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Catalan language
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Thematic map of Europe showing the distribution of Romance languages, with different colors representing areas where Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, French, Occitan, Provencal, Franco-Provencal, Italian, Sardinian, Romanian, and Rhaetian are spoken. Striped areas indicate regions where bilingualism is common. The map highlights the primary Romance language regions in southwestern, southern, and eastern Europe, including the Iberian Peninsula, France, Italy, Switzerland, Romania, and parts of the B
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Catalan language summary
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Catalan language

Also known as: CatalĂ  language
Written by
Marius Sala
Director, Institute of Linguistics, Bucharest, Romania. Coeditor of Enciclopedia limbilor romanice.
Marius SalaAll
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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Catalan language, Romance language spoken in eastern and northeastern Spain—chiefly in Catalonia and Valencia—and in the Balearic Islands. It is also spoken in the Roussillon region of France, in Andorra (where it is the official language), and in the city of Alghero, Sardinia, Italy. Catalan is spoken by some 9,000,000 people in Spain and some 125,000 in France, as well as by some 30,000 in Andorra and some 40,000 in Alghero, Linguistically, there are two...

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