Video of Alcoy students reopens the Valencian language row in Spain
A viral video of students in Alcoy, Spain, preparing for the PAU university entrance exam shows them all speaking Spanish. The row over the city's real everyday language erupts.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Video of Alcoy students sparks language controversy
It is the image some did not want to see and others had been eagerly waiting for: a group of students from Alcoy preparing for the PAU (or EBAU, depending on the province) appears in a video speaking Spanish, many wearing Spain national team shirts. Only at the end does one of them come out with a few sentences in Valencian, forced, according to some interpretations. The video, shared on Instagram and titled "In Alcoy they speak Spanish", has peine the debate about the real language on the streets of this Alicante-province city.
Normalization or provocation?
For some, the video proves that Spanish is the mother tongue of Alcoy's young people, despite Valencian-language immersion in schools. "All the students speak Spanish", they stress. Others, however, claim the students have a Valencian accent and speak the co-official language at home. The argument has moved to social media, where irony, insults and die-hard defence of each position all mix together.
The PAU 2026 context
The video coincides with the 2026 PAU (or EBAU), the exam that marks entry to university. The reference to "mañaquito rubio" and the protagonist's perfect hair have even generated memes, but the underlying issue is the linguistic tension that persists in the Valencian Community, where Valencian is co-official but its actual use varies enormously.
No data, only perceptions
The debate lacks any figures on Valencian use among Alcoy's young people. The only concrete thing is the video: images each side interprets in its own favour. While some see the normalization of Spanish, others denounce a staged setup. The question left hanging is whether this kind of content reflects a real trend or is simply a viral anecdote.
Related debates in the forum
It is the image some did not want to see and others had been eagerly waiting for: a group of students from Alcoy preparing for the PAU (or EBAU, depending on the province) appears in a video speaking Spanish, many wearing Spain national team shirts. Only at the end does one of them come out with a few sentences in Valencian, forced, according to some interpretations. The video, shared on Instagram and titled "In Alcoy they speak Spanish", has peine the debate about the real language on the streets of this Alicante-province city.
Normalization or provocation?
For some, the video proves that Spanish is the mother tongue of Alcoy's young people, despite Valencian-language immersion in schools. "All the students speak Spanish", they stress. Others, however, claim the students have a Valencian accent and speak the co-official language at home. The argument has moved to social media, where irony, insults and die-hard defence of each position all mix together.
The PAU 2026 context
The video coincides with the 2026 PAU (or EBAU), the exam that marks entry to university. The reference to "mañaquito rubio" and the protagonist's perfect hair have even generated memes, but the underlying issue is the linguistic tension that persists in the Valencian Community, where Valencian is co-official but its actual use varies enormously.
No data, only perceptions
The debate lacks any figures on Valencian use among Alcoy's young people. The only concrete thing is the video: images each side interprets in its own favour. While some see the normalization of Spanish, others denounce a staged setup. The question left hanging is whether this kind of content reflects a real trend or is simply a viral anecdote.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (40 replies).
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