Catalan
Language · official in 1 country
By the 9th century Catalan had grown out of Vulgar Latin on both sides of the eastern Pyrenees, and in the late Middle Ages it was a language of government across the Mediterranean. Andorra has always had it as the sole official language. In Spain it shares official status with Spanish in three regions, and in Valencia it is called Valencian.
The language on record
- Own name
- català
- ISO 639-1
- CA
- ISO 639-3
- CAT
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Romance
- Official in
- 1 country
Where Catalan is official
Andorra, the one sovereign state where Catalan is official, alone and throughout its history. Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencia and Alghero give it regional standing, which this list does not count.
About Catalan
When Catalan was a language of government
The Royal Chancery of the Crown of Aragon spread a highly standardised Catalan in the late Middle Ages. It was an official language in Sicily until the 15th century and in Sardinia until the 17th, and Alghero in Sardinia was resettled with Catalan speakers in the 14th century. Valencia became the cultural centre of the Crown by the 15th. Ramon Llull, the poet Ausiàs March and Martorell's novel Tirant lo Blanc of 1490 belong to this period, and the first book printed with movable type in the Iberian Peninsula was in Catalan.
After the War of the Spanish Succession ended in 1714, laws imposed Spanish in legal documents throughout Spain, and Catalan declined through the 18th century.
How Catalan recovered twice
A literary revival, the Renaixença, began with Aribau's Ode to the Homeland in 1833. Catalan spelling was standardised in 1913, and the language became official under the Second Spanish Republic of 1931 to 1939. The dictatorship of 1939 to 1975 abolished that status and banned Catalan from schools and public administration. Printing in Catalan almost stopped between 1939 and 1943, the first Catalan television programme was broadcast in 1964 and the first Catalan daily since the Civil War, Avui, appeared in 1976. After the transition to democracy of 1975 to 1982, Catalan became a language of administration, schooling and the media again.
What Catalan and Valencian mean
Western Catalan covers North-Western Catalan and Valencian; the eastern block has Central Catalan, Balearic, Roussillonese and Algherese. In the Valencian Community speakers often call the language valencià, and use the name both for their own varieties and for the language as a whole. Two bodies regulate the two standards, the Institut d'Estudis Catalans and the Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua, and each dictionary records both senses of the name.
How Andorra uses Catalan
Andorra has always had Catalan as its sole official language, and since the constitution of 1993 it has added policies in its favour, among them schooling in Catalan. In daily life Andorra is bilingual in practice, with Spanish and French beside Catalan.
Common questions
Questions about Catalan
Are Catalan and Valencian the same language?
They are two names for varieties of one language, used in Catalonia and in the Valencian Community. Each has its own regulating institution, and Valencians also use Valencian for the language as a whole.
Where does the name Catalan come from?
From Catalonia, a name of disputed origin. The main theory derives it from Gothia, 'land of the Goths', through forms such as Gothlandia and Gothalania. English has recorded Catalan as a language name since at least 1652.
When was Catalan spelling standardised?
In 1913.