Were Catalan, Basque and Galician banned under Franco?

Banned, then official

In the early years of Franco's dictatorship these languages were shut out of school and public life; Castilian was the only official language and teachers who taught in the others could be punished. People spoke them at home, quietly. Over the decades the rules grew less strict, and after Franco's death the 1978 Constitution and the regional statutes made them official in their regions.

The Constitution's third article also says that the richness of Spain's different linguistic forms is a cultural heritage that deserves special respect and protection.

• During Franco's dictatorship, 1939–1975, the regional languages were kept out of school and public life, most harshly in the first years; people spoke them at home.
• The 1978 Constitution recognised them as official languages in their regions, and calls the diversity of Spain's linguistic forms a cultural heritage to be especially respected and protected.

La gente las hablaba en casa, en voz baja.

People spoke them at home, quietly.

La Constitución de 1978 las reconoció como lenguas oficiales en sus regiones.

The Constitution of 1978 recognised them as official languages in their regions.