The impact of English on local languages: The case of Catalan universities

Abstract This article deals with the somehow complex equilibrium of languages used in Catalonia, with a particular analysis of the role of English vis‐a‐vis the national language (Spanish) and the regional official language (Catalan). A discussion of the supremacy of standard languages over local ones in modern history, followed by an account of the increasing role and presence of English as the global lingua franca, gives way to a detailed analysis of how English is penetrating tertiary education in Catalonia, and how Catalan resists (or fails to) the double pressure of English and Spanish for usage in academic public spaces. The article concludes by giving an account of how the complex situation of such a multilingual ecosystem is dealt with by different agents that may take a role in determining language policy and language‐related decisions at the public level.