What is the origin of the name "Catalan"?

Ryan   Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:52 pm GMT
I have heard that the name Catalan dates back to the Visigothic kingdom in Eastern Spain, and that it is a name that refers to the Goths themselves. Is this true? Is Catalan a corruption of, say, "Gotland"?
Guest   Sat Mar 03, 2007 6:40 am GMT
I thought "Catalan" was a corruption of the Arabic "qalatan" or "calatan" (qalat/calat = "castle"); Qalat-uniyya --> Catalunya.
Marc   Sat Mar 03, 2007 7:40 am GMT
The Arabs never ruled Catalunya. So most likely it's from a Visigothic or Celtic origin.
Franco   Sat Mar 03, 2007 10:30 am GMT
Is it possible that it came from "cat a la luna"? "Cat to the moon"?
Español Mari   Sat Mar 03, 2007 12:43 pm GMT
It's probably form "Cata la uña" "taste my finger or toe nail"

Come on Franco and suck my nail!
pobrecito   Sat Mar 03, 2007 2:27 pm GMT
Franco, you are a real ass
Pete   Sat Mar 03, 2007 3:09 pm GMT
Franco, At first I thought you were English. But that just can't be. These days you're behaving like a perfect troll.

Regards

Pete from Peru
greg   Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:10 pm GMT
Il est possible que <Catalogne> soit dérivé de <Gotholonia> {la terre des Goths —> *Gothen land, *Gotholandia}, mais ça n'est pas certain. La Gothie était un des noms médiévaux donnés aux terres catalanes et bas-languedociennes.

Une autre possibilité est la concaténation de démonymes barbares : {les Chattes + les Alains} —> *Chatti-Alania —> médiolatin <Cathalaunia>. Mais rien n'est moins sûr.

La liste n'est pas exhaustive.
Franco   Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:15 pm GMT
Ha ha ha! What is the difference between a "perfect" troll and a substandard troll?

Do I correspond exactly to how you would describe a "troll"? Is that why? Well , here I must disagree. Because I am far more intelligent than the average troll, who is only like 11 years old and completely uneducated.