Catalan and Swabian. Surprising similarities and connections

Languages can have similarities that have arisen through parallel development without necessarily having come into contact with each other. This is the case in Catalan and Swabian, where a phonological-typological change to a word language has taken place. In the course of the historical development of Old Catalan and Old Alemannic, the syllable structure at the edges of words became more complex and the unstressed vowels were centralized or deleted. These features are typical of word languages in which the phonological word is emphasized. In his lecture, Javier Caro Reina (Universität zu Köln) traces this change and shows the similarities between Central Catalan and Swabian.

The parallel linguistic developments have been followed to the present day by a variety of connections between the two regions, from the "Spanish March" founded by Charlemagne, which encompassed large parts of Catalonia, to the close cultural and economic ties between Catalonia and Baden-Württemberg today.

Moderator: Christian Schwarz (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)

With an introduction by Marie Kapretz (Representation of the Government of Catalonia in Germany)

As part of the 21st European Cultural Days 2025 : Catalonia (external link, opens in a new window)of the Museum Europäischer Kulturen (external link, opens in a new window)