# Do they speak much Valenciano in Alicante?



## Sirtravelot (Jul 20, 2011)

I still got, give or take, two years to prepare myself for Spain and I'm already noticing great strides in learning the language.

HOWEVER!

I'm not 100% sure whereabouts along the Spanish coast I'll be looking to move won't be to but I'm sure it won't be Andalucia so that gives me Murcia, Valencia and the Catalan area. As of now I'm leaning more towards the Alicante area. 

As I plan to work and live in Spain I want to be as prepared as possible as far as language goes. I don't want to spend the next 2 years learning Castillano to end up in an area where a good portion of the population is speaking Catalano/Valenciano or mixing up Castillano with Calano. Not only will it be confusing, it'll be be disappointing knowing that I spent 2 years learning things wrong.

So two questions really:

1 - How much Valenciano/Catalan do they speak around the Alicante area?

2 - If I were to learn some Catalan, where could I find material? 

I've thought about listening to some radio based in Barcelona but I don't know where to find books or media in Catalan. :S

Can anyone share some advice?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Sirtravelot said:


> I still got, give or take, two years to prepare myself for Spain and I'm already noticing great strides in learning the language.
> 
> HOWEVER!
> 
> ...


do you mean alicante City or the Province?


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## Sirtravelot (Jul 20, 2011)

xabiachica said:


> do you mean alicante City or the Province?


Not sure yet.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Sirtravelot said:


> Not sure yet.


I can't speak for the city, but I'm in the province

ALL the locals (including my kids) speak Valenciano (_*never*_ say it's Catalán!) to each other... all the signs in public buildings - schools, doctors, hospitals, offices, libraries etc., are in Valenciano - they are sometimes in Castellano too, but not always......but it's surprisingly easy to read, especially if you speak any French or Spanish at all

however - they do all speak Castellano too, & don't expect us foreigners to learn Valenciano - they are usually just delighted if we learn some Castellano & make an effort to speak to them in that

you really don't need to learn Valenciano - it's no good to you outside the region anyway.....except in Cataluña - beacause it really is almost identical :tape2:

We've been here getting on for nearly 9 years - I don't speak Valenciano at all, but I have learned to read & understand a lot - mainly because my kids go to school here & the paperwork is in Valenciano!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Sirtravelot said:


> I'm not 100% sure whereabouts along the Spanish coast I'll be looking to move won't be to but I'm sure it won't be Andalucia


And just what is wrong with Andalucia apart from the fact that you'll have to learn Andalu? I much prefer it to having to put up with people who think it is great fun to waste good produce in tomato fights or waste money and materials making huge human puppet heads then setting light to them...


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## Sirtravelot (Jul 20, 2011)

xabiachica said:


> I can't speak for the city, but I'm in the province
> 
> ALL the locals (including my kids) speak Valenciano_ (*never* say it's Catalán!)_ to each other... all the signs in public buildings - schools, doctors, hospitals, offices, libraries etc., are in Valenciano - they are sometimes in Castellano too, but not always......but it's surprisingly easy to read, especially if you speak any French or Spanish at all
> 
> ...


Haha a friend of mine already told me this. They'll be majorly offended if you say it's the same as Catalan, but are they not really similar?

I'm just worried that if I find a job (cue in the laughtrack) whether I'll be disadvantaged if I don't understand Valenciano/Catalan speaking patients/costumers.



baldilocks said:


> And just what is wrong with Andalucia apart from the fact that you'll have to learn Andalu? I much prefer it to having to put up with people who think it is great fun to waste good produce in tomato fights or waste money and materials making huge human puppet heads then setting light to them...



Massive tomato food fight? That's every little boy's dream. Count me in!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Sirtravelot said:


> Haha a friend of mine already told me this. They'll be majorly offended if you say it's the same as Catalan, but are they not really similar?
> 
> I'm just worried that if I find a job (cue in the laughtrack) whether I'll be disadvantaged if I don't understand Valenciano/Catalan speaking patients/costumers.
> 
> ...


yes they are really really similar - so much so that some of the set reading books my dds have had have actually been in Catalán if there hasn't been a Valenciano translation

they reckon the two languages are as alike as British English & American English - essentially the same language, but with some different vocab

if I were you I'd concentrate on learning Castellano


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Sirtravelot said:


> Massive tomato food fight? That's every little boy's dream. Count me in!


Don't wear your best clothes ...










Tomatina - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## Sirtravelot (Jul 20, 2011)

Alcalaina said:


> Don't wear your best clothes ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Are they still doing that despite the crisis?



xabiachica said:


> yes they are really really similar - so much so that some of the set reading books my dds have had have actually been in Catalán if there hasn't been a Valenciano translation
> 
> they reckon the two languages are as alike as British English & American English - essentially the same language, but with some different vocab
> 
> if I were you I'd concentrate on learning Castellano


Cheers, will do that. Not like it's not difficult enough


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Sirtravelot said:


> Are they still doing that despite the crisis?


I can't imagine they wouldn't - it's going ahead this year


fiestas are part of the life-blood of Spanish people - they might get scaled back a bit......but cancelled - highly unlikely


we're just at the start of our San Juan fiesta here - it goes on for a couple of weeks

most of it is paid for by the peña members themselves, and it brings money into the town too

here's the timetable this year javeamigos.com | FOGUERES DE SANT JOAN 2012: Programme of Events

as you can see, there is a disco móvil or similar pretty much every night - entry is free & drinks cost 1€ for a shot/glass of wine/cañita


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Crisis, what crisis, have I missed something??


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## Sirtravelot (Jul 20, 2011)

xabiachica said:


> I can't imagine they wouldn't - it's going ahead this year
> 
> 
> fiestas are part of the life-blood of Spanish people - they might get scaled back a bit......but cancelled - highly unlikely
> ...


If only things were half as exciting over here. Crisis and all.


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## djfwells (Sep 28, 2009)

As Xabiachica has quite rightly said : Province or City ?
- Equally so, are you moving here with children or not (as the education system varies) - My 5 yr old daugter has been taught Valencian as her 1st language, and English as a Foreign language, yet struggles to keep up with her old man in Castillian


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## chrisnation (Mar 2, 2009)

*In the follwing order ...*



xabiachica said:


> I can't speak for the city, but I'm in the province
> 
> ALL the locals (including my kids) speak Valenciano (_*never*_ say it's Catalán!) to each other... all the signs in public buildings - schools, doctors, hospitals, offices, libraries etc., are in Valenciano - they are sometimes in Castellano too, but not always......but it's surprisingly easy to read, especially if you speak any French or Spanish at all
> 
> ...


My pal Fernando, a post-grad from Xativa, Valencia Province, told me that he regards himself as 1st: Valenciano. He speaks Valeniano with all his friends. 2nd: Spanish. He speaks Castillano with everybody else. 3rd: European. So he came over to UK to learn English for being European.

Valencia city has dual language official signage - a complete waste of money as there isn't a word on a sign in either language that is not perfectly clearly understood in the other - unlike the dual signage in Wales!

I met an Argentinian in Valencia city who moved there from Barcelona because as soon as she opened her mouth and the Barcas heard her Argentinian accent , they refused to speak to her in Castillano. But Brits speaking Castillano there are not subject to this, as far as I'm aware.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

chrisnation said:


> My pal Fernando, a post-grad from Xativa, Valencia Province, told me that he regards himself as 1st: Valenciano. He speaks Valeniano with all his friends. 2nd: Spanish. He speaks Castillano with everybody else. 3rd: European. So he came over to UK to learn English for being European.
> 
> Valencia city has dual language official signage - a complete waste of money as there isn't a word on a sign in either language that is not perfectly clearly understood in the other - unlike the dual signage in Wales!
> 
> I met an Argentinian in Valencia city who moved there from Barcelona because as soon as she opened her mouth and the Barcas heard her Argentinian accent , they refused to speak to her in Castillano. But Brits speaking Castillano there are not subject to this, as far as I'm aware.


I have a pal called Fernando too............ he's a lawyer from & in Jávea


he claims to not be able to remember how to speak Valenciano, although he can read signage (but then so can I) - his family speak to each other in Castellano.......... excaept his nephews who are under 10 - they study in Valenciano at school & use it in the playground & at home, too


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

chrisnation said:


> Valencia city has dual language official signage - a complete waste of money as there isn't a word on a sign in either language that is not perfectly clearly understood in the other - unlike the dual signage in Wales!


Look you Bach, what is wrong with Welsh? at least it is the normal alphabet! You try making things out in Greek, Russian, Arabic, etc....



chrisnation said:


> I met an Argentinian in Valencia city who moved there from Barcelona because as soon as she opened her mouth and the Barcas heard her Argentinian accent , they refused to speak to her in Castillano. But Brits speaking Castillano there are not subject to this, as far as I'm aware.


Not at all surprising with the way the Argies mangle any form of Spanish. As for Brits, the majority run away from any form of Spanish or any other foreign language and the same applies to the Dutch and Germans - we have a few in our village and I love it when I speak to them in Spanish they cast their eyes down and hurry on past without a word afraid that they will get caught up in a conversation in Spanish which they can't speak!!


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

baldilocks said:


> As for Brits, the majority run away from any form of Spanish or any other foreign language and the same applies to the Dutch and Germans - we have a few in our village and I love it when I speak to them in Spanish they cast their eyes down and hurry on past without a word afraid that they will get caught up in a conversation in Spanish which they can't speak!!


I'm just wondering why you would want to talk to another Brit in Spanish.
For me, when I find an English speaker to talk to I'm pleased. It means I can give my brain a rest!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Solwriter said:


> I'm just wondering why you would want to talk to another Brit in Spanish.
> For me, when I find an English speaker to talk to I'm pleased. It means I can give my brain a rest!


At the point when I speak to them initially in Spanish, I don't know what they are and I speak to everybody in Spanish, this is Spain after all and barely 2% of the village population is Brit so I assume that 97% of everybody I encounter is Spanish. The colouring of people is, unfortunately, no real guide since we have very blond(e) Spanish, South Americans, Moroccans who are just lightly tanned and also others that are really black and all of that lot speak Spanish. So far I haven't found any Patagonians here so I haven't had to dust off my Welsh. 

So far I have only had two people come up to me and say "are you English?", otherwise unless they know or hear me speaking to the dogs in English (they are bi-lingual so I maybe talking to them in Spanish or in English) the majority of people assume I am Spanish or Spanish-speaking.


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