A dialect of Catalan is spoken in Alghero, introduced when Catalans settled in the town.
Catalan was replaced as the official language of the Island by Spanish in the 17th century, then by Italian.
The most recent linguistic research showed that 24.1% of the people have Algherese Catalan as a mother tongue, which is habitually spoken by 18.5% and taught to the children by 8% of the population, whereas 88.2% have some understanding of the language.
Since 1997, Catalan has had official recognition and national and regional laws grant its right to be used in the city.
Currently, there has been a revival of the arts in Algherese Catalan, with singers such as Franca Masu performing original compositions in the language.

Following a rural exodus from the surrounding villages towards the city, much of the population speaks or has some proficiency in Sardinian, in addition to Italian and Catalan.
Historically, the spread of Catalan was limited to the city and part of the coast, as the surrounding countryside has always been populated by Sardinian-speaking people.

Moreover, the ancient part of Alghero shows many characteristics of Catalan medieval architecture.
The ‘algueresos’ (Alghero inhabitants) usually refer to their city as ‘Barceloneta’ – 'little Barcelona' – because of their ancestry and fraternity with the Catalan capital.
Also the cuisine is a blending of Catalan cuisine and Sardinian cuisine.
A dialect of Catalan is spoken in Alghero, introduced when Catalans settled in the town. Catalan was replaced as the official language of the Island by Spanish in the 17th century, then by Italian. The most recent linguistic research showed that 24.1% of the people have Algherese Catalan as a mother tongue, which is habitually spoken by 18.5% and taught to the children by 8% of the population, whereas 88.2% have some understanding of the language. Since 1997, Catalan has had official recognition and national and regional laws grant its right to be used in the city. Currently, there has been a revival of the arts in Algherese Catalan, with singers such as Franca Masu performing original compositions in the language.
Following a rural exodus from the surrounding villages towards the city, much of the population speaks or has some proficiency in Sardinian, in addition to Italian and Catalan. Historically, the spread of Catalan was limited to the city and part of the coast, as the surrounding countryside has always been populated by Sardinian-speaking people.
Moreover, the ancient part of Alghero shows many characteristics of Catalan medieval architecture. The ‘algueresos’ (Alghero inhabitants) usually refer to their city as ‘Barceloneta’ – 'little Barcelona' – because of their ancestry and fraternity with the Catalan capital. Also the cuisine is a blending of Catalan cuisine and Sardinian cuisine.
Alghero