - understanding it is a necessary evil as far as I'm concerned - I have no wish to speak it or teach it

the Catalans & Valencianos might be wrong, technically - but you'll never get a lot of older people to agree with that point of view

Sure I agree with you, but just because lots of people are wrong doesnt make them right

For example, tens of millions of people think the world is only a few thousand years old, doesnt make them right, they are just wrong in numbers!

Why does a great city like BCN get such a negative write up on here?! It's a possible option for me (planning 12 mths living abroad from Jan). These posts are off-putting. Is it really that bad? I speak ok spanish, and have been to bcn, but personally, I don't want to make it rich or live in a luxury apartment, just do a bit of casual work and experience a different life. Any thoughts?!! Thanks

It all depends on what you are looking for Christopher. If that is what you want, it's a great place to live, but if you have a family, want to settle down or don't want to get embroiled with the whole language dilemma it perhaps isn't for everyone. I lived there for 7 years, it wasn't for me (for the reasons given herein!), but if I were young, free and single again (and childfree) then it would be a great place to spend some time. And even if you wanted to get rich and live in a luxury apartment, it probably isn't the place to do it (indeed where is these days?) unless you have a specific skill or business that would make you rich wherever you were to go!

It's said that Barcelona is great for a holiday, but if you want somewhere to live and work, places like Madrid or Valencia are better. It must be one of the hardest Spanish cities to adapt to, partly because of the language issue, and partly because some locals (not all, by any means) have a bad attitude towards "foreigners", which includes workers from other parts of Spain. Having said that I met some friendly locals there when I did a month's course. If you're in the right location the view is spectacular too. The local public transport seemed fairly good also. However, even if I won the Euro lottery, I'd still prefer living in Madrid, or Glasgow, as I 'd know the water was ok to drink and people were generally more sociable.

Thanks Sarita and StevieDeluxe, I guess a lot of the posts are from the perspective of people 'setting up a new life' and therefore give the cautious view etc. Young (ish!!) and single, i suppose one could enjoy anywhere for a year or two.

Madrid is an option too, will start researching there too soon! Failing that it may be Marbella!

Thanks again, Christopher

Madrid is great if you don't mind the absence of sea and cold cold cold in winter! I've lived there too, when I was young, free and single, definitely had a great time... The social life is better in Madrid IMO but there's bound to be someone who disagrees!

Hi Christopher, I'm with you just want to enjoy a different culture and learn Spanish.

No aspirations of getting rich or the palatial pad by the sea :-)