Evolution and Rise of the Catalan Language
The Evolution of Catalan in the Middle Ages
From Latin Roots to a Distinct Romance Language
The period between the fifth century and the eleventh century was vital to the formation of the Romance languages. This was especially true between the seventh and eighth centuries, when the fragmentation of Latin became significant enough to result in distinct spoken languages. However, these were initially only oral languages. During these centuries, a conflict existed in Catalan society between the Catalan language and Latin, representing the divide between spoken and written forms. Because most people were illiterate during this era, only the clergy (Clericus) knew how to write in Latin. As society progressed, however, the monopoly that Latin had held as the sole written language began to break.
The Earliest Written Records in Catalan
The first documents written in Catalan date back to the second half of the 12th century. These texts emerged from the legal and religious spheres:
- Liber Iudiciorum: A Visigothic code of laws.
- Homilies d'Organyà: A series of comments on the Gospel (l'Evangeli, originally written in Latin).
These were not literary works but rather historical documents. From the 13th century onwards, the production of texts in Catalan increased considerably.
Ramon Llull: The Architect of Literary Catalan
The first manifestations of Catalan literature are found in the work of Ramon Llull. Llull performed the monumental task of codifying the Catalan language, both in its lexicon and syntax. Moreover, he was the first author to use a language other than Latin to express complex ideas in science and the humanities. Apart from Catalan, Llull wrote in three other languages:
- Latin: Essential for any educated person of the time.
- Occitan (l'occità): The language of troubadour poetry.
- Arabic (l'àrab): Which he learned to spread his ideas among Muslims and to access the Arab cultural and scientific background of the era.
Territorial Expansion and the Four Great Chronicles
With the expulsion of the Muslims from the peninsula, the political and economic interests of the Crown of Aragon (Crown d'Aragó) oriented themselves toward the Mediterranean. This territorial expansion ran parallel to the expansion of the language, coinciding with a period of intense literary activity. The protagonists of the time sought to reflect exceptional historical facts through chronicles. Thus, the four major chronicles of Catalan literature were born:
- Llibre dels Fets (Book of Deeds) by James I.
- Llibre del Rei en Pere by Bernat Desclot.
- The Chronicle of Ramon Muntaner.
- The Chronicle of Peter of Aragon (Peter III).