catalã

Catalan (català) is a Romance language of the Western Mediterranean branch, part of the Occitano-Romance subgroup, closely related to Occitan and to the other Ibero-Romance languages. It has several dialectal varieties and a standardized literary form used across Catalan-speaking regions.

Geographic distribution and official status: Catalan is spoken in Catalonia, Valencia Community, and the Balearic Islands in Spain; in Andorra; in areas of northern Catalonia in what is known as Roussillon (southern France); in the Sardinian city of Alghero; and in diaspora communities around the world. In Spain, Catalan is co-official with Spanish in Catalonia, the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands; in Andorra it is the official language; in France it is recognized as a regional language in some areas but not official nationwide. Education and public administration are conducted in Catalan within the official regions.

Dialects and standardization: Dialects include Central Catalan, Valencian, Balearic, and Northwestern Catalan; standard Catalan is used in formal writing and media. The language is codified by the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC), which publishes normative grammar and orthography, with dictionaries and corpora available in resources such as Diccionari.cat and related publications used in education and administration.

History and status: Catalan emerged from Vulgar Latin in the eastern Pyrenees during the Middle Ages. It experienced a revival in the 19th century and gained institutional support in the late 20th century as regional autonomy expanded in Spain. Today, Catalan enjoys a strong presence in education, media, literature, and public life across its speech area.

Speakers: Estimates place the number of Catalan speakers at around 10 million, including native speakers and second-language users, with the majority concentrated in Spain, Andorra, and the Balearic Islands.