A Guide to the Mallorquin Language

Spanish, Catalan or Mallorquin?

In regards to their language, Mallorcans divide themselves into three groups: pro-Catalan, anti-Catalan and the so-called 'No/NRs' (No Opinion/No Response ). The third group is by far the largest (and obviously the most reticent). The pro-Catalanists seem to want a tight union with Catalunya, with whom they share their language. Many among them spent time either in jail or in exile during the Franco years.  They express their wishes at linguistic conferences, demanding more T.V programming in the Catalan language and providing funds for events which promote their language and its culture.

The opposition the - anti-Catalanists - have little power to respond; they have resorted to vandalizing Catalan signs and, recently, blowing up the receiving station for the Catalan language TV3.  Because the Catalan language was banned for many years, virtually everyone on Mallorca speaks Castilian. In fact, many of those who did their schooling under Franco's rule have difficulty reading and writing in the local language. Consequently, none of Mallorca's five daily newspapers is written in Catalan.

Although the Mallorcans in general are in agreement regarding the necessity of using and promoting their language, they are deeply divided over what to do about the exploitation of another resource - the island itself. Again, the 'silent majority' is, by far, the largest player in the arena. The others are polarised between maintaining the incredible pace of growth which Mallorca has enjoyed over the past 20 years, or facing the reality that times are changing and the goose that laid the golden egg is being squeezed too hard. The big money is on 'continuing growth' while the ecologists are on the other side of the ring. The people who have been enticed to Mallorca are realising that those who attracted them are turning 'La lsla de la Calma' into a jungle of noise and concrete. At the moment there is a stalemate.

Some Helpful Phrases for Tourists

The language that you hear on the streets is most likely to be Mallorquin, a version af Catalan, which itself shares features with both French and Spanish but sounds nothing like either and is emphatically a language, not a dialect. Below are some words in Mallorquin (written language Catalan) to help you get along.