Catalan (català)

Catalan is a Romance language spoken by about 12 million people. It is the official language of Andorra and an official language, along with Spanish, in Catalonia (Catalunya), Valencia (Comunitat Valenciana), the Balearic Islands and the Sardinian city of Alghero (l'Alguer). It is also spoken in parts of Aragon and Murcia, Rousillon (Rosselló) in southern France, though has no official status.

The language of Valencia is known as Valencian, which some Valencians argue is a separate language. Most linguists view it as a variety of Catalan.

Catalan appeared as a distinct language during the 10th and 11th centuries. During the 12th century, Catalan began to appear in writing in scientific, philosophical, financial, religious, legal, literary and historical documents. At that time, Latin and Provençal were the preferred languages for literary and philosophical texts.

After the War of the Spanish Succession (1705-1715), Philip V abolished all the government institutions then existing in Catalonia and implemented Spanish laws. Catalan went through various periods of prohibition and even of repression.

In the 19th century, a period of economic, cultural and national recovery began, known as the Renaixença (Renaissance). Catalan was reborn as the language of literary culture through the Jocs Florals (Floral Games - a poetry contest) and through distinguished figures such as Jacint Verdaguer, Narcís Oller and Àngel Guimerà.

The Renaixença raised awareness of the lack of unity in the use of the language (there was no model for a common written language) and of the need to draw up rules on spelling. The founding of the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (Institute of Catalan Studies) in 1907 led to the language being codified through the publication of Normes ortogràfiques (Spelling Rules) in 1913, the Diccionari ortogràfic (Spelling Dictionary) in 1917, and the Gramàtica catalana (Catalan Grammar) by Pompeu Fabra in 1918.

During the first 30 years of the 20th century, Catalonia went through a period of political fervour, culminating in the recovery of a degree of political power in the Generalitat (the Government of Catalonia) during the 1930s. During the Second Republic (1931-1939), Catalan was restored to its official language status, which it had lost in the 18th century.

However, this promising future was checked by the Civil War and its consequences. The use of Catalan in public was forbidden and the language retreated into the home.

Ever since the restoration of democratic institutions, there has been a process to re-establish the use of Catalan. It is now a co-official language, along with Spanish, in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, and is widely used an everyday language throughout Catalonia, Valencia, Andorrra and the Balearic Islands. Catalan is used as a medium of instruction in many schools, it is also used extensively in the media and in government.

Catalan alphabet
A a	B b	C c	Ç ç	D d	E e	F f	G g	H h
a	be	ce	ce trencada	de	e	efa	ge	hac
I i	J j	K k	L l	M m	N n	O o	P p	Q q
i	jota	ke	ela	ema	ena	o	pe	cu
R r	S s	T t	U u	V v	W w	X x	Y y	Z z
erre	esse	te	u	ve baixa	ve doble	ics, xeix	i grega	zeta

Catalan pronunciation

Sample text

Tots els éssers humans neixen lliures i iguals en dignitat i en drets. Són dotats de raó i de consciència, i han de comportar-se fraternalment els uns amb els altres.

Recordings of this text by:
Sergi Giménez Palomo from Barcelona
Margarita Gracia Sanz from Valencia

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Tower of Babel in Catalan | Useful phrases in Catalan

Catalan language learning material