Majorca

Majorca (Mallorca in Catalan and Spanish, sometimes also encountered in English),: from Latin insula maior, later Maiorica, ("major island") is one of the Balearic Islands (Catalan: Illes Balears, Spanish: Islas Baleares), which are located in the Mediterranean Sea and are a part of Spain. Like the other Balearic Islands Ibiza (Catalan: Eivissa), Formentera, and Minorca ("minor island", Catalan and Spanish: Menorca), the island is a popular tourist destination. In Germany, where package tourism to Majorca has been popular since the 1960s, it has become a synonym for mass tourism and also for birdwatchers.

Language

The local language is Catalan, with a great deal of dialectal variety when compared to the Catalan of other areas (Catalonia, Valencia) or even the other Balearic islands. There is also a relatively large amount of variation between Majorcan localities. In view of the diversity, the local language is often termed "Majorcan" (mallorquí) or Balearic (balear) rather than the general term Catalan (català).

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Despite numerous differences between Majorcan and Central Catalan, islanders generally agree that they are varieties of the same language, whereas Valencians very often deny that their language is Catalan, and the matter is often hotly disputed.

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Spanish also has the status of an official language, and many Spanish speakers moved from other parts of Spain to the island in the twentieth century. Young Majorcans are typically bilingual in Catalan and Spanish, with some knowledge of English or German as a foreign language, especially due to the large number of tourists on the island.

Related Topics:
Spanish - Twentieth century

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