Catalan language
Catalan (/ˈkætələn, -æn/ KAT-ə-lən, -lan or /ˌkætəˈlæn/ KAT-ə-LAN; autonym: català, Eastern Catalan: [kətəˈla]), known in the Valencian Community and Carche as Valencian (autonym: valencià), is a Western Romance language. It is the official language of Andorra, and an official language of two autonomous communities in eastern Spain: Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. It is also an official language in Valencia, where it is called Valencian. It has semi-official status in the Italian comune of Alghero, and it is spoken in the Pyrénées-Orientales department of France and in two further areas in eastern Spain: the eastern strip of Aragon and the Carche area in the Region of Murcia. The Catalan-speaking territories are often called the Països Catalans or "Catalan Countries".
| Catalan | |
|---|---|
| Valencian | |
| català, valencià | |
| Pronunciation | [kətəˈla], [valensiˈa] |
| Native to | Andorra, France, Italy, Spain |
| Region | Europe |
| Ethnicity | Aragonese Balears Catalans Valencians Andorrans |
| Speakers | L1: 4.1 million (2012) L2: 5.1 million Total: 9.2 million |
Early forms | |
Standard forms | |
| Dialects |
|
| Latin (Catalan alphabet) Catalan Braille | |
| Signed Catalan | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Andorra Italy |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Regulated by | Institut d'Estudis Catalans Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | ca |
| ISO 639-2 | cat |
| ISO 639-3 | cat |
| Glottolog | stan1289 |
| Linguasphere | 51-AAA-e |
Territories where Catalan/Valencian is spoken and is official Territories where Catalan/Valencian is spoken but is not official Territories where Catalan/Valencian is not historically spoken but is official | |
Standard Catalan is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
The language evolved from Vulgar Latin in the Middle Ages around the eastern Pyrenees. Nineteenth-century Spain saw a Catalan literary revival, culminating in the early 1900s.