Where The Streets Have Two Names

In Pollensa town there is a street which, only a few metres apart, has two street signs. They differ in two ways; they were clearly put up on separate occasions as their appearance is not the same, while the name itself differs. Pius XI and Pío XI.

Pope Pius XI didn't think much of the Spanish Republican movement, demanding that it backtrack on its anti-clericalism. He got his wish when Franco took over.

In that Catalanism was associated with Republicanism, it might seem odd that nowadays the Pope at the time of the Civil War is recognised at all, be it in the form of a street name or in any other way. But Catalanism and the Catalan language don't have to mean the same thing; there were plenty of Catalan speakers who were pro-Franco and pro-Church. And where the Church is concerned, there still are.

The street name reflects the tussle for supremacy between Catalan and Castilian. Pius is Catalan; Pío is Castilian. Having two street signs so close together seems like a compromise, but they are there not because of compromise but because of the changing complexion of Mallorca's and Pollensa's politics in recent times.

As things stand, and despite the two languages both being official languages, official names are Catalan. The Balearic Government intends to change this. Names will be both Catalan and Castilian, and this won't just mean street and road names. It will also mean towns. In Pollensa, therefore, you would end up with Carrer Pius XI being in Pollença and Calle Pío XI being in Pollensa. At least they have a head start in Pollensa (Pollença) as they already have those separate signs.

Official or not, the two languages already mingle. Even where a street may physically have a Catalan name plate (assuming there is one at all), it is more than likely to be known by its Castilian version, or vice versa. Maps tend not to help. Indeed they tend to add to the confusion as they mix up Catalan and Castilian names within one town. There again, this can be the case anyway.

Does it really matter though? To the outsider, i.e. Brits and others, it probably all seems like a fuss about nothing. But it's not as if the use of two languages doesn't occur elsewhere. Take Wales for example. There is a very big difference, however, and that is that Welsh and English are totally different; Catalan and Castilian very often are not.

It obviously does matter to some. There is a sign post for Cala Rajada on which someone has scrawled a T. Cala Rajada or Cala Ratjada? Which is which? I think the version with a T is Castilian, if a Facebook page "Cala Ratjada con T" is anything to go by. I think, but I honestly couldn't care less. The person who operates the page clearly does care, as the page's "mission" is "the historic memory of T".

The government is of course following a line that could have been expected. It wants to "castellanizar" everything, but while there are issues, such as education and the language of teaching, that are important, can the same be said for street names or towns? And what might it end up costing, assuming that official documents and signs have to be re-done? Would this be, in the current economic climate, a wise way to spend money?

The proposed new law wouldn't mean new signs going up overnight. That would be too simple. Individual town halls would have to agree to there being changes and then the Council of Mallorca (and the Councils in Menorca and Ibiza as well) would have to determine the names of towns and of highways that connect towns, while changes to street names would require consultation with the university.

It all sounds like a recipe for chaos, but the government would assume that there won't be too much opposition to its proposal, given that most local authorities are PP-run. But what about those which aren't?

More than what the town halls might think, there is how the public at large might react. Many, by which I mean Mallorcan people, will probably be indifferent to the whole issue. It will just be another example of politicians mucking around, and so they will shrug their shoulders. But there will be those who won't be so resigned to the introduction of Castilian. The regional government, and the same applies to national government, really do have more important issues to worry about. Why go around potentially creating antagonism over something as unimportant? Or am I missing the point? It really is important. With or without T.


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.