Antoni Maria Alcover i Sureda
Encyclopedia
Father Antoni Maria Alcover i Sureda, also known (in Catalan) as Mossèn Alcover (moˈsɛn əɫkoˈve), (Santa Cirga, Manacor
, 1862 – Palma, 1932) was a modernist
Majorcan writer, who wrote on a wide range of subjects including the Church, folklore
and linguistics
. He is chiefly associated with efforts to revive interest in the Catalan language
and its dialects. Among his works was a Catalan-Valencian-Balearic
dictionary
.
and Porto Cristo
, the son of laborers. After studying Latin and classics
he moved at the age of 15 to Palma de Mallorca
, where he continued his studies in seminary
. He became quickly known as a stubborn polemicist.
Although his first literary efforts were in Spanish
, he turned to the Catalan language after 1879. From this date, he undertook to collect the fables and folklore of Majorca, which he began to publish in 1880 in various journals under the pseudonym Jordi d'es Racó. In 1886 he was ordained
and became the parish priest for Manacor. In 1888 he became a professor of ecclesiastical history at the seminary in Palma.
In 1906, by his initiative and under his presidency, the first Congrés Internacional de la Llengua Catalana (International Congress of the Catalan Language) was held. He was named president of the philological branch of the Institute for Catalan Studies
, a position which quickly ended after a furious dispute with other members of the Institute.
His Magnum Opus was the Català-Valencià-Balear
Dictionary
, which he did not live to see completed. It was finished by his collaborator Francesc de Borja i Moll.
Among other responsibilities, he was the correspondent of the Acadèmia de Bones Lletres de Barcelona in Barcelona.
Manacor
Manacor is a town and municipality on the Mediterranean island of Majorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is one of the biggest municipalities in Majorca. It has tourist areas like Porto Cristo, site of the famous Caves of Drach, and Calas de Mallorca. Manacor...
, 1862 – Palma, 1932) was a modernist
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
Majorcan writer, who wrote on a wide range of subjects including the Church, folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
. He is chiefly associated with efforts to revive interest in the Catalan language
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
and its dialects. Among his works was a Catalan-Valencian-Balearic
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
dictionary
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
.
Biography
Alcover was born in Santa Cirga, a small territory between ManacorManacor
Manacor is a town and municipality on the Mediterranean island of Majorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is one of the biggest municipalities in Majorca. It has tourist areas like Porto Cristo, site of the famous Caves of Drach, and Calas de Mallorca. Manacor...
and Porto Cristo
Porto Cristo
Porto Cristo is a small town on the eastern coast of Mallorca. It is 10 minutes away from Manacor.-Tourism:Though not a primary tourist destination in Mallorca, the local council of Porto Cristo promotes the small town and new roads have been built between it and Manacor to encourage foreign visitors...
, the son of laborers. After studying Latin and classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
he moved at the age of 15 to Palma de Mallorca
Palma de Mallorca
Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
, where he continued his studies in seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
. He became quickly known as a stubborn polemicist.
Although his first literary efforts were in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, he turned to the Catalan language after 1879. From this date, he undertook to collect the fables and folklore of Majorca, which he began to publish in 1880 in various journals under the pseudonym Jordi d'es Racó. In 1886 he was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
and became the parish priest for Manacor. In 1888 he became a professor of ecclesiastical history at the seminary in Palma.
In 1906, by his initiative and under his presidency, the first Congrés Internacional de la Llengua Catalana (International Congress of the Catalan Language) was held. He was named president of the philological branch of the Institute for Catalan Studies
Institut d'Estudis Catalans
The Institut d'Estudis Catalans , also known by the acronym IEC, is an academic institution which seeks to undertake research and study into "all elements of Catalan culture"....
, a position which quickly ended after a furious dispute with other members of the Institute.
His Magnum Opus was the Català-Valencià-Balear
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
Dictionary
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
, which he did not live to see completed. It was finished by his collaborator Francesc de Borja i Moll.
Among other responsibilities, he was the correspondent of the Acadèmia de Bones Lletres de Barcelona in Barcelona.