When did Catalonia become a language?

The Catalan language originated from Vulgar Latin in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain. It diverged from the other Romance languages in the 9th century. At that time, Catalan spread quickly throughout the Iberian peninsula when the Catalan counts conquered Muslim territory.

Is the Basque language related to any other?

Linguistically, Basque is a language isolate (unrelated to any other existing languages). The Basques are indigenous to, and primarily inhabit, the Basque Country. The Basque language is spoken by 28.4\% (751,500) of Basques in all territories.

Are there Catalans in France?

The current official category of “Catalans” is that of the citizens of Catalonia, an autonomous community in Spain and the inhabitants of the Roussillon historical region in southern France, today the Pyrénées Orientales department, also called Northern Catalonia and Pays Catalan in French.

What percentage of the population of Catalonia speaks Catalan?

According to a 2019 survey by the Catalan government, 31.5\% of the inhabitants of Catalonia have Catalan as first language at home whereas 52.7\% have Spanish, 2.8\% both Catalan and Spanish and 10.8\% other languages.

Are there any Catalan speakers in the United States?

While there were without a doubt Galician- and Basque- speaking settlers (since Catalan was not spoken in Castile, Catalan speakers would have been very rare) in the first waves of Castillian immigration to the Americas they were still a drop in the bucket of Spanish speakers.

Why did the Catalan language decline in Spain?

In addition to the loss of prestige for Catalan and the prohibition of its use in schools, migration during the 1950s into Catalonia from other parts of Spain also contributed to the diminished use of the language. These migrants were often unaware of the existence of Catalan, and thus felt no need to learn or use it.

Is Catalonia’s independence from Spain a good idea?

On September 27th, the Catalan Parliament approved the holding of a referendum on independence from Spain. Critics of independence argue that Catalonia’s interests are better represented by remaining a part of Spain, and point to the current economic uncertainty as further reason for caution.