Catalan is an Ibero-Romance language spoken in a number of regions, autonomous communities and countries, including:
- Catalonia, Valencia, western Aragon and the Balearic Islands in modern-day Spain
- The country of Andorra
- Rousillon in modern-day France
- The city of Alghero in Sardinia
Linguæ Christi’s current connections are largely with Catalonia and it is here that we hope to partner with established faith communities.
Quick facts for Catalan speakers
| People Group in their language | Catalans |
| Language in their language | Català |
| Language Affinity Group | Ibero-Romance Languages |
| Primary location where speakers live | France, Spain and Italy |
| Primary dialects | Northwestern, Valencian, Central, Balearic, Rossellonese, Alguerese |
| Trade language | Castilian Spanish, French and Italian |
| Number of speakers | 4 million L1 speakers and over 10 million L1 + L2 speakers |
In dark green are territories where Catalan is spoken and is official; in the lighter shade of green are the territories where Catalan is spoken but is not official; in the lighest shade of green are the territories where Catalan is not historically spoken but is official.
Attribution: Martí8888 / CC BY-SA
Examples of Catalan speech and song
The Bible in Catalan
Catalan was at one time the language of power in the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. For this and other reasons, the first Bible in Catalan was created by the Catholic Church in the 13th century. Another translation was made in the 15th century.
In the early 19th century the New Testament was translated under the sponsorship of the then British and Foreign Bible Society. Several Catholic, Protestant and Ecumenical translations have been made in the last 50 years, including one sponsored by the Associació Biblica de Catalunya (the Bible Association of Catalonia).
Linguæ Christi and Catalan speakers
Despite the large number of Catalan speakers, there are relatively few Evangelical churches through the medium of Catalan. In the past few years, Linguæ Christi has made contacts within Catalonia who share the vision of Catalan-medium churches on mission together through the heart language of the Catalans. Our mission in this context is to come alongside established faith communities to support, equip and encourage.
At the same time, many other communities of Catalan speakers exist where no Evangelical church is present. We are laying the foundations of long-term cross-cultural missions in such areas, beginning with Discovery teams.
