Richard’s Rendezvous Stand up and be counted

My respectful suggestion is to take a look in the mirror with hand on heart and try - in some cases as difficult as it may be - to separate politics from the reality of living next to a politically hostile neighbour, but the country itself, its people and the fact our heritage is not just British but also very much linked to that country - namely Spain, there, right next door - is also very much in our veins and therefore in our past and still in our present also. In one word, yes, Spain.

One question to ask right from the start. Where do our Spanish surnames come from? There are many. Norway? Austria? Croatia? Or do a great number of them come from Spain? Hence Martinez, Perez, Alvarez, Lopez, Santos and I could go on and on. I could continue, couldn’t I? Like it or not, that is a fact.
When the Anglo/Dutch forces took Gibraltar in the very early 18th century, Spaniards living on the Rock fled to the hinterland, San Roque and other surrounding towns.

But, as I read somewhere, about 60 or 70 families remained here and it is obvious links with many of those who fled (presuming, I guess, they thought they were going to be slaughtered by the occupying forces) continued, with some returning and eventually marrying into the growing population of British and other nationalities beginning to flock to the Rock seeking work to service the thousands of military personnel arriving to defend and secure the Rock from a potential attack or even, invasion.

With the very many Genoese arriving here seeking work and a new life, Genoese, or some form or dialect of the Italian language, was spoken to a great degree, I’m told, but as we all know that practice clearly faded, as happened with the Maltese language later on.

But yes, it’s true, Genoese or Italian, and the Maltese names remained to the present as has been the case with the ever increasing surnames now part of the Gibraltar population up to the present day, and still surnames other than English and dare I say, Spanish, have been on the up and up, producing what I describe as the quirky make-up of the Gibraltarian which is what we are.

Not English nor Spanish or any other nationality but Gibraltarian, which is our very own. But that, however, does not and cannot detract from the fact Gibraltar is situated on the tip of the Iberian Peninsula (for many, saying we’re on the southern tip of Spain is an abomination).

So what brings me to write about all this in this fortnight’s column? Well, it’s the latest in the never-ending saga for so many of us, denying, or attempting to, the fact that there is a strong connection with our Spanish neighbours, not least through family ties.

I have always maintained, yes, English is, as we all know and accept, our official tongue but Spanish is our street language for more than 95 per cent of Gibraltarian speakers.

Even I, who spoke English at home - although my parents were both Gibraltarian, my dad was something of an Anglophile and so we spoke English in the home – spoke Spanish in the street with my friends or anyone else I spoke to unless they were English or some other nationality.

It was the norm to speak English in school and Spanish outside.

I consider Spanish still is our street language right up to the present day although our youngsters only speak English these days, and for some years now, and it’s also true that many other young adults and older members of community break into English more than in the past, so called ‘code-switching’.

But if you walk around listening to our day-to-day chat, you will notice Spanish is the spoken word in the main.

But, if we consider the past when much less English was spoken and practically everyone communicated in Spanish, Main Street was always, and even today, ‘la Calle Rea,’ not even ‘Real.’ We never pronounce the L.

‘El Ayrish Tawn’ and the very often mentioned, ‘Calle Comedia.’ Who on earth calls it by its proper name, Castle Street? Many don’t even know what it’s called and some of the ones that refer to it in English call it Castle Steps - for obvious reasons, but those are further up - or Castle Ramp which is at the top if you turn left.

We also have ‘La Cue’htal Rock Otel’ and, in days gone by, rarely called Europa Road, and there’s so many other examples.

I notice however, although the Quarry is written phonetically as el Qwari, which is absolutely right when pronounced, Flat Bastion Road, to my mind, isn’t written correctly on the plaque. It’s la Quehta Mihte Von, and not La Cuesta Mr Vaughan. Who in Gibraltar reads and pronounces it like that?

So those little flaws apart, my question is, why are some so against those new Llanito, or Yanito, street signs being installed, especially as we are now endeavouring to promote our distinct Gibraltarian-ness more and more? Why not this latest effort?

Seems like a contradiction, doesn’t it?

Why aren’t we against our Gibraltarian flag, handed to the British by Queen Isabela of Spain? Yes, the key was added showing we are the key to the Mediterranean.

Why is it ok to have so many Barcelona and Real Madrid football fans - perhaps even more than Manchester United and Liverpool followers? I wouldn’t know, not into sports.

TV programmes Operacion Triunfo and El Gran Hermano, weren’t they watched more closely and talked about by our local ladies over coffee the next day more than their UK equivalents?

Let’s not be blinded by facts.

Be confident and sure of who you are, and explain when needed, when asked, who a Gibraltarian is. Is he English, Spanish?

Start off by saying, neither. Then go on, self-confidently. It will take longer to explain than if you say, for example, you are from Paris, there’s no more to be said, you are French, but coming from this tiny Rock of ours not everyone has heard of, takes longer to explain.

Be confident, and do it and don’t just say we’re British, yes, that’s our nationality but we are Gibraltarian – stick to that.

Bueno me voy pa’l staydium, que hoy huega el prinsi way con el gibrolta junaytee!

Observations.

Why oh why can’t all hoardings be kept looking decent like this one? Some developments take longer than others to complete and are left looking in a right mess.

And something here needs to move. The positioning of planters by the courts leading to the narrow walkway to Convent Place needs rethinking. It’s a bottleneck during busy periods and when cruise ships and other tourists are in town it really gets blocked.

Just two for you this time, don’t want to tax your brain. See you!