The two official languages spoken in the city are Spanish and Valencian, a dialect of Catalan. Due to political and demographic pressure in the past, the predominant language is Spanish, as opposed to areas surrounding the metropolitan area in the province of Valencia. The local government makes sure it emphasizes the use of the local language. For instance, all signs and announcements in the Metro are in Valencian, with Spanish translations underneath in smaller type. In relation to street naming policy, new street signs when erected are always given the Valencian name for street (Carrer) however the older street names bearing the Spanish names are only replaced when necessary. This results in a situation where in longer streets both languages can often be seen on street signs.
This is a handicap for tourists: Valencian is used for toponyms and place names such as streets and squares and they may appear either with their Castilian name or the Valencian (or both). So tourists might get lost or they mightn't find a place.
These are some common differences between Castilian and Valencian:
- English - Spanish - Valencian
- Square - Plaza - Plaça
- Street - Calle - Carrer
- Avenue - Avenida - Avinguda
- Market - Mercado - Mercat
- City - Ciudad - Ciutat
- City Hall - Ayuntamiento - Ajuntament
- Embassy - Embajada - Ambaixada
- Consulate - Consulado - Consulat
- Police Station - Comisaría de policía - Comissaria de policia
- Chemist's, drugstore - Farmacia - Farmàcia
- Shop, store - Tienda - tenda
- Go shopping - Ir de compras - Anar de compres
- Bakery - Horno, pastelería - Forn, pastisseria
- Fishmonger - Pescadería - Peixcateria
- Delicatessen - Ultramarinos, charcutería - ultramarins, xarcuteria
- Hairdresser's - Peluquería - Perruqueria
- Bookstore - Librería - Llibreria
- Library - Biblioteca - Biblioteca
- Ice-cream parlor - Heladería, horchatería - Gelateria, Orxateria
- Restroom, toilet - Servicios, aseo - Servici, servei.
- Exit - Salida - Eixida
- Warning!, Caution! - Atención!, Peligro! - Atenció!, Perill!
- Beach - Playa - Platja (plur. platges)
- Bridge - Puente - Pont
- River - Río - Riu
- Palace - Palacio - Palau
- Castle - Castillo - Castell
- Fireworks - (Castillo de) fuegos artificiales - (Castell de) focs artificials
- Parade - Procesión, pasacalle - Provessó, processó, passacarrer
- Good morning - Buenos días - Bon dia
- Good Afternoon/Evening - Buenas tardes - Bona Vesprada (vesprà)
- Good Evening/Night - Buenas Noches - Bona Nit
- Thank you - Gracias - Gràcies
- Bye - Adiós - Adéu
As you can check, the important differences appear in some cases, but in toponyms the differences are not significative, so if you don't find on the map the location name you're searching for, look up if there's a similar name (usually where the other should appear), and it surely will be the place you want to go.
