2015 # 3 (11)
Bakanova A.V.
Catalan Language in Andorra: Dialectal Features and Sociolinguistic Situation
Abstract
Andorra is the only country in the world where Catalan is the official language. Part of the population speaks Spanish and French. To analyze the contemporary sociolinguistic situation in this country you need to refer to its historical circumstances. From a linguistic point of view the Catalan language of Andorra is usually attributed to the group of North-Western subdialects. Distinctive features of Catalan dialects were formed over the centuries under the influence of different factors, both linguistic and extra-linguistic nature. The main differences of the Catalan language in Andorra we can notice in the system of unstressed vocalism, consonantism, in the use of forms of the definite article, unstressed pronouns, verb forms in the subjunctive.
Key words
Catalan language, official language, sociolinguistic situation, subdialect