Alguerese

Alguerese, also called Alguerès or Algherese Catalan, is a variety of the Catalan language spoken in Alghero (L’Alguer), a coastal city in Sardinia, Italy. It is considered a Catalan variety rather than a separate language by many linguists, though some scholars classify it as distinct due to its local features. It forms part of the wider Catalan language continuum and shares core Catalan grammar and vocabulary.

Origins of Alguerese trace to medieval times, when Catalan settlers established Alghero after Sardinia came under the Crown of Aragon. Over centuries, the variety developed a local identity and absorbed lexical elements from Sardinian and Italian while maintaining much of Catalan structure. It is mainly spoken in Alghero, with smaller communities in surrounding areas and among emigrants.

Linguistic profile: Alguerese retains much of Catalan phonology, morphology, and syntax, but exhibits distinctive features influenced by Sardinian and Italian. The vocabulary includes regional loanwords and calques that reflect local life, landscape, and history. Writing generally uses Catalan orthography, though local pronunciation can influence informal spellings in nonstandard texts.

Status and revival: Alguerese is considered endangered by language researchers and cultural advocates. Local associations, Catalan institutions, and some Sardinian schools promote its teaching and use in cultural events, signage, and media. Efforts focus on documentation, intergenerational transmission, and raising awareness of the variety as part of Sardinia’s linguistic heritage.

Relation to other languages: Alguerese sits within the Catalan-speaking zone of the western Mediterranean. While there is some mutual intelligibility with standard Catalan, differences in pronunciation and vocabulary mean that effective communication often benefits from bilingualism with Italian or Sardinian in everyday settings.