Extremaduran language
Encyclopedia
Extremaduran is a Romance language, spoken by several hundred thousand people in Spain
, in an area covering the north-western part of the autonomous community of Extremadura and adjoining areas in the province of Salamanca.
It should not be confused with the Spanish
dialects spoken in most of Extremadura, though it is difficult to establish the boundary between the two languages. Most common people in Spain are not aware of its existence and consider it just a dialect of Spanish
.
. The central and southern ones are spoken in the rest of Extremadura, and are not different enough from standard Spanish
to be considered anything but dialects of it, since at least the 18th century.
In the Portuguese town of Barrancos
(at the border between Extremadura, Andalusia and Portugal), a dialect heavily influenced by Extremaduran is spoken, known as "barranquenho
", the Barranquian dialect. Northern Extremaduran is also spoken in a few villages of southern Salamanca, being known there as the "palra d'El Rebollal
", which is now almost extinct.
, where the language was born, people were conscious of speaking a language different from Castilian
; but even there only some authors used it in their writings.
Probably the cultural upheaval of Spanish-speaking Salamanca's University
was the cause of the quick Castilianisation of the eastern parts of this province, so dividing the Astur-Leonese domain between Asturian, Leonese and the Extremaduran in the south of the old Leonese kingdom..
The late 19th century saw the first serious attempt to write in Extremaduran, up to then an oral language, with the poet José María Gabriel y Galán
. Born in Salamanca, he lived most of his life in the north of Cáceres
, Extremadura. He wrote in a local variant of Extremaduran, full with dialectal remains, but always with an eye on Spanish usage.
After that, localismes are the pattern in the attempts to defend the Extremaduran language, to the extent that today only a few people try to revive the language and make northern Extremadura a bilingual region, whereas the government and official institutions think the best solution is for the northwestern Extremadurans to speak a Castilian dialect without any kind of protection. There are also attempts to transform the southern Castilian dialects ("castúo
", as some people named them using the word which appeared in Luis Chamizo
's poems) into a language, which makes even harder to defend the High Extremaduran, considered more frequently as a "real" language, and makes it easier for the administration to reject co-officiality and normalisation of Extremaduran.
It is in serious danger of extinction, with only the oldest people speaking it at present, while most of the Extremaduran population ignores the language, since the majority of Extremadurans, and even own speakers regard it a poorly spoken Spanish.
* The words in this table refer only to High Extremaduran
** Extremaduran words in this table are spelled according to Ismael Carmona García's orthography
".
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, in an area covering the north-western part of the autonomous community of Extremadura and adjoining areas in the province of Salamanca.
It should not be confused with the 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...
dialects spoken in most of Extremadura, though it is difficult to establish the boundary between the two languages. Most common people in Spain are not aware of its existence and consider it just a dialect of 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...
.
Dialects
The linguistic varieties of Extremadura are usually classified in three main branches: Northern or "High" (artu estremeñu), Central or "Middle" (meyu estremeñu), and Southern or "Low" (baju estremeñu). The northern one is usually considered to be the language proper, and is spoken in the north-west of the autonomous region of Extremadura, and the south-west of Salamanca, a province of the autonomous region of Castile and LeónCastile 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...
. The central and southern ones are spoken in the rest of Extremadura, and are not different enough from standard 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...
to be considered anything but dialects of it, since at least the 18th century.
In the Portuguese town of Barrancos
Barrancos
Barrancos is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 168.3 km² and a total population of 1,825 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of one parish, being one of the six Portuguese municipalities composed of only one parish, and is located in Beja District, close to the Spanish...
(at the border between Extremadura, Andalusia and Portugal), a dialect heavily influenced by Extremaduran is spoken, known as "barranquenho
Barranquenho
Barranquenho , is a Romance linguistic variety spoken in the Portuguese town of Barrancos, near the Spanish border. It can be considered a variety of Portuguese heavily influenced by the Spanish dialects of neighbouring areas in Extremadura and Andalusia , or a Spanish dialect heavily influenced by...
", the Barranquian dialect. Northern Extremaduran is also spoken in a few villages of southern Salamanca, being known there as the "palra d'El Rebollal
Palra d'El Rebollal
Palra d'El Rebollal is the name given to the dialectal variety of Extremaduran spoken in the villages Rebollar and Peñardas.-Characteristics:...
", which is now almost extinct.
History
After the union of the kingdoms of León and Castile (into the "Crown of Castile and León"), the Castilian language slowly replaced Latin as the official language of the institutions, thus relegating Old Leonese to a sign of poverty and ignorance of those who spoke it. Only in AsturiasAsturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, where the language was born, people were conscious of speaking a language different from Castilian
Castilian Spanish
Castilian Spanish is a term related to the Spanish language, but its exact meaning can vary even in that language. In English Castilian Spanish usually refers to the variety of European Spanish spoken in north and central Spain or as the language standard for radio and TV speakers...
; but even there only some authors used it in their writings.
Probably the cultural upheaval of Spanish-speaking Salamanca's University
University of Salamanca
The University of Salamanca is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid. It was founded in 1134 and given the Royal charter of foundation by King Alfonso IX in 1218. It is the oldest founded university in Spain and the third oldest European...
was the cause of the quick Castilianisation of the eastern parts of this province, so dividing the Astur-Leonese domain between Asturian, Leonese and the Extremaduran in the south of the old Leonese kingdom..
The late 19th century saw the first serious attempt to write in Extremaduran, up to then an oral language, with the poet José María Gabriel y Galán
José María Gabriel y Galán
José María Gabriel y Galán was a Spanish poet in Castilian and Extremaduran.He was a teacher in Guijuelo & Piedrahíta...
. Born in Salamanca, he lived most of his life in the north of Cáceres
Cáceres (province)
The province of Cáceres is a province of western Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Extremadura. It is bordered by the provinces of Salamanca, Ávila, Toledo, and Badajoz, and by Portugal....
, Extremadura. He wrote in a local variant of Extremaduran, full with dialectal remains, but always with an eye on Spanish usage.
After that, localismes are the pattern in the attempts to defend the Extremaduran language, to the extent that today only a few people try to revive the language and make northern Extremadura a bilingual region, whereas the government and official institutions think the best solution is for the northwestern Extremadurans to speak a Castilian dialect without any kind of protection. There are also attempts to transform the southern Castilian dialects ("castúo
Castúo
Castúo is the generic name for the dialects of Spanish spoken in the autonomous community of Extremadura, in Spain.-Phonological characteristics:...
", as some people named them using the word which appeared in Luis Chamizo
Luis Chamizo Trigueros
Luis Florencio Chamizo Trigueros was a Spanish writer in Castilian and "Castúo", a dialect in Extremadura. He was born within a humble family and he started writing poems secretly....
's poems) into a language, which makes even harder to defend the High Extremaduran, considered more frequently as a "real" language, and makes it easier for the administration to reject co-officiality and normalisation of Extremaduran.
It is in serious danger of extinction, with only the oldest people speaking it at present, while most of the Extremaduran population ignores the language, since the majority of Extremadurans, and even own speakers regard it a poorly spoken Spanish.
Phonological characteristics
In High Extremaduran- General loss of intervocalic d. Ex: mieu
- Substitution of the o, in post-tonical position, for u. Ex: oru
- Substitution of the e, in post-tonical position, for i. Ex: calli
- Frequently aspirationAspiration (phonetics)In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of air that accompanies either the release or, in the case of preaspiration, the closure of some obstruents. To feel or see the difference between aspirated and unaspirated sounds, one can put a hand or a lit candle in front of one's mouth, and say pin ...
of the f, in initial position. Ex: huendu - InfinitiveInfinitiveIn grammar, infinitive is the name for certain verb forms that exist in many languages. In the usual description of English, the infinitive of a verb is its basic form with or without the particle to: therefore, do and to do, be and to be, and so on are infinitives...
s in -l. Ex: dil. - Occasional replacement of the consonants l/r or r/l. Ex: craru
- Conservation of e, from Latin, in final position. Ex: redi
- Vocalic change from a, into e. Ex: trebajal
- Occasional maintenance of spirations lost in Spanish, in initial position. Ex: gelmanu
- MetathesisMetathesis (linguistics)Metathesis is the re-arranging of sounds or syllables in a word, or of words in a sentence. Most commonly it refers to the switching of two or more contiguous sounds, known as adjacent metathesis or local metathesis:...
from the consonantic group rl, into lr. Ex: chalral - Some cases of palatization of n in initial position. Ex: ñíu
- Occasional conservation of f, in initial position. Ex: fogarera
- Conservation of the consonantic group mb, in intermediate position. Ex: lambel
- Frequently conservation of the spiration of h, in initial position, coming from a Latin f-. This feature is lost in SpanishSpanish 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...
. Ex: higu ˈhiɣu - Preservation of old voiced sounds, such as some ð sounds where there is [θ] in Spanish, or a z sound where there is a [s] sound in Spanish. This feature could be an archaismArchaismIn language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. This can either be done deliberately or as part of a specific jargon or formula...
preserved from Old Spanish or Old Asturleonese, as it only happens when it could be expected from etymologyEtymologyEtymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
. When that feature is well preserved, its appearance coincides with the presence of voicedVOICEDVirtual Organization for Innovative Conceptual Engineering Design is a virtual organization that promotes innovation in engineering design. This project is the collaborative work of researchers at five universities across the United States, and is funded by the National Science Foundation...
sibilants in languages such as CatalanCatalan languageCatalan 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...
or PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese 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...
: Extremaduran tristeza [triʰˈteða] (Portuguese "tristeza"), SpanishSpanish 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...
tristeza [trisˈteθa], but Extremaduran cabeça [kaˈbeθa] or [kaˈβeθa] (Portuguese "cabeça"), Spanish cabeza [kaˈβeθa] (the same as in Extremaduran). This feature is dying out quite fast, but it is found all over the High Extremaduran speaking area.
Grammar characteristics
In High Extremaduran- Anteposition of the articleArticle (grammar)An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the and a/an, and some...
before the possessive pronounPossessive pronounA possessive pronoun is a part of speech that substitutes for a noun phrase that begins with a possessive determiner . For example, in the sentence These glasses are mine, not yours, the words mine and yours are possessive pronouns and stand for my glasses and your glasses, respectively...
, as in Old Spanish or in many Romance languagesRomance languagesThe 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...
such as LeoneseLeonese 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...
, PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese 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...
, CatalanCatalan languageCatalan 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...
or ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
. - Anteposition of the particle lu (or lo), in some interrogative sentences.
- Use of diminutives inu and ina, as heritage from LeoneseLeonese 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...
(as in PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese 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...
). - Occasional formation of gerundGerundIn linguistics* As applied to English, it refers to the usage of a verb as a noun ....
, derived from a form of the verb in past tensePast tenseThe past tense is a grammatical tense that places an action or situation in the past of the current moment , or prior to some specified time that may be in the speaker's past, present, or future...
. - Usage of a vocative-exclamative caseVocative caseThe vocative case is the case used for a noun identifying the person being addressed and/or occasionally the determiners of that noun. A vocative expression is an expression of direct address, wherein the identity of the party being spoken to is set forth expressly within a sentence...
. When nouns are in the vocativeVocative caseThe vocative case is the case used for a noun identifying the person being addressed and/or occasionally the determiners of that noun. A vocative expression is an expression of direct address, wherein the identity of the party being spoken to is set forth expressly within a sentence...
, the closing of post-tonic vowels (e into i and o into u) disappears and those vowels open. El Ramiru quíi venil (Ramiro wants to come), but Ramiro, ven pacá (Ramiro, come here!). Sé quién lo vidu, Pepi (I know who saw it, Pepe did), but Sé quién lo vidu, Pepe (I know who saw it, Pepe). This is a charasteristic shared with the Fala languageFala languageFala is a Romance linguistic variety commonly classified in the Portuguese-Galician subgroup, with some traits from Leonese, spoken in Spain by about 10,500 people, of whom 5,500 live in a valley of the northwestern part of Extremadura near the border with Portugal...
. Extremaduran and the Fala language are actually the only western Romance languages with a distinct form of vocative case for nouns formed with a change in the ending. - Usage of the preposition a with the verbs andal and estal indicating static temporal location, contrasting with the usage of en. Está a Caçris "He's in CáceresCáceres, SpainCáceres is the capital of the same name province, in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. , its population was 91,131 inhabitants. The municipio has a land area of 1,750.33 km², and is the largest in geographical extension in Spain....
(for a few days), está en Caçris "He's in CáceresCáceres- Places :* Cáceres in Spain** Cáceres which covers the province* Cáceres, Spain, the capital of Cáceres Province* Cáceres, Antioquia, municipality in Colombia...
", Está pa Caçris "He's around Cáceres". - A very frequent usage of deictic forms to which enclitic pronouns can be added at the end. They can be used in the middle of a sentence: Velaquí la mi casa (Here is my house), velallilu (there he is), Paquí se curtivan velaquí lechugas, millu... (Look, lettuce, corn and so on is grown here).
- Usage of reduplicated forms of plural pronouns with a reciprocal sense (ellus y ellus, vujotrus y vujotrus...): Estaban brucheandu ellus y ellus: They were wrestling with each other.
Lexical characteristics
In High Extremaduran- Usage of termsTerminologyTerminology is the study of terms and their use. Terms are words and compound words that in specific contexts are given specific meanings, meanings that may deviate from the meaning the same words have in other contexts and in everyday language. The discipline Terminology studies among other...
considered in Spanish as archaismArchaismIn language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. This can either be done deliberately or as part of a specific jargon or formula...
s. Ex: ludia (Spanish levadura, "yeast").
- Presence of terms, used commonly, that are derived from Andalusian Arabic. Ex: zagal (from Andalusian Arabic zaḡál, "boy").
Comparative tables
| Latin | Italian | French | Spanish | Portuguese | Extremaduran | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| altum | alto | haut | alto | alto | artu | high |
| quasi | quasi | presque | casi | quase | cuasi, abati | almost |
| dicere | dire | dire | decir [de'θir] | dizer | izil [i'ðil] | to say |
| facere | fare | faire | hacer [a'θer] | fazer | hazel [ha'ðel] | to do |
| focum | fuoco | feu | fuego | fogo | hueu | fire |
| flammam | fiamma | flamme | llama | chama | flama | flame |
| legere | leggere | lire | leer | ler | leel | to read |
| linguam | lingua | langue | lengua | língua | luenga/léngua | language |
| lumbum | lombo | lombe | lomo | lombo | lombu | loin |
| matrem | madre | mère | madre | mãe | mairi | mother |
| mirulum | merlo | merle | mirlo | melro | mielru | blackbird |
| monstrare | mostrare | montrer | mostrar | mostrar | muestral | to show |
| nostrum | nostro | notre | nuestro | nosso | muestru/nuestru | ours |
| tussem | tosse | toux | tos | tosse | tossi | cough |
Organizations and media
There exists a regional organization in Extremadura, APLEx, which tries to defend the Extremaduran language (and also the Spanish dialects of Extremadura), one journal (Belsana) and one cultural newspaper, Iventia, written in the new unified Extremaduran and the old dialect "palra d'El RebollalPalra d'El Rebollal
Palra d'El Rebollal is the name given to the dialectal variety of Extremaduran spoken in the villages Rebollar and Peñardas.-Characteristics:...
".
Textual example
| Extremaduran | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| El estremeñu es una luenga palrá nel noroesti de la comuniá autónoma d'Estremaúra. | El extremeño es una lengua hablada en el noroeste de la comunidad autónoma de Extremadura. | Extremaduran is a language spoken in the northwest of the autonomous community of Extremadura. |
See also
- Extremaduran peopleExtremaduran peopleExtremadurans are an ethnic group living in Extremadura, between the centre and the south-west of Spain.Extremadura has usually been, and still is, the poorest part of Spain, although the gap between Extremadura and other places in Spain has been reduced...
- Astur-Leonese Group
- SerradillianSerradillianSerradillian, is a dialect of Extremaduran, spoken in the villages Serradilla and Garrovillas.- Dialectal characteristics :* Distinction between b and v. This feature could be conserved from Old Spanish. Moreover this feature is lost in all Spanish dialects....
- Fala languageFala languageFala is a Romance linguistic variety commonly classified in the Portuguese-Galician subgroup, with some traits from Leonese, spoken in Spain by about 10,500 people, of whom 5,500 live in a valley of the northwestern part of Extremadura near the border with Portugal...
- ChinatoChinatoChinato is a dialect of Extremaduran spoken in Malpartida de Plasencia. This dialect is nearly extinct.- References :*...
- 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....
External links
- Ethnologue report for Extremaduran
- Languages of Spain and map
- Virtual Library Extremaduran Language
- APLEx Extremadura Cultural Society
- Iventia.com — A cultural news site in Extremaduran
- Linguistic cartography of Extremadura, which offers 418 linguistic and ethnographic maps on rural lexicon