Spain is filled with dozens of cities that are well known for their unique culture, politics, architecture, history, and more. Barcelona, Madrid, and Seville are chock-full of rich history and unique differences. One of the most distinct cities of the three, is Barcelona.
Known as the capital of Catalonia (a region in Spain), Barcelona is more associated with Catalonia, than Spain itself. “Barcelonians” (or should I say “Catalonians”) speak both Catalan and Spanish as their offical langauges.
Catalan is a romance language that first appeared in the 10th century. During the reign of Philip V in Spain, the Catalan language was prohibited and Spanish language and laws were implemented. During the 19th Century (the Renaissance), Catalan made it’s appearance again not only in the Catalonia culture, but also in literary works, such as poetry.
Catalan was finally recognized as an official language in the 1930’s but soon retreated back into hibernation during the Spanish Civil War. Currently, the Catalan language is used as an official language, along with Spanish in Catalonia. What a hodgepodge of a language!
Catalan sounds more like French than Spanish, and can be heard in parts of France, Italy, and Spain.
Check out a Catalonia newspaper, AVUI.
Words and Phrases in Catalan taken from http://www.easycatalan.com/easycatalan/First_words.html:
Hello: Hola (Ok, so that one is the same in Spanish)
Bye: Adéu (Aha! Different than Spanish and more like French)
Good morning: Bon dia
Please: Si us plau (Wow, that one is a dead ringer for French)
To view the Catalan alphabet and more history on the language, visit Omniglot, a website comprised of languages of the world.
Want to visit Barcelona? You can find some great hotels, restaurants, and things to do on the New York Posts’ tourist information section.
Tags: Barcelona, Catalan Language, Catalonia, romance language, Spain
