Yes, this happens to Catalans all the time. Who is a Catalan you wonder? Someone from Barcelona or the many little towns in Catalonia. They have a flag and a soccer team and have one foot out the door from Spain. Catalans do however speak Castilian also. How? Why? The Romans, who conquered the Iberian Peninsula in and around the turn of the first millennia spoke Vulgar Latin (colloquial or common Latin). Over the course of the next 1,000 years, that Vulgar Latin developed into various languages spoken in the regions of what is now Spain and Portugal. Most people think that is only "Spanish" and Portuguese, however, that is not the case. There are quite a number of languages spoken in Spain that have official status in a particular province and are taught in schools along with Castilian (what we commonly refer to as Spanish.) This is key information for genealogists that are trying to race roots back to Spain. Unfortunately, many surnames were Castilianized upon Spain's unification in 1492 for various reasons including being Jewish or Muslim. Even upon conversion, families were forced to conform to the new monarchy's demands for a unified Catholic nation which included name changes. Yet, some surnames were left unchanged and provide integral clues into the past.
FYI - In the surname list, I included the original language the name originated in. A large amount of surnames come directly from villages and cities in what is now Spain. In the photo gallery at the bottom of this page, there is a language map of Spain but it is in Spanish. In addition, some of the patronymic surnames come via German and you may wonder why. Unknown to many outside of history buffs, much of the Iberian peninsula was under rule of the Visigoths for roughly 300 years! The Visigoths were a Germanic tribe and spoke Gothic. When the Visigoths arrived Latin was the lingua franca of the Iberia and Gothic never took hold among the population with the exception of a few hundred or so words and some personal names which were passed down through families and in turn became surnames and have survived until today.
Directly below is a chart I created that lists the regions, provinces, towns/cities and languages spoken in the regions. Because of the varying languages, you will find the regions and languages written in Castilian, English, and in some cases the <native language.> I have found that it is helpful if you are doing research about surnames, to know the various ways to look up places and information. This chart is not comprehensive but instead just a taste to provide some insight into the variety found around the peninsula.
FYI - In the surname list, I included the original language the name originated in. A large amount of surnames come directly from villages and cities in what is now Spain. In the photo gallery at the bottom of this page, there is a language map of Spain but it is in Spanish. In addition, some of the patronymic surnames come via German and you may wonder why. Unknown to many outside of history buffs, much of the Iberian peninsula was under rule of the Visigoths for roughly 300 years! The Visigoths were a Germanic tribe and spoke Gothic. When the Visigoths arrived Latin was the lingua franca of the Iberia and Gothic never took hold among the population with the exception of a few hundred or so words and some personal names which were passed down through families and in turn became surnames and have survived until today.
Directly below is a chart I created that lists the regions, provinces, towns/cities and languages spoken in the regions. Because of the varying languages, you will find the regions and languages written in Castilian, English, and in some cases the <native language.> I have found that it is helpful if you are doing research about surnames, to know the various ways to look up places and information. This chart is not comprehensive but instead just a taste to provide some insight into the variety found around the peninsula.
Brief video about the Spanish language. (My apologies for his inability to pronounce Spanish words.
Interactive timeline of Spanish language.
Interactive timeline of Spanish language.
Languages of SpainAragonese <Aragonés>
Aragonese is the native language of the Aragonese mountain ranges of the Pyrenees in Northeastern Spain. Spoken in the province of Aragon; in the regions of northern and central Huesca and northern Zaragoza. Locative Surnames: Aguero, Novales, Samper Associated Surnames: Galindo, Mirabal, Cajiga |
Basque Vasco <Euskara>
Linguistically, Basque is a language isolate, meaning it is unrelated any other known language. Basque is native to what is known as Basque Country, a contiguous region that includes parts of Spain and France that spans across the western Pyrenees mountains. This includes the provinces of Gipuzkoa, Biscay, parts of Álava, and northern Navarre. Locative Surnames: Castejón, Elizondo, Mojica, Oquendo Associated Surnames: Garcia, Ochoa, Zuñiga |
Catalan <Catalá>
Catalan is native to Catalonia in northeastern Spain along the Mediterranean and parts of Southern France. It is the official language of Andorra, and a co-official language of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and Valencia (where the language is known as Valencian). Locative Surnames: Calderon, Capó, Oliva, Segarra Associated Surnames: Beltrán, Nadal, Puig |
Galician Gallego <Galego>
Galician is native to Galicia in Northwestern Spain, along the northern border of Portugal. Galician is more closely related to Portuguese than Spanish. Many linguists consider them different dialects of the same language. Locative Surnames: Abreu, Corujo, Lebrón, Lugo, Sotomayor Associated Surnames: Duarte, Matos, Salgado |
Andalusian dialect
Andalusia, in southern Spain, has a distinctive sound as compared to the rest of Spain. Technically, it is considered Castilian (Castellano). Linguistically, what makes it distinctive is it features the seseo and yeísmo which are also found in Puerto Rican Spanish. The lack of seseo in Castilian is why Spaniards sound to us as if they have a lisp. They pronounce the letter s and z with the <th> sound. The yeísmo is why lluvia and yogur may both be pronounced with the English sound of <J> or /dʒ/. Historically, Andalusia was the stronghold of the Caliphate of Córdoba, this was when Spain was under Muslim rule. Many Arabic words slid into the developing language during this time. This dialect is spoken in much of (but not all) of Andalusia, Ceuta, Melilla, Gibraltar, the Canary Islands (and of course, Latin America.) Locative Surnames: Orozco, Osuna Associated Surnames: Ibañez, Mora, Moreno Arabic Influence: Granada, Almodovar, Medina |
Aranese
Spoken in the Val d'Aran, Aranese is a standardized form of the Gascon variety of Occitan. Occitan, also referred to as "lenga d'òc", is a Romance language spoken in parts of Southern France, Monaco, the Italian Alps, and Northern Spain. It is recognized as one of the three official languages of Catalonia. Associated Surnames: Castaing |