catalán
( f catalana )adjetivo & sustantivo masculino, sustantivo femenino
Catalan, Catalonian
catalán
sustantivo masculino
[lengua] Catalan
| Catalán |
| Catalan is one of several official languages in Spain in addition to Castilian Spanish. Like Spanish ( castellano) and Galician ( gallego) it developed from late Latin. It is spoken by about six million people in Catalonia in northeastern Spain. Close relatives of Catalan are spoken in the Balearic Islands ( mallorquín) and the Valencian region ( valenciano), though whether they are dialects of Catalan or separate languages remains an issue of political as much as linguistic controversy. Catalonia's economic development in the latter part of the 19th century encouraged a renaissance in the use of the language as a literary medium. During Franco's dictatorship (1939-75), Catalan was effectively banned for official purposes, but it continued to be used in everyday life as well as in literature. Since the return of democracy, Catalonia's regional government has promoted Catalan as the official language for use in education and public administration. |
