Francesc de Borja Moll i Casasnovas facts for kids

Francesc de Borja Moll i Casasnovas (1983)

Francesc de Borja Moll Casanovas (born October 10, 1903 – died February 18, 1991) was an important person from Menorca. He was a linguist, which means he studied languages. He was also a philologist, someone who studies language in old texts. And he was an editor, meaning he prepared books for publishing.

Francesc de Borja Moll wrote many books about the Catalan language. He especially focused on the different ways Catalan is spoken in the Balearic Islands. He also worked closely with Father Antoni Maria Alcover. Together, they created a very important book called the Diccionari català-valencià-balear (Catalan-Valencian-Balearic Dictionary).

His Early Life and Education

Francesc de Borja Moll was born in 1903. His hometown was Ciutadella de Menorca in the Balearic Islands, Spain. His parents were Josep Moll Vidal and Maria-Anna Casanovas Oliver.

He was the seventh child in his family. Sadly, his first five brothers and sisters died very young. Because of this, Francesc was a very protected child. He later wrote in his book Els meus primers trenta anys that his parents, godmother, and brother were the most important people in his life.

Between 1908 and 1911, he learned to read and write. His teacher was Miquel Villalonga. His father also helped him learn and grow to love the Catalan language.

In 1912, he started studying at a theology school in Ciutadella. He focused on humanities, especially Latin. All his classes were taught in Spanish. He later said that the school never taught them about their own language, Catalan. They didn't learn its history or how to write in Catalan.

Working with Father Alcover

A big moment for Francesc was when Father Antoni Maria Alcover visited his school. Father Alcover came to Menorca to learn about the different Catalan dialects. He wanted to add them to his dictionary. This was the Diccionari català-valencià-balear. Francesc later became a co-writer of this huge dictionary.

Even though Francesc didn't go to university, working with Father Alcover was like a great education. He met famous German linguists through this work.

In 1921, Francesc moved to Mallorca. He continued to work on the dictionary there. When Father Alcover passed away in 1932, Francesc took over. He kept writing the dictionary and a newsletter called the Bolletí. He also started using new spelling rules for Catalan.

Father Alcover was a very strong person. This sometimes caused problems with other language experts. It even made it hard to publish the dictionary. But Father Alcover started his own publishing company to make sure the dictionary came out. This company later became Editorial Moll.

Later Life and Legacy

Francesc de Borja Moll's life had many ups and downs. One very difficult time was when the Spanish Civil War started. He was called to serve during this period.

His main goal was to make the Catalan language more respected and taught. Much of his work focused on Catalan grammar and vocabulary. He also helped a lot with an organization called l’Obra Cultural Balear. This group worked to promote Catalan culture.

Francesc de Borja Moll died in Palma de Mallorca in 1991. He spent his whole life studying and promoting the Catalan language. He won many awards for his work. But he always remained a humble and hardworking person.

Main Works

• Suplement català al "Romanisches etymologisches wörterbuch" (1931)
• Cançons populars mallorquines (1934)
• Rudiments de gramàtica normativa (1952)
• Gramàtica històrica catalana (1952)
• Els llinatges catalans (1959, ISBN: 84-273-0425-0)
• Un home de combat: Mossèn Alcover (1962)
• Epistolari del Bisbe Carsalade a Mossèn Alcover (1965, ISBN: 84-273-4042-7)
• Cinc temes menorquins (1979)
• Els meus primers trenta anys 1903-1934 (1970, ISBN: 84-273-0201-0)
• Polèmica d'en Pep Gonella (1972).
• L'home per la paraula (1974, ISBN: 84-273-0371-8)
• Els altres quaranta anys 1935-1974 (1975, ISBN: 84-273-0408-0)
• Diccionari Català-Castellà (1977)
• Diccionari Castellà-Català (1978)
• El parlar de Mallorca (1980, ISBN: 84-273-0633-4)
• Textos i estudis medievals (1982, ISBN: 84-7202-517-9)
• Aspectes marginals d'un home de combat (Mossèn Alcover) (1983)
• "Autobiografía intelectual", Anthropos 44, 1984, p. 7.
• "L'aventura editorial d'un filòleg", Anthropos44, 1984, p. 17.
• Curso breve de español para extranjeros: elemental (1991, ISBN: 84-273-0030-1)
• Curso breve de español para extranjeros: superior (1991, ISBN: 84-273-0349-1)
• Promptuari d'ortografia (1999, ISBN: 84-273-0032-8)
• Epistolari Joan Coromines-Francesc de Borja Moll (2000)
• Diccionari escolar Català-Castellà, Castellà-Català (2001, ISBN: 84-273-0836-1)
• Exercicis de gramàtica (ISBN: 84-273-0180-4)
• Gramàtica catalana (ISBN: 84-273-0044-1)
• Llengua de les Balears 1 (ISBN: 84-273-0002-6)
• Llengua de les Balears 2 (ISBN: 84-273-0004-2)

See also

In Spanish: Francesc de Borja Moll para niños