Barcelona what do they speak

Visit Barcelona. Barcelona Convention Bureau. About us. Catalonia has its own language: Catalan. Catalan is a language in its own right.

It does not derive from Spanish, or even from French, even though many people say that Catalan sounds like a mixture of both. Catalan evolved directly from common Latin. It is said that the Spanish language in its most original form comes from there. For foreign students, the Castilian Spanish accent is the easiest kind to understand. This is because every letter and sound in Castilian Spanish is carefully pronounced, as opposed to, for example, Andalusian Spanish, where letters or even whole syllables are sometimes dropped, making it hard for beginners to understand the regional native accent.

Some Catalan speakers consider Spanish their first language, and Catalan the second. In a very small number of cases, Catalan speakers speak no other languages at all, not even Spanish. Because the region of Catalonia has two official languages, you will see Catalan alongside Spanish on road signs, in shop advertisements and in the media. Through education and active promotion Catalan people are encouraged to speak the language in order to keep it alive.

Having said all that, Spanish is also an official language in Catalonia, because, of course, the region is part of Spain.

In the specific case of Catalan, there are several organisations that offer free beginner's courses, in the classroom and online. Another resource is the Parla. The program Voluntariat per la Llengua VxL is a program aimed to practice Catalan through conversation.

It is based on the creation of linguistic pairs formed by a volunteer, who speaks fluent Catalan, and an apprentice, who has basic knowledge and wants to acquire fluency. To obtain further information on Catalan and Catalan-language policies, visit the following websites:. Barcelona International Welcome. Follow us. Home Close menu. Instructions for screen readers and keyboard users This menu requires arrow keys to be able to use it. The menu has up to three levels: First level: main menu options Second level: sub-options for elements from the first level Third level: sub-options for elements from the second level Browsing instructions: Browse using the horizontal arrow keys on the first level of the menu.

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