Why the Spanish language is losing ground in Gibraltar

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 Thursday, September 12, 2019 - 09:31

Younger generations are using English almost exclusively, a fact educators blame partly on social media.

Guy Olivero can quote entire passages from Cervantes’ Don Quijote and works by Shakespeare with equal ease. He reads, speaks and enjoys both Spanish and English, like many other citizens of Gibraltar. His real passion, though, is the work of Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, which he reads out to school children on both sides of the border separating Spain from the British overseas territory. 

My mother says she thinks in Spanish, but I think in English, he said.

Children in Gibraltar are losing their interest in Spanish and “Facebook is to blame,” says Guy, noting that kids no longer spend as much time playing on the streets as they used to. “Children haven’t been using Spanish for a long time now,” confirms Olivero, the retired owner of a bar on Casemates Square. - El Pais

12-09-2019 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR