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Resources for exchange students

• Resources for learning Catalan

Catalan in the University of Lleida

In Catalonia there are two official languages: Catalan and Spanish (Castilian). The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia states that Catalan is the characteristic and basic official language.

STATUTE OF AUTONOMY OF CATALONIA
PRELIMINARY TITLE

ARTICLE 6. CATALONIA'S OWN LANGUAGE AND OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

1. Catalonia's own language is Catalan. As such, Catalan is the language of normal and preferential use in Public Administration bodies and in the public media of Catalonia, and is also the language of normal use for teaching and learning in the education system.

2. Catalan is the official language of Catalonia, together with Castilian, the official language of the Spanish State. All persons have the right to use the two official languages and citizens of Catalonia have the right and the duty to know them. The public authorities of Catalonia shall establish the necessary measures to enable the exercise of these rights and the fulfilment of this duty. In keeping with the provisions of Article 32, there shall be no discrimination on the basis of use of either of the two languages.

3. The Generalitat and the State shall undertake the necessary measures to obtain official status for Catalan within the European Union and its presence and use in international organisations and in international treaties of cultural or linguistic content.

4. The Generalitat shall promote communication and cooperation with the other communities and territories that share a linguistic heritage with Catalonia. To this end, the Generalitat and the State may, as appropiate, sign agreements, treaties, and other collaboration instruments for the promotion and external dissemination of Catalan.

5. The Occitan language, known as Aranese in Aran, is Aran's own language and is official in Catalonia, as established by this Estatut and by the laws of linguistic normalisation.

See also the ACT No. 1, of 7th January 1998, on linguistic policy and Catalan, language of Europe ( other languages ).

The Statutes of UdL acknowledge Catalan as the language of the University and its normal vehicle of expression. They also recognize Spanish, on a basis of reciprocal coexistence with Catalan and on an equal footing for all the members of the university community.
 

Article 4 of the Statutes of UdL

Catalan is the own and official language of the University of Lleida and the vehicle of normal expression in their educational and administrative activities , without prejudice to those rights that derive from those established under the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia.

Catalan is the language used for administrative purposes and in contacts among public institutions. Both co-official languages are used in teaching, and teachers and students are entitled to use the language of their choice (exams, works...).
 

Education (ACT No. 1, of 7th January 1998, on linguistic policy)

Article 20
The language of education

1. Catalan, as Catalonia's own language, is also that of education, at all levels and types of schooling.
2. Educational establishments at all levels shall make Catalan the vehicle of normal expression in their educational and administrative activities, both internally and externally.

Article 22
University education

1. In higher education colleges and universities, teaching staff and students are entitled to express themselves, orally and in writing, in the official language of their choice.
2. The government of the Generalitat, universities and higher education colleges, within the field of their respective responsibilities, shall take appropriate measures to guarantee and promote the use of Catalan in all teaching, non-teaching and research fields, including the reading of doctorate theses and the taking of official professional examinations.
3. Universities shall provide courses and other suitable resources so that students and teaching staff may improve their comprehension and knowledge of Catalan.
4. Universities may, if necessary, set specific criteria for linguistic use in activities related to international commitments.

Article 24
Teaching staff

1. The teaching staff in the educational establishments of Catalonia, at any level of non-university education, shall know both official languages and shall be in a position to be able to use them in their teaching tasks.
2. Curricula for teachers' training colleges and courses shall be drawn up in such a manner that the students shall achieve full proficiency in both official languages, in accordance with the requirements of each teaching speciality.
3. The teaching staff of university colleges in Catalonia shall know both official languages sufficiently, in accordance with the requirements of their teaching tasks. This rule is not applicable to visiting teachers and other similar cases. The universities shall be responsible for setting up the mechanisms and the pertinent time scales for fulfilling this regulation.


Linguistic data of the UdL  

• Tuition Language

• Language in which PhD Dissertation is written

• Student's knowledge of Catalan

Tuition Language

The teaching staff were surveyed during the 1995/96 course. The most significant results were:
 

Language which classes are given in / Centre (1995/96)

%	FL	ETSEA	FDE	FCE	EUP	FM	EUI	EURL	EUTS	INEFC	UdL
Catalan	56.76	41.15	58.23	78.79	67.86	67.05	64.44	23.81	93.33	41.86	55.76
Castilian	22.97	43.23	30.38	12.12	21.43	29.55	33.33	52.38	0.00	20.93	30.57
Catalan or Castilian	1.35	15.10	11.39	3.03	7.14	3.41	2.22	19.05	6.67	37.21	10.45
Other	18.92	0.52	0.00	6.06	3.57	0.00	0.00	4.76	0.00	0.00	3.23

FL: Faculty of Arts
ETSEA: University School of Agricultural Engineering
FDE: Faculty of Law and Economy
FCE: Faculty of Educational Sciences
EUP: Polytechnic University School
FM: Faculty of Medicine
EUI: University School of Nursing
EURL: University School of Civil Administration
EUTS: University School of Social Work
INEFC: National Physical Education Institute of Catalonia
  Each year, by means of a question in the enrolment forms, students are asked about their knowledge of Catalan.
   

Language in which PhD Dissertation is written

Course 2006-07

	Number	Percentage
Catalan	6	12,5%
Castilian	31	64,6%
English	11	22,9%
Total	48

Data since the course 1992-93

Language / Course	1992- 93	1993- 94	1994- 95	1995- 96	1996- 97	1997- 98	1998- 99	1999- 2000	2000- 01	2001- 02	2002 - 03	2003- 04	2004- 05	2005- 06	2006- 07
Catalan	26,7%	52,2%	20,8%	27,6%	20%	30,3%	16,2%	20%	26,3%	33,3%	22,2%	10,6%	18,9%	16,3%	12,5%
Castilian	60%	47,8%	72,2%	72,4%	73,3%	69,7%	78,4%	64%	68,4%	57,6%	66,7%	83%	70,3%	72,1%	64,6%
English	13,3%	-	-	-	6,7%	-	5,4%	16%	5,3%	9,1%	11,1%	6,4%	10,8%	9,3%	22,9%
French	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2,3%	-
Total	15	23	24	29	30	33	37	25	38	33	27	47	37	43	48

Students’ knowledge of Catalan

  Each year, by means of a question in the enrolment forms, students are asked about their knowledge of Catalan.

%		1995/ 96*	1996/ 97	1997/ 98	1998/ 99	1999/ 2000**	2000/ 2001**	2001/ 2002***
Written comprehension	Good	93	87.1	87.1	87.7	92.5	87.5	85.8
	Poor	4.2	5	4.6	4.3	4.3	4.4	4.9
	Null	1	1.1	1	1	1.3	1.3	2
	No answer	1.7	6.8	7.3	7	1.9	6.8	7.3
Oral comprehension	Good	94.6	89.7	89.1	88.9	91.7	84.6	82.8
	Poor	3.2	3.8	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.3	4.8
	Null	1	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.9	0.9	1.1
	No answer	1.2	5.7	6.6	6.9	3.9	11.2	11.3
Written expression	Good	79.2	77.5	78	79	83.1	79.1	77.3
	Poor	14.1	11.6	11.1	10	9.6	8	8
	Null	5	4.6	3.8	3.9	4.2	4.6	6.9
	No answer	1.7	6.3	7.1	7.1	3.1	8.3	7.8
Oral expression	Good	84.2	81.4	81.1	81.9	86	81.3	79.2
	Poor	10.7	9.6	9.6	8.6	8.2	7.4	7.7
	Null	3.3	2.9	2.4	2.6	2.9	3.3	5
	No answer	1.8	6.1	6.9	6.9	2.9	8	8.1

  ^{*Excluding third cycle (postgraduates) and associated centres.
** All the students. "No answer" includes invalid results.
*** Excluding third cycle (postgraduates) and associated centres. All the students. "No answer" includes invalid results.}