Astur-Leonese language
Encyclopedia
Astur-Leonese is the generic name for a group of closely related linguistic varieties included in the West Iberian branch
of the Romance languages
. The linguistic varieties or languages in the group are assigned different names:
In addition:
Leonese language (as a denomination for the whole linguistic group) was once considered an informal dialect (basilect) of Spanish, or Castilian, but, in 1906, Ramón Menéndez Pidal
showed it was the result of Latin evolution in the Kingdom of León
. Leonese language is officially recognised by the Autonomous Community of Castile and León (2006). In Asturias it is protected under the Autonomous Statute legislation, and is an optional language at schools, being widely studied. In Portugal, the related Mirandese language is recognized by the Assembly of the Republic
as a co-official language, along with Portuguese
, for local matters and it is taught in public schools covering the areas where Mirandese is natively spoken. Initially thought to be a basilect, José Leite de Vasconcelos
studied Mirandese and concluded it was a language different from Portuguese.
with contributions from the pre-Roman languages, which were spoken in the territory of the Astures, an ancient tribe of the Iberian peninsula
. Castilian
Spanish came to the area later, in the 14th century, when the central administration sent emissaries and functionaries to occupy political and ecclesiastical offices.
In 1994 there were 100,000 first language speakers, and 450,000 second language speakers able to speak or understand Asturian. However, the situation of Asturian is critical, with a large decline in the number of speakers in the last 100 years.
At the end of the 20th century, the Academia de la Llingua Asturiana made efforts to provide the language with most of the tools needed by a language to ensure its survival: a grammar
, a dictionary
, and periodicals. A new generation of Asturian writers have championed the language. These developments give the Asturian language a greater hope of survival.
. As the Spanish language
became the main language in Spain, the linguistic features of Leonese progressively retreated westwards.
In the late 90s several associations unofficially promoted Leonese Language courses. In 2001 the Universidad de León (University of León) created a course for Leonese Teachers, and Local and Provincial Governments developed Leonese Language Courses for adults. Nowadays Leonese can be studied in the most important villages of León
, Zamora
and Salamanca
provinces.
The situation of Leonese as a minority language has driven Leonese to an apparent dead end, and it is considered as a Seriously Endangered Language by UNESCO
. There are some efforts to gain acceptance among the urban population (the Leonese Council has made campaigns for young people in the Leonese language). Some reports claim that it will be dead in two generations.
In spite of all the difficulties, the number of young people learning and using it (mainly as a written language) has substantially increased in recent years. Leonese City Council uses Leonese language in its own website and there are Leonese language courses for adult people. Leonese language is taught in sixteen leonese schools.
Leonese language
has a special status in the Statute of Autonomy of Castile and León
.
Portugal has taken a further step in protecting Mirandese, which is closely related to Asturian and specially to Leonese language, and it can be studied. Mirandese was officially recognised by the Portuguese Republic in 1999. It is administrated by the Anstituto de la Lhéngua Mirandesa
.
West Iberian languages
West Iberian is a branch of the Romance languages which includes Castilian, Ladino, the Astur-Leonese group , and the modern descendants of Galician-Portuguese...
of the Romance languages
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
. The linguistic varieties or languages in the group are assigned different names:
- AsturianAsturian languageAsturian is a Romance language of the West Iberian group, Astur-Leonese Subgroup, spoken in the Spanish Region of Asturias by the Asturian people...
, asturianu or bable, in the Spanish province of AsturiasAsturiasThe Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
; - Leonese languageLeonese languageThe Leonese language is the endonym term used to refer to all vernacular Romance dialects of the Astur-Leonese linguistic group in the Spanish provinces of León and Zamora; Astur-Leonese also includes the dialects...
, llionés, in western parts of the provinces of León, Zamora and Salamanca, and until recent times in the border towns of Rio de OnorRio de OnorRio de Onor is a Portuguese parish in the municipality of Bragança. The population in 2001 is 126, its density is 2.8/km² and the area is 45.37 km².-Language:Leonese language is widely spoken....
(Rionor) and Guadramil, in the District of Bragança (Portugal); and - MirandeseMirandese languageThe Mirandese language is a Romance language belonging to the Astur-Leonese linguistic group, sparsely spoken in a small area of northeastern Portugal, in the municipalities of Miranda do Douro, Mogadouro and Vimioso...
, mirandés, in villages around the border town of Miranda do DouroMiranda do DouroMiranda do Douro or Miranda de l Douro , is a city in Miranda do Douro Municipality, district of Bragança, Portugal.The city has a population of 1,960.-General information:...
(Portugal).
In addition:
- Astur-Leonese dialects closer to Spanish are spoken in CantabriaCantabriaCantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
, where they are called Cantabrian, cántabru or montañés. There are different positions about whether these speech forms are to be considered dialects of the Spanish languageSpanish languageSpanish , 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...
, varieties of Astur-Leonese or independent languages on their own right. - The Extremaduran language, estremeñu, spoken in northwestern ExtremaduraExtremaduraExtremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
is more distantly related to the group. - The Astur-Leonese EonavianEonavianEonavian or Galician-Asturian, is a term used to refer a set of Romance dialects or falas whose linguistic dominion extends in the zone of Asturias between the Eo and Navia rivers , and which have been variously classified as the...
dialects, eonaviegu or gallego-asturianu, spoken between the EoEo RiverThe Eo is a river in northwestern Spain. Some 91 km in length, its estuary forms the boundary between the regions of Galicia and Asturias. The river is known for its salmon fishing.-External links:*...
and Navia rivers in Asturias are closer to GalicianGalician languageGalician is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community located in northwestern Spain, where it is co-official with Castilian Spanish, as well as in border zones of the neighbouring territories of Asturias and Castile and León.Modern Galician and...
and are sometimes considered as the westernmost varieties of Asturian, although this is not universally met with many scholars prefering to consider them as Galician dialects or as independent languagues.
Leonese language (as a denomination for the whole linguistic group) was once considered an informal dialect (basilect) of Spanish, or Castilian, but, in 1906, Ramón Menéndez Pidal
Ramón Menéndez Pidal
Ramón Menéndez Pidal was a Spanish philologist and historian. He worked extensively on the history of the Spanish language and Spanish folklore and folk poetry. One of his main topics was the history and legend of The Cid....
showed it was the result of Latin evolution in the Kingdom of León
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
. Leonese language is officially recognised by the Autonomous Community of Castile and León (2006). In Asturias it is protected under the Autonomous Statute legislation, and is an optional language at schools, being widely studied. In Portugal, the related Mirandese language is recognized by the Assembly of the Republic
Assembly of the Republic
The Assembly of the Republic is the Portuguese parliament. It is located in a historical building in Lisbon, referred to as Palácio de São Bento, the site of an old Benedictine monastery...
as a co-official language, along with Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, for local matters and it is taught in public schools covering the areas where Mirandese is natively spoken. Initially thought to be a basilect, José Leite de Vasconcelos
José Leite de Vasconcelos
José Leite de Vasconcelos Cardoso Pereira de Melo was a Portuguese ethnographer and prolific author who wrote extensively on Portuguese philology and prehistory...
studied Mirandese and concluded it was a language different from Portuguese.
History
The language developed from Vulgar LatinVulgar Latin
Vulgar Latin is any of the nonstandard forms of Latin from which the Romance languages developed. Because of its nonstandard nature, it had no official orthography. All written works used Classical Latin, with very few exceptions...
with contributions from the pre-Roman languages, which were spoken in the territory of the Astures, an ancient tribe of the Iberian peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. Castilian
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...
Spanish came to the area later, in the 14th century, when the central administration sent emissaries and functionaries to occupy political and ecclesiastical offices.
Asturian
Much effort has been made since 1974 to protect and promote Asturian. In 1981 Asturian, or Bable, as the language is officially named, was recognized as a subject of specific protection by the local government.In 1994 there were 100,000 first language speakers, and 450,000 second language speakers able to speak or understand Asturian. However, the situation of Asturian is critical, with a large decline in the number of speakers in the last 100 years.
At the end of the 20th century, the Academia de la Llingua Asturiana made efforts to provide the language with most of the tools needed by a language to ensure its survival: a grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
, a 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...
, and periodicals. A new generation of Asturian writers have championed the language. These developments give the Asturian language a greater hope of survival.
Leonese
Leonese was probably spoken in a much larger area in the Middle Ages, roughly corresponding to the old Kingdom of LeónKingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
. As the Spanish language
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...
became the main language in Spain, the linguistic features of Leonese progressively retreated westwards.
In the late 90s several associations unofficially promoted Leonese Language courses. In 2001 the Universidad de León (University of León) created a course for Leonese Teachers, and Local and Provincial Governments developed Leonese Language Courses for adults. Nowadays Leonese can be studied in the most important villages of León
León (province)
León is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.About one quarter of its population of 500,200 lives in the capital, León. The weather is cold and dry during the winter....
, Zamora
Zamora (province)
Zamora is a Spanish province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.The present-day province of Zamora province was one of three provinces formed from the former Kingdom of León in 1833, when Spain was re-organised into 49 provinces.It is bordered by...
and Salamanca
Salamanca (province)
Salamanca is a province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Zamora, Valladolid, Ávila, and Cáceres; and by Portugal....
provinces.
The situation of Leonese as a minority language has driven Leonese to an apparent dead end, and it is considered as a Seriously Endangered Language by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
. There are some efforts to gain acceptance among the urban population (the Leonese Council has made campaigns for young people in the Leonese language). Some reports claim that it will be dead in two generations.
In spite of all the difficulties, the number of young people learning and using it (mainly as a written language) has substantially increased in recent years. Leonese City Council uses Leonese language in its own website and there are Leonese language courses for adult people. Leonese language is taught in sixteen leonese schools.
Leonese language
Leonese language
The Leonese language is the endonym term used to refer to all vernacular Romance dialects of the Astur-Leonese linguistic group in the Spanish provinces of León and Zamora; Astur-Leonese also includes the dialects...
has a special status in the Statute of Autonomy of Castile and León
Castile and León
Castile and León is an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León and Old Castile...
.
Mirandese
In the 19th century, José Leite de Vasconcelos, described it as "the language of the farms, of work, home, and love between the Mirandese" distinguishing it from Portuguese. Since 1986/1987 the language has been taught to students between the age of 10 and 11, and the language is recovering. Today Mirandese retains fewer than 5,000 speakers (but the number can be up to 15,000 if counting second language speakers).Portugal has taken a further step in protecting Mirandese, which is closely related to Asturian and specially to Leonese language, and it can be studied. Mirandese was officially recognised by the Portuguese Republic in 1999. It is administrated by the Anstituto de la Lhéngua Mirandesa
Anstituto de la Lhéngua Mirandesa
The Institute of the Mirandese Language is the institution responsible for the representation, research, promotion, normativization and distribution of the Mirandese language...
.
See also
- EonavianEonavianEonavian or Galician-Asturian, is a term used to refer a set of Romance dialects or falas whose linguistic dominion extends in the zone of Asturias between the Eo and Navia rivers , and which have been variously classified as the...
- Extremaduran
- Cantabrian dialect
- Ramón Menéndez PidalRamón Menéndez PidalRamón Menéndez Pidal was a Spanish philologist and historian. He worked extensively on the history of the Spanish language and Spanish folklore and folk poetry. One of his main topics was the history and legend of The Cid....
- José Leite de VasconcelosJosé Leite de VasconcelosJosé Leite de Vasconcelos Cardoso Pereira de Melo was a Portuguese ethnographer and prolific author who wrote extensively on Portuguese philology and prehistory...
External links
- Academia de la Llingua Asturiana – Academy of the Asturian Language – Official website
- Asturian grammar in English
- Xunta pola Defensa de la Llingua Asturiana – Committee for the Defense of Asturian Language
- Oficina de Política Llingüística del Gobiernu del Principáu d'Asturies – Bureau of Asturian Linguistic Politics (Government of the Principality of Asturias)
- Real Instituto de Estudios Asturianos – Royal Institute of Asturian Studies (RIDEA or IDEA), founded 1945.
- Asturian–English dictionary
- El Fueyu – Leonese Language Association, Llión
- El Toralín – Leonese Language Association, Ponferrada
- Cuentos del Sil – Leonese Language written Book
- Plataforma puntuLLI – Campaign for a TLD for the Leonese Language
- Entry on José Leite de Vasconcelos at the Folclore Português website