Evolution of the Catalan Language: From Vulgar Latin to Modern Standard
Evolution of the Catalan Language
Origins and Development
Romanian and Romani Influence
Catalan’s roots lie in Vulgar Latin (Lazio), brought by the Romans to Tarragona and Andalusia around 218 BC. Pre-Roman languages, including Iberian, Basque, Greek, and Phoenician, formed a substrate, influencing the developing language.
From Latin to Catalan
The transition from Latin to Catalan involved a superstrate influence from Germanic and Arabic languages. Catalan emerged as a distinct language between the 8th and 9th centuries, solidified by the Council of Tours in 813, which recognized the language’s strength in Urgell.
Formation, Expansion, and Consolidation
Context: 12th-15th Centuries
The union of Aragon and Barcelona in 1137 under Ramon Berenguer IV marked a period of expansion for the Catalan crown, including the annexation of Valencia, Sicily, Sardinia, and the Duchy of Athens. The death of Martin of Aragon, without an heir, led to the union of the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile through the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella.
First Catalan Texts
The first Catalan texts appeared in the first half of the 12th century. Early examples include the Liber Iudicorum and the Homilies d’Organyà, the first Catalan prose.
Ramon Llull (13th-14th Centuries)
Ramon Llull established Catalan literary prose with works like Ars Amatoria. His innovative syntax, complex lexicon, and creation of “strange words” derived from Latin solidified his place as a cornerstone of Catalan literature.
Historical Prose: Chronicles
Chronicles represent the oldest historical texts in Catalan. Four prominent authors include Bernard Desclot, James I (Llibre dels fets), Ramon Muntaner, and Peter IV of Aragon.
The Occitan Influence
The Occitan language of the troubadours exerted significant political, economic, and cultural influence on Catalonia. This adstrate influence eventually diminished, with Catalan asserting its dominance.
Royal Chancellery
Established by James I in the mid-13th century, the Royal Chancellery formalized administrative documents in Catalan. Peter of Aragon further solidified its use in 1344. The Ars Dictandi, a medieval writing style, influenced the development of a standardized Catalan.
15th Century Expansion
By the 15th century, Catalan was widely used throughout Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and Valencia. However, the arrival of the Trastámara dynasty marked a decline in Catalan’s prominence.
Linguistic Crisis (16th-18th Centuries)
Context: 16th and 17th Centuries
The death of Ferdinand II and the subsequent reign of Charles I brought a uniformist policy favoring Spanish. This led to the Catalan Revolt (1640-52).
Internal Crisis
Spanish gradually gained ground through use by the monarchy and aristocracy. The rise of printing furthered the spread of Spanish texts.
Context: 18th Century
The War of the Spanish Succession (1705-14) resulted in the Nueva Planta decrees, suppressing Catalan as an official language in justice and education.
Renaissance (19th Century)
The 19th century saw a revival of Catalan literature, beginning with Aribau’s “Ode to the Fatherland” in 1833. Authors like Guimerà, Verdaguer, and Rubio i Ors further contributed to this resurgence.
Ideology and Language Use
Initially embraced by the bourgeoisie, Catalan gained political traction from 1850 onwards.
Language Studies
The need for a standardized Catalan emerged, leading to efforts like the First International Congress of the Catalan Language in 1906 and the establishment of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans (IEC) in 1907.
Standardization Process
Pompeu Fabra played a crucial role in standardizing Catalan orthography, grammar, and lexicon, culminating in the Diccionari General de la Llengua Catalana in 1932.
The 20th Century
Early 20th Century
The early 20th century saw the establishment of the Commonwealth of Catalonia (1914-1925) and the Second Spanish Republic (1931-1939).
Pompeu Fabra’s Linguistic Reforms
Fabra’s reforms considered the historical language, living variations, and the laws of linguistic evolution. He created new words, borrowed from Classical Latin, and purged barbarisms.