La Plataforma per la Llengua (the Pro-Language Platform) is a non-governmental organisation born in 1993 in Barcelona, in order to defend and promote the Catalan language all over the Catalan-speaking territories in the European states where it is spoken: Spain, France, Andorra and Italy. Their activities include the development of sociolinguistic studies and a constant monitoring on the status of Catalan, in collaboration with other organizations, foundations and public agencies. While based in Barcelona, it has delegations in Valencian Community, Alghero and in several Catalan regions. Moreover, La Plataforma per la Llengua works together with some Northern Catalonia, La Franja, Andorra and Balearic Islands organisations. There are many aims; one of them is to guarantee the linguistic rights of Catalan-speaking people and the use of Catalan as a connexion tool in the fields and territories where it is spoken.
As of 2022, there were 25,000 associates, more than 55,000 followers on Facebook and more than 66,000 followers on Twitter. Also, every six months, the NGO publishes a magazine called Corbella whose print run is 9,000 copies. In 2008, this magazine was awarded a prize for being the best cultural association media. The prize was awarded by the Federació d’Ateneus de Catalunya.
The Association is supported by a consultative council consisting of Salvador Cardús, Jordi Font, Josep M. López Llaví, Albert Manent, Isidor Marí, Fèlix Martí, Jordi Porta, Jordi Sànchez, Josep Mª Terricabras, Miquel Sellarès, Vicenç Villatoro, Isabel-Clara Simó, Miquel Strubell, Patrícia Gabancho and Abelard Saragossà.
On 23 September 2012, Martí Gasull i Roig, one of the organisation's founders and the main Plataforma per la Llengua coordinator, died in an accident on a mountain (Manaslu), in Nepal. Martí Gasull i Roig work's has been appreciated many times. On 9 October 2012, Generalitat de Catalunya awarded him the posthumous title of Creu de Sant Jordi. Among posthumous prizes there are: Premi d’Obra Cultural Balear Aina Moll i Marquès a la nit de la Cultura 2012, 'El Segador de l'any' by Reagrupament, UEC and Gràcia and Barcelona local government plens municipals recognition and the Barcelona local government Medalla d'Or al Mèrit Cultural. On 15 January 2013, Plataforma per la Llengua honoured Martí Gasull Roig in the Sala Gran del Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, in Barcelona. It approved the Premi Martí Gasull i Roig basis in order to award a person or an organisation that has highlighted in the defence of Catalan language once a year.
Mission of the Organisation
This is the mission as defined by the organisation:
Articulate Catalan as the common language of social cohesion and of interrelationship between all the people of the linguistic area. Guarantee and promote the use of the Catalan language in all these areas. Promote the linguistic and cultural rights of the persons who speak Catalan and of those who live to the territories of Catalan speech, with regard to this language. Stimulate and collaborate in campaigns of linguistic normalization of the Catalan language. Address problems that affect the Catalan society, always and especially when they contribute to the improvement of the use of Catalan. The Association wishes to represent Catalan civil society and to reactivate this society in the world of the linguistic activism.
Action areas
Linguistic reception. Catalan language promotion as an inclusion tool to immigrants and people who don't speak Catalan. Public Administration. Campaigns to get legal and political Catalan recognition, specially in order to become Catalan in an official state language and European Union official language. Culture and audiovisual. Campaigns in favour of the cinema and the media in Catalan. Learning and university. Campaigns to encourage Catalan learning and the right to learn in at School. Business and consumption. Defend the consumer rights to get products and services in Catalan Games and spare time. Campaigns for children and teenagers to get products and services in Catalan. Place names. Catalan place names standardisation in indications, documents and web pages. Linguistic consciousness. Sensitivity campaigns about linguistic rights.
History
La Plataforma per la Llengua was formed in 1993. The first public action was collecting 18,000 Coca-Cola tins, which was a score, in Plaça de Catalunya, in Barcelona, 12 December 1993. The goal was asking for Catalan business tagging. A draw that said "Etiquetem en català" (Let's tag in Catalan) was made with all the collected tins. Since then, some more campaigns took place in tagging area, cinema and in the Catalan recognition.