Is Catalan a language or Spanish dialect?

Catalan is not a Spanish dialect. It is a Romance language, distinct from Spanish, although they share a common ancestor, Vulgar Latin.

Here's why Catalan is considered its own language:

* Historical and cultural distinction: Catalan has its own unique history and cultural identity, separate from Spanish. It developed in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula, with influences from other Romance languages and Arabic.

* Linguistic differences: While Catalan and Spanish share some vocabulary and grammatical features, they have significant differences in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.

* Mutual intelligibility: While speakers of Catalan and Spanish may understand some words and phrases, they generally cannot understand each other fully without some degree of effort.

Here's an analogy: Think of English and German. They both have Germanic roots but are distinct languages. Similarly, Catalan and Spanish are distinct Romance languages, despite their shared origins.