Catalan Language Program

Why Catalan? Hear from UChicago students!

Emily Harper

BA ’21, History and Latin American and Iberian Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; 2021 Millard Pierce Binyon Prize

  1. What is it like to study Catalan at the University of Chicago?

Small classes, supportive professors, and students who are excited to be there! Since it’s a small program, I loved getting to know the professors and students both in the classroom and outside of it through activities like the weekly conversation hour. 

  1. How does the experience of studying Catalan compare to other languages you’ve studied?

A lot of us who study Catalan have a foundation in more widely-spoken Romance languages like Spanish or French. Studying a language spoken by a much smaller group makes for instant connection. When I travel, I’ve found native Catalan speakers to be more patient and impressed because it’s not common to meet an American who speaks Catalan! 

  1. What has studying Catalan brought you?

I feel part of a community of Catalan learners and speakers, and I attribute so much of that to how encouraging the UChicago Catalan professors and students are. Studying Catalan has also offered me a different perspective to think about history, literature, and language because of the courses I took and experiences I had in the language. 

  1. Can you recommend a piece of media in Catalan?

I really like the TV show Benvinguts a la família, and you can watch the first season on Netflix! I’ve also been enjoying the podcast Gent de merda (Spotify).

Samuel Arnett

BA ’22, Linguistics

  1. What is it like to study Catalan at the University of Chicago?

I’ve had a great experience. The classes are relatively small, which creates a really welcoming learning environment. We use a lot of different materials to learn the language, including a lot that aren’t from textbooks. The program also orchestrates a lot of optional extracurricular activities that have greatly helped me improve my confidence with speaking and let me get to know students in other classes.

  1. How does the experience of studying Catalan compare to other languages you’ve studied?

Because I have a developed competence in Spanish already, I was able to pick up many aspects of the grammar much more quickly than I otherwise would have been able to. I feel like I’ve made more progress more quickly than with other languages I’ve studied.

  1. What has studying Catalan brought you?

Studying Catalan has brought me a deeper understanding of Catalan culture and politics, as well as the role the Catalan language has taken in those aspects of Catalan society throughout Catalan history.

I originally became interested in Catalan after learning more about the bilingual communities within Spain while studying Basque, but I knew very little about the history of the language and its complexities. Now, I feel I have a more comprehensive understanding of the language, and I was able to transcribe the beginning of this betevé interview and write an assignment dissecting its use of Catalan and Spanish for a linguistic anthropology class.

  1. Can you recommend a piece of media in Catalan?

Meteorit ferit and Cant de la Sibil·la by Maria Arnal i Marcel Bagés. I had discovered their music before I started learning Catalan, and now it’s great to be able to understand some of what’s being said.

Dylan Sosa

Ph.D., Ecology & Evolution

  1. What is it like to study Catalan at the University of Chicago?

Studying Catalan at the University of Chicago allowed me to nurture my passion for the humanities through the program’s emphasis on immersive education. Catalan courses here organically introduce students to the language, culture, and history of the Catalan Countries through music, film, literature, conversation, board games, cooking, and of course the weekly “Hora del Cafè!”

  1. How does the experience of studying Catalan compare to other languages you’ve studied?

As a so-called “minority” language, the students that the Catalan courses attract have a genuine interest in learning and practicing the language. The camaraderie and good-naturedness of faculty and students I met while studying Catalan really bolstered both my confidence in speaking and my desire to explore Catalan language and culture on my own.

  1. What has studying Catalan brought you?

In addition to the excitement and challenge of learning Catalan for the simple love of learning, being a part of the Catalan program as a new graduate student helped me to feel a sense of belonging in the broader university community outside of my “home” in the Biological Sciences Division. Taking courses with historical emphases such as “La Memòria Històrica a Catalunya” or the “Llengua, societat i cultura” sequence helped me to learn more about my Spanish heritage and the interconnectedness of the cultures within Spain.

  1. Can you recommend a piece of media in Catalan?

I tant! I would recommend the film “La vida lliure” by Marc Recha. I not only had the opportunity to see this film during the13th Massachusetts Catalan Film Festival, but I also had the chance to meet and listen to the protagonist and renowned actor Sergi López! I’m currently listening to “El comiat de la vida” by Manel Navarro and “Cartes a mi mateix” by OR (O-ERRA).

Samantha Mateo

Masters of Arts Program in Humanities, ’21

  1. What is it like to study Catalan at the University of Chicago?

In my experience, classes were small but full of students who were always interested and passionate in the language and culture. Professors were accommodating, and some courses that were offered in Spanish could actually be done in Catalan.

  1. How does the experience of studying Catalan compare to other languages you’ve studied?

I’ve experimented with many languages throughout my academic career, but my Catalan professors have been the most welcoming. The network is small, which has made it easy to connect with professors at different universities around the world. There are also so many opportunities and funding to better your Catalan skills such as the estades lingüístiques offered by the Institut Ramon Llull.

  1. What has studying Catalan brought you?

It’s made me aware of history, media, and literature I never would have encountered has it not been for the language. It’s also allowed me to explore other interests like translation.

  1. Can you recommend a piece of media in Catalan?
I really love Irene Solà’s Canto jo i la muntanya balla. It’s so interesting and so experimental. For those nervous about reading at that level in Catalan, it’s now available in Mara Faye Lethem’s English translation.


Marisa Kelath

BA ’22, Linguistics with a Minor in Catalan

  1. What is it like to study Catalan at the University of Chicago?

Studying Catalan has been one of my favorite parts of my time here. The classes are all small and tight-knit, and the professors I’ve had are all lovely people and really great teachers! Because there’s not a lot of people in the class, it tends to be very flexible and allows for exploring students’ interests, which is not something that larger languages offer. In addition, the pace of the class depends on the students—it can be very in-depth if people are interested, or more chill if you’re just here to learn a bit about Catalonia. Honestly, I have never taken a Catalan class here that was not one of my favorite classes that quarter.

  1. How does the experience of studying Catalan compare to other languages you’ve studied?

I haven’t taken a large language class since high school, so I’m not sure if that’s a fair comparison, but smaller college language classes are obviously much better and you learn a lot more. Compared to the two other languages I’ve taken at UChicago, the Catalan department has lots more things to do outside of class, such as the conversation hour or events like movies and author talks, which means that you end up getting to practice the language much more and that it can be a larger part of your life than a single course.

  1. What has studying Catalan brought you?

It’s really hard to say, because Catalan is such a big part of my life that I don’t think I would be the same person without it. It’s brought me most of the music I listen to and the TV I watch, a lot of my friends, and just generally a different perspective on what it means to speak a language, which I would never have gotten as an English speaker in the US. It also gave me a topic for my BA thesis, which is nice I guess.

  1. Can you recommend a piece of media in Catalan?
Only the best album of all time, Jaja Salu2 by El Pony Pisador. It’s a very serious piece of media. The whole thing is posted on Youtube with English subtitles for your enjoyment. (If you like sea shanties and traditional music, I’d also recommend their more professional albums as well, but this one is my favorite.) Besides that I’d also recommend anything by Roba Estesa, but especially their most recent album, Rosa permanent.


I think learning Catalan, just like learning another language, really opened me to up to a whole new world. Not only did I learn about another culture, I opened myself up to new things within my interests. I personally love reading, and learning Catalan has allowed me to learn about a new literary tradition. There are so many great books written by contemporary and classical Catalan authors. I have become interested in translation as a way of sharing my favorite books with family and friends.

Learning Catalan also allowed me to go on one of the Institut Ramon Llull’s Estades Lingüístiques. For two weeks, I was able to join other students who were learning Catalan around the world on a trip to Girona and Andorra for classes and cultural based activities. They packed each day with learning and activities such as hiking, wine-tasting and musical performances. It was all around an unforgettable experience, and I still keep in touch with other students who have continued to work in Catalan Studies outside of the university setting.

Samantha Mateo

Learning Catalan has been so beneficial to my life outlook and my research. I have studied Romance languages in the past and use a few of them for my research and work everyday still, but there is just something about Catalan that I adore. The language and the cultures that I have learned about while studying has helped me learn more about different outlooks on living as well as different things about how languages work, especially in different cultural and political contexts.

Robin

I’ve honestly gained so much from learning Catalan that it would be hard to imagine my life without it. Most of the music I listen to, many of the TV shows that I watched, a lot of the culture that I interact with is in Catalan. Learning Catalan has allowed me to gain a more global perspective, and has also taught me the importance of speaking in one’s own language. It’s also a language with a very small but tight-knit network of learners in the US and abroad, which means that your classes will be full of interesting and passionate people, and you’ll get to build connections that you might not have had otherwise. Studying Catalan has been incredible, it’s a language that’s very dear to me, and I hope other students get the chance to enjoy learning it as much as I have!

Marisa 

Studying Catalan has opened my eyes to an entirely new culture and perspective. It’s given me a different lens to view the world, including history and current politics. This has created more authentic traveling experiences  and has given me better social and cultural awareness which is critical in any career field. 

Studying Catalan gave me greater access to amazing authors, artists, and activists, and it made my study abroad experience in Barcelona more intimate and meaningful. 

Speaking Catalan in Barcelona has made my time here more colorful. People appreciate my attempts to learn their native language.

Catalan is not only useful for living in Barcelona, but also essential for understanding the culture of Catalonia as well as the experience of minority language speakers.

Learning a Romance language has enriched my ability to communicate with people across different cultures in a fulfilling way. Studying Catalan opened my mind to the history and culture of a region of the world with which I had no experience but fell in love with.

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