Catalan (Hardcover, New)

Among the languages of Europe Catalan has a special status because it enjoys official recognition, along with Spanish, in a number of Spanish-speaking regions. These include Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands and the principality of Andorra. Also spoken in Roussillon, France, and in the town of Alghero, Sardinia, it therefore has a relatively large number of speakers. Catalan is also of importance within the Romance family of languages, because it constitutes a link between the Ibero-Romance and the Gallo-Romance branches. In its syntax and morphology it presents characteristics which will be familiar to readers with a knowledge of other Romance languages, especially Spanish. But there are a number of areas in which Catalan differs markedly, and this study explores them in depth. This book should be of interest to postraduates and academics in linguistics, particularly Romance and comparative linguistics.