Die katalanische Computersprache

Abstract

This paper provides an insight into the emergence of computer vocabulary in the Catalan language and reports on current activities in this field, highlighting the role of the standardisation institute TERMCAT and the internet platform Softcatalà. It also describes the formation of Catalan neologisms in the context of information technology and how the lexemes are used. It is noticeable that most Catalan lexemes are identical to those of Spanish, while the way of creating computer-technical neologisms is more reminiscent of the activities and proposals of the Académie française in France. However, there also exists a multitude of terms that draw from the same Latin root in all three languages. On closer examination, these terms make up the bulk of the Catalan corpus. English terms, on the other hand, are used comparatively rarely in Catalan computer language.