▁throughout ▁history ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁volume ▁of ▁people ▁and ▁ge ographic ▁distances ▁involved . ▁ ▁Us age ▁of ▁term ▁and ▁disc rim ination ▁during ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century ▁ ▁This ▁wave ▁of ▁imm igration ▁led ▁to ▁a ▁new ▁rise ▁in ▁x en oph ob ia ▁in ▁Catal onia , ▁with ▁the ▁general ization ▁of ▁the ▁der og atory ▁term ▁" x arn ego " ▁( Ch arn ego , ▁in ▁Spanish ), ▁to ▁refer ▁to ▁these ▁new ▁Catal ans . ▁The ▁term , ▁originally ▁meaning ▁" m ong rel ", ▁was ▁histor ically ▁used ▁in ▁southern ▁France ▁to ▁refer ▁to ▁French ▁people ▁mixed ▁with ▁Spanish / C atal an ▁her itage . ▁Upon ▁its ▁introduction ▁in ▁Catal onia , ▁it ▁referred ▁to ▁imm igr ants ▁from ▁non - C atal an ▁speaking ▁regions ▁of ▁Spain ▁- ▁in ▁other ▁words , ▁a ▁foreign er ▁to ▁Catal onia . ▁Event ually ▁it ▁also ▁took ▁on ▁a ▁lingu istic ▁sense ▁referring ▁to ▁those ▁Catal ans ▁who ▁do ▁not ▁speak ▁Catal an , ▁without ▁losing ▁its ▁eth nic , ▁and ▁class ist ▁con not ations . ▁The ▁Catal an ▁language ▁thus ▁became ▁an ▁important ▁criter ion ▁to ▁distinguish ▁between ▁" th em " ▁( the ▁imm igr ants ) ▁and ▁" us " ▁( the ▁Catal ans ). ▁Francis cos ▁Cand el ▁describes ▁the ▁situation ▁in ▁" Los ▁otros ▁catal anes ▁( 1 9 6 4 ) ▁and ▁later ▁defines ▁himself ▁as ▁a ▁Ch arn ego ▁in ▁the ▁sen ate ▁( 1 9 7 9