The Story of Two Languages in Valencia
I expected Valencia to be a city of history, art, or food. When I arrived, I was surprised to find out about the delicate differences in their language, both written and spoken. No online tour guide mentioned this in my anxious preparations for Spain, but it stood out as its most unique aspect. Their language is divided by history of regions. Two languages that wage linguistic battle is Valenciana and Catalan.
My first encounter with Spain’s distinct usage of language is in Valencia. The city garden of Turia that curves halfway around center city is called the Rio or river. The garden is a wide sunken path with palm trees, monuments, soccer fields, and a host of joggers and cyclists. But no water runs through the river, nevertheless people continue to call it the Rio.
The old status of the riverbed is stuck in the language in modern day Valencia. A unique and common character trait of this port town of Spain, which leads to beauty and sometimes confusion for first timers here.
I felt disappointed because I would have loved to see a river flowing through the city. It would add on to the natural awe of the park. Beforehand, I even googled the Rio to check where the water was, but found only pavement and trees. I was naive and thought that Google was wrong. Even though Valencia has a clear blue sea nearby, it does not carry the same merriment of a river.
The language obcscured further when explored the town. While walking down almost any street, I noticed a difference in street signs as I tried to find my way around. Streets signs would say ‘carrer’ or ‘calle’. Or (the signs would say) ‘avenida’ or ‘avinguda’. The former terms are Catalan Spanish and the latter are Valencian Spanish.
An online source states that Valencian is a dialect of Catalan, agreed upon by linguists. The cab driver who brought me to my host family’s apartment declared it a schism between regional languages, but he said it with the passion of a national defending his homeland.
The cab driver told me that the Catalans held tight to their language because they were one of the last provinces to lose their autonomy under Spain. The cabby added that the correct Spanish here is Valencian and that the Catalans were snobby and elitist.
The cab driver spoke with conviction and I believed him. I loved that there was an “us versus them” mentality between Valencian and Catalans. It meant to me that there was a history of contempt between Spainards. And sometimes I feel that people view other countries as homogenous and overlook cultural divisions.
The cause of the language differences is because of the ancient influences that have touched Valencia through the centuries.
I went with my classmates and professors on a guided tour of Valencia. The tour brough us to the Valencia Cathedral, which wrestles with a similar identity crisis. While it is the home of its proclaimed Holy Chalice, the building had been ruled by Visigoths and Moors.
The cathedral contains influences from Roman, Islamic, and Catholic faiths. The roman and Islamic sections lay buried under the church of course, similar to the buried Catalan influence in Valenciana Spanish.
With all the history and religion, the salient feature of the church for me was the beggars at its doorstep, saying “buenos dias” to all the visitors, with an outstretched arm holding a small white cup for donations. In the US, I would expect them to get removed by a police officer or security guard.
In hindsight I realized the minute presence of guards at this cathedral. The Gothic landmark is older than the discovery of the Americas and a history of not just Valencia or Spain, but of the Western World, the absence of guards is astounding. It speaks to the custom of the city, rife with ancient history.
My entire tour group stepped in and out of the Cathedral freely. It’s liberating to know that a piece of history is accessible without bureaucratic or security restraints. It allows the history of the city to be more than a tourist destination, but to remain an active breathing institution for the city. The church has mass Monday through Sunday, alongside gated exhibits of medieval paintings and their Holy Grail. The church continues to be a place of faith.
Valencia is living history. The edifices are adapted into everyday life. The cultures of the past looms over daily transactions of speech. Modern technology is woven into the city and gorgeous medieval architecture like the Tower of Serranos, a castle-like fortification, are challenged by contemporary marvels like the Palau de les Arts, a gigantic, white helmet-shaped opera house.
The ancient influences of Spain leave their mark on cities like Valencia through their treatment of language and architecture. In the same way the Moors and Visigoths conquered altered their Catholic Cathedral, the Catalans left their mark on the Valenciana Spanish.
Valencia is a city of discovery. In my first week, I unearthed the centuries-old influences. They’re not detailed in the summaries of Tripadvisor, which I scanned more than a dozen times leading up to my study abroad program. The city has its secret cultural nooks that visitors like me have to uncover.
