Data collected by the Latin Union, engaged to promote the cultural heritages of their 37 member states.

Data on Asturian:

Alternative names: Asturiano-leonés, Bable, Leonés

Classification: Indo-European language family, Romance language, variation of Spanish

Area: North and West of the Castilla y Léon province, Principality of Asturias, border region of Galicia, Terra de Miranda do Douro (Northern Portugal)

Number of speakers:

SIL estimates 100 000 speakers first-language speakers and 450 000 second-language and passive speakers, according to a 1994 study by Botas. Leclerc (2001) estimates 200 000 speakers. A certain degree of caution is necessary when it comes to assessing positive claims of fluency and usage of Asturian. A 1983 survey estimates 100 000 first-language speakers, and 250 000 people claiming to understand the language, while a 1991 survey estimates 450 000 speakers.

Language status: No official status.

Asturian is recognized by the Autonomy Statute of Asturias, yet it is not considered an official language, in contrast to other minority languages in Spain. Although the administration that represents the government does not take Asturian into account, the regional government officially recognizes Asturian. A number of campaigns have been publicized in Asturian, and the administration openly accepts texts in Asturian.

Article 4 of the Autonomy Statute:

“The protection of ‘Bable’ will be insured. Its usage and its presence in the media and within the school system will be encouraged, all the while respecting regional variations and the willingness to learn, in any given circumstance.”

Article 10 of the Autonomy Statute:

“The Principality of Asturias is fully responsible for […]:

– the advancement of research and culture, particularly in regards to regional expressions and to the teaching of local culture

– the development and protection of the different varieties of Bable when used as a ‘linguistic modality’ within the territory of the Principality of Asturias.”

Vitality & transmission:

UNESCO considers the entire Asturian-Leonese language group to be in danger.

Media & circulation:

Literature:

Asturias (ethnographic journal)

Cultures (cultural journal)

El comercio (newspaper that publishes a two-page section in Asturian once a week)

El Fielatu (monthly journal)

El Gochu

El Gomeru

Krasnia (tri-annual publication that edits information in Asturian)

La nueva españa (weekly publication that sometimes publishes articles in Asturian)

La Voz de Asturias (newspaper containing sections in Asturian)

Les Noticies (weekly publications founded in 1996, written entirely in Asturian)

The four Spanish newspapers distributed in Asturias all publish a significant number of articles in Asturian.

Literatura (literary journal)

Lleo-lleo, Rede C and La Bígara (scholastic journals published in Asturian)

Llettres Asturianes (literary journal)

Sietestrellu (literary journal)

XYZ (youth publication)

Zimbru (literary journal)

Media broadcasts:

Antena Norte (radio that broadcasts numerous programmes in Asturian)

Alitar Asturies

Asturies Cultural

Asturnews (first electronic periodical issued in Asturian)

Cadena S.E.R. XIX (broadcasts in Spanish and Asturian)

M-80 Asturias (broadcasts 20 hours per week in Spanish and Asturian)

Radio Kras (independent radio that broadcasts almost entirely in Asturian)

Radio Langreo (broadcasts daily in Spanish and Asturian)

Radio Sele (cultural radio that broadcasts entirely in Asturian)

Radio Ser Gijon (broadcasts 28 hours per week in Spanish and Asturian)

Revista Asturies

TLG-Television Local Gijon (local Xixon television station that broadcasts 2 hours in Asturian per week)

Uviéu-TLU (local Oviedo television station that broadcasts around 3 hours in Asturian per week)

Education:

Asturian is used as a teaching method in some kindergarten and elementary schools, and can be taken optionally throughout secondary education. Asturian can also be taken as an optional course in higher education and in the Philology Faculty at the University of Oviedo.

Historical observations:

Asturian was created by the dialectical fragmentation of Latin. However a substratum of pre-Latin languages, spoken in the area prior to the appearance of Latin, has also influenced Asturian.

Asturian is tied to the history of the Kingdom of Asturias (718-910), which later became the Kingdom of Asturias and Leon.

• 12^th c.: First known written text in Asturian.
• Asturian exists in a long-standing situation of diglossia with Latin. However, numerous official records (wills, contracts, etc) in Asturian have been discovered.
• 14^th c.: Castilian is introduced to the region by administrators from the Kingdom of Castile. Asturian will not be used as a written language for the next two centuries.
• 17^th c.: Antón de Marirreguera initiates a literary tradition that continues today.
• 18^th c.: The “Xeneracion del Mediu Siglu” (“Mid-Century Generation”) develops a collection of poetic works.
• 18^th & 19^th c.: In parallel to literary productions, a few intellectuals focus on the Asturian language and contribute to its dissemination.
• 1887: First Asturian dialectical monograph by A.W. Munthe, Anteckningar om folkmalet i en trakt af Vestra Asturien, Upsala.
• However, the unification of the country and the implementation of Spanish-language education decrease the number of speakers, and change the image of the language (which becomes largely negative).
• 1936-1970s: Under the dictatorship established by Franco, Asturian culture is reduced to folktales.
• After the fall of Francosim, the movement for regional autonomy reaches Asturias, and Asturian writers and intellectuals attempt to rehabilitate the language.
• 1970s: Campaigns for Asturian teaching in school, with posters calling for “Bable nes escueles” (“Bable in our schools”).
• 1973: First General Regional Assembly of Bable, in Uyiéu.
• 1974: Creation of the Conceyu Bable (Asturian language Council).
• 1980: L’Academia de la Llingua Asturiana (Asturian language Academy) is created, that has for objective the establishment of linguistic standards for the Asturian language.
• 1981: Autonomous status.
• 1983: First attempt at teaching Asturian in a school. The number of schools offering Asturian teaching continues to grow in the public sector.
• 1985: Creation of the Servicio de Enseñanza Lingüistica.
• 1998: The Asturian Parliament passes a law to develop Article 4 of the Autonomy Statute. This law demands that the regional administration accepts documents written in Asturian and issues responses in Asturian. The law also imposes a toponymy in Asturian (except for larger cities, which would have a bilingual toponymy). In addition, according to the law, Asturian will be taught in schools, except when explicitly refused by parents.
• This law provokes a reaction from the Delegación del Gobierno, which represents the central Spanish power in Asturias. The case is taken to trial.
• 2002: The city of Miranda do Douro welcomes the international Ve Colloque on languages and European legislations, organised by Barcelona’s CIEMEN.

Sociolinguistic observations:

Within the context of diglossia, Asturian has long been considered on the one hand a simple “dialect” of Spanish (due to the structural similarity between the two languages), and on the other hand a version of “bad Spanish”, which represents a typical reaction that is also apparent in many other regions, in regards to numerous other minority languages.

A change started taking place in the 1980s: various endeavours publicized it, and provided Asturian with a certain amount of legitimacy as a “language. A sense of linguistic consciousness was also developed, even though this was not felt by all speakers of Asturian.
However, despite gaining in popularity, the number of speakers continues to decrease; for the most part, speakers of Asturian are older, and live in rural areas. Both the rural exodus and the socio-economic crisis in the region have contributed to the neglect of the language.

Sources & additional bibliography:

ALVAR, Manuel (dir.) (1996), Manual de dialectologia hispànica. El español de España, Editorial Ariel, Barcelona.
CANO GONZALES, Ana María (1987), “Averamientu a la hestoria de la llingua asturiana”, in Informe so la llingua asturiana, Oviedo, Academia de la Llingua Asturiana, pp. 11-23.
CATALAN, D. (1956), “El asturiano occidental”, in Romance Philology, 10, pp. 71-92 ; 11 (1957), pp. 120-158.
D’ANDRES, Ramón (1987), “La situacíon social de la llingua asturiana”, in Informe so la llingua asturiana, Oviedo, Academia de la Llingua Asturiana, pp. 25-44.
LLERA RAMO, F. (1994), Los Asturianos y la llengua asturiana, Conseyeria d’Educacion, Uviéu (Oviedo).
LECLERC, Jacques (2001), “L’Etat espagnol”, in L’aménagement linguistique dans le monde, Québec, TLFQ, Université Laval.
MARTINEZ ALVAREZ, Josefina (1968), Bable y castellano en el concejo de Oviedo, Oviedo.
MARTINEZ ALVAREZ, Josefina (1996), “Las hablas asturianas”, in Manuel Alvar (dir.), Manual de dialectologia hispànica. El español de España, Editorial Ariel, Barcelona, pp. 119-133.
MENENDEZ PIDAL, R.( [1906] 1962), El dialecto leonés, RABM, pp. 128-172 ; 2a ed., Oviedo, IDEA.
NEIRA, Jesus (1976), El bable, estructura e historia, Oviedo.
RODRIGUEZ-CASTELLANO, L. (1946), La aspiracion de “h” en el oriente de Asturias, Oviedo, IDEA.
TOLIVAR ALAS, L. (1988), “Normalización lingüística y Estatuto asturiano”, in Lletres Asturianes, 31, pp. 7-24.
ZAMORA VICENTE, A. (1967), Dialectologia española, Madrid.