Catalan language

evolution of the languages of the Iberian peninsula, including Catalan

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The Catalan language is a romance language spoken in eastern Spain, southern France, the Balearic Islands and an enclave in Sardinia.

Although Catalan is spoken in Spain, it is not a dialect of the Spanish language. Before Napoleon Bonaparte set his stamp on France dozens of regional languages were spoken there. Those languages are now classified into two broad groups, the Langues d'oïl and the Langue d'oc. "Oui" is the word for "Yes" in modern French, but what became modern French, Norman, and many other languages of northern France derived from a common ancestor where "yes" was "oïl". In the languages of southern France, like Provencal, the word for "yes" derived from a common ancestor where "yes" was "oc". Catalan is considered an instance of a Langue d'oc.

The Catalan region maintains a strong cultural identity of its own, within Spain.