Catalan native speakers: numbers

This is too improvised to be a proper post, but there’s a little tussle going on here about how many native speakers of Catalan there really are. If you’ve got sourced stats, please post them.

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Comments

1. David sez:
   13 February 2004 at 10:54 PM

   I’m afraid you’ll have to pop by a good library for hard facts, Trevor, there’s very little reliable stuff on-line.
   Why don’t you try some of Gregorio Salvador’s books on demolinguistics? As you know, he’s the vice-supremo of Spain’s Royal Language Academy and pretty unlikely to pump up Catalan native speaker figures for the hell of it, he’ll put up a fierce fight over every single one, rather.

   Anyway, he had a breakdown of speakers by regions in a mid-eighties book (1985?) where he came up with an overall estimate of 5-5,5 million..you’ll want to check that one out.

   Beware of the 4 million figure, though. Quite a few trashy Spanish Nationalist sites I’ve been hitting come up with it like some kind of totally unsubstantiated manic mantra

2. Trevor sez:
   14 February 2004 at 4:23 AM

   Like I say, I’m not on a crusade and will chase any bones thrown to me. If you give me specific offline sources I’ll read them. I’ll check Salvador tomorrow if security at Casa del Llibre don’t start getting itchy.

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