Linguistic Foundations of Catalan: Superstratum and Substratum

Superstratum: External Linguistic Influences

A superstratum refers to the linguistic influences received from the language of a people who seize a territory during its formation, without replacing the existing language. For instance, the islands were occupied by the Vandals, leaving a superstratum influence.

Germanic Superstratum

In the Catalan lexicon, we find many words of Germanic origin, such as flag, war, and back.

Arabic Superstratum

Territories in the Arab domain were under influence for approximately three centuries. However, not all invaded lands remained under Arabic influence for the same duration. The introduction of Arabisms occurred primarily in territories under Islamic domination.

From Latin to Catalan: Language Evolution

The loss of contact with Rome led to a loss of linguistic unity. Consequently, Latin began a period of diversification, gradually dialectalizing and giving birth to the Romance languages.

The oldest known Catalan text (mid-12th century) is the Judge's Book, a translation of a fragment of Visigothic laws.

The Homilies of Organyà (religious, 13th century) is considered the most ancient literary text in Catalan. Other notable religious texts include the Song of the Sibyl.

Another significant historical document is the Book of the Distribution of Majorca (Llibre del Repartiment de Mallorca).

Substratum: Underlying Linguistic Influence

A substratum is a language that is superseded by another as a consequence of invasion. It does not disappear entirely but leaves a pervasive influence on the dominant language.

Catalan exhibits four distinct types of substratum influences:

Indo-European Substratum

Indo-European peoples arrived in Catalonia from Central Europe and India around the 10th century BCE. Their influence is evident in place names and common nouns within the language.

Greek and Phoenician Substratum

The heritage from Greek and Phoenician influences includes elements like Greek currency, the cultivation of vineyards and olives, and pottery techniques. The Greek substratum's influence is primarily reduced to toponymy. For example, the names of Ibiza, Mahon, and Tagomago derive from Greek origins.

Ibero-Basque Substratum

Some characteristics of the Iberian language suggest it belongs to the Basque language family. Its importance is evident in place names across the region.

The Romanization and Romance Languages

This refers to the set of territories that were part of the Roman Empire where Latin was the language of the population. Latin gradually evolved in different ways in each area to become distinct languages, initially known as "Vulgar Latin" dialects. Over time, these evolved into the modern Romance languages, often named after the territories where they formed:

• Spanish
• Catalan
• French
• Italian
• Galician-Portuguese
• Romanian
• Romansh
• Sardinian
• Occitan

Aragonese and Astur-Leonese are considered embryonic languages that have not fully consolidated. Aranese is a dialect of Occitan.