Catalan is the majority language 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 carried out by Plataforma per la Llengua and presented this week in the municipality. However, the report warns of a loss of presence among the population aged between 15 and 44 years and in areas related to leisure and catering.

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 where children participate, the native language is present in 73.4% of cases, while among those over 65 years of age it reaches 82.6%.

On the other hand, the use of Catalan decreases significantly among the adult population. In conversations between people aged 25 to 64 years, the percentage drops to 49.2%, while Spanish represents 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 catering areas it drops to 60%. Among the population aged 25 to 44 years 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.