Catalan is the majority in the streets of Esporles, but it is losing strength among young people and adults

PalmaCatalan continues to be the majority language in the streets of Esporles, where it represents 64.2% of the observed conversations, according to a study by Plataforma per la Llengua presented this week in the municipality. However, the report warns of a loss of presence among the population aged 15 to 44 and in areas related to leisure and hospitality.

The study, titled The use of Catalan in Esporles. Measurement of linguistic uses in the street, is based on the observation of 1,115 conversations collected between February and March in different parts of the municipality.

The data show that Catalan is particularly present among children and the elderly. In conversations involving children, the native language is present in 73.4% of cases, while among those over 65 it reaches 82.6%.

In contrast, the use of Catalan decreases significantly among the adult population. In conversations between people aged 25 to 64, the percentage drops to 49.2%, while Spanish accounts for 32.6% and other languages, 18.2%.

The report also detects differences according to the areas of the municipality. In areas close to educational centers and sports facilities, Catalan reaches 69.2% of conversations, while in leisure, hotel, and restaurant areas it drops to 60%. Among the population aged 25 to 44 in these areas, Catalan falls below 50%.

Plataforma per la Llengua attributes part of these differences to the influence of the floating population linked to tourism and highlights the need to reinforce linguistic habits among adolescents and young people, as well as to promote reception mechanisms to incorporate new speakers into the linguistic community.