Language in Andorra

The Catalan Language: Official Language of Andorra

The Catalan language is one of the romance languages of Europe; like Spanish, French and Italian, the Catalan language is spoken by millions of people. However, the population of Catalan language speakers is not as widespread as Spanish language speakers, and the majority of Catalan language speakers are concentrated in a relatively small area of Europe.

Most Andorrans also speak Spanish, French or both. Andorra is one of only four European countries (together with France, Monaco, and Turkey) that have never signed the Council of Europe Framework Convention on National Minorities

 

• Which Countries Officially Speak the Catalan Language?

The Catalan language is spoken in many areas of Spain and some other parts of Europe.

Today, the Catalan language is the official language of:

•the Catalonia region of Spain, radiating outwards from Barcelona and including Valencia and part of Aragon
•the Balearic Islands
•Andorra (where it is the only one to be the official language)
•the south of France
•Alghero in Italy.

• The Origin of the Catalan Language

Like many of the romance languages of Europe, the Catalan language is derived from vulgar Latin, the language spoken by Roman soldiers, traders and peasants. The Catalan language begin its formation between the 8th and 10th centuries and by the 10th century the Catalan language was a separate language to Latin. The Catalan language was first known to appear in written form in the 12th century, most notably in Les Homilies d'Organya.

• The Rise and Decline in Popularity of the Catalan Language

The Catalan language experienced a rise in popularity throughout the 13th and 14th centuries when it became a common spoken language, through war victories, in many areas of the Mediterranean; at this time, the Catalan language was spoken in Majorca, Sicily, Valencia, Sardinia, Athens, Naples and Neopatria in the Peloponnese region.
The Catalan language began to decline in popularity in the 15th century when the Castilian and Aragonese crowns merged; furthermore, after the War of Spanish Succession (1705–1715), Spanish laws were imposed and all Catalan government organizations ceased to exist. It wasn't until the late 19th century, during the Catalan renaissance, that the Catalan language once again began to flourish in literary works.