Aragonese and Bable

Bable more commonly known as Asturian. Romance language derived from Latin in the early

middle ages. It became closely linked with the Kingdom of

Asturies (established in 718) and the ensuing Asturian-Leonese or Leonese kingdom.

In the 12th, 13th and part of the 14th centuries, the language used in official documents of the kingdom was Asturian.

Castilian started to take over in the 14th century. There is no record of Asturian for the following two

centuries.

Bable - History

Reappeared in the 17th century - Anton de Marirreguera.

18th century - Xeneracion del Mediu Sieglu produced poetry.

19th century – More literature produced. 20th century:

◦ Early part saw writers such as Xose Garcia Pelaez◦ Asturian National Theatre◦ First national newspaper written in Asturian◦ Asturian Academy

Bable - History

1939 onwards – writers began to work against the minorisation of Asturian.

Weakening and liberalisation of the Spanish dictatorship meant an uprising of Asturian power and local demands.

Asturian generation of writers and linguists born after the civil war began to make an impact on the Asturian scene:◦ 1974 - Conceyu Bable◦ 1980 - Academia de la Llingua Asturiana◦ 1981 – Asturian national language was recognised but

did not achieve normalisation in Statute of Autonomy

Bable - History

1994:◦ 100,000 first language speakers◦ 450,000 second language speakers

End of 20th century – grammar, dictionary and periodicals.

Castilian still the official language in schools – children are offered classes in Asturian from the age of 6.

Bable – Current Situation

Current Situations and Attitudes

Asturian

UNESCO – entire Asturian group in danger

Media:◦ Journals/Newspapers – Asturias, El Fielatu◦ Radio – Alitar Asturies, Radio Kras◦ Television – TLG, TLU

Education:◦ Used in some elementary schools◦ Can be taken throughout secondary education◦ Higher education – Can take Bable at Oviedo

Today

Reasons for endangerment: Despite increase in popularity, number of

speakers is decreasing

Rural exodus and socio-economic crisis

Lower prestige, contact language mixing, variety of bilingual abilities and diglossia with Spanish

Today

No official status Autonomy Statute of Asturias:

◦ Article 4: “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: “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.”

Status

In decline 50% of population over 60 consider Asturian as

their childhood languageBUT 15% of population 16-17 do so

Therefore:- Asturian will be spoken less and less

Socio-economic context – developing migration patterns

Future

However, still hope

Interest in preserving the language and culture

Internet – promoting the awareness

50% of the lower class population – use it frequently

Future

http://www.orbilat.com/Languages/Asturian/Asturian.htm

http://www.consello.org/ http://www.academiadelallingua.com/ ‘Normativisation, a Priority for Aragonese’,

Rosa Bercero

Bibliography

Spoken in the Asturias region of Spain.

Divided into three main dialects; Western, Central and Eastern Asturian.

Central Asturian also known as Bable.

Asturian recognised as a minority language of Asturias and protected by ‘Ley 1/1998, de 23 de marzo, de uso y promoción del bable/asturiano’.

43% of population immigrants from southern Spain. Academia de la Llingua Asturiana founded 1981.

Currently 100,000 native speakers of Asturian.

Asturian Linguistic Features

Morphological Features Gender Singulars & Plurals In/Definite articles Possessives Demonstratives Personal Pronouns Comparison of adjectives Quantifiers Numbers Interrogative & Relative pronouns Verbs Prepositions Conjunctions

(X. Frías Conde)

Morphology: GenderNouns

Masculine Nouns Usually end in -u; sometimes -e or consonant

Feminine Nouns Usually end in -a but not always

Neuter Nouns Masc. Neuters – masculine form & articles Fem. Neuters – feminine form & articles Pure Neuters – nominal groups not nouns, neuter

adj. & pronouns

Morphology: Gender

Neuter Adjectives

Neuter is more obvious in adjectives so adjectives can take one of three endings; -u (masc.); -a (fem.); -o (neuter).

El vasu ta fríu (=The glass is cold)Tengo la mano fría (=My hand is cold)

L’agua ta frío (=Water is cold)

Morphology: PluralsFeminine

-a > -es: vaca > vaques -á, -ada, -ú > -aes, -úes: ciudá > ciudaes; cansada >

cansaes; virtú > virtúes Masculine

-u > -os: almariu > almarios -ín > -inos: camín > caminos

Consonant ending -Ø > -es: animal > animales; xabón > xabones

-Z Masc. -z + os to distinguish gender in plural form: rapaz >

rapazos (m.); rapaza > rapaces (f.)

'An Approach to Asturian Language'

Xabier Frías Conde

http://www.romaniaminor.net/gramatiques/gramatica_asturiana.pdf

Includes a digestible introduction to Asturian morphological features.

Phonetic Features

Vowels DiphthongationConsonants Initial Internal

Phonology: VowelsDiphthongation

Latin O (FONTEM)

E (PEDEM)

Cast. (10th Century) ué ié

Astur-leonese ué ié

uá iá

uó

Examples PEDEM > piaBENE > bian

NOCTEM > nueche, nueiteFOVEUM > fueyos

Conservation of ie before /ʎ/ExamplesCASTELLUM > castielloSELLAM > siella

Descending Diphthongs AU, AL + Consonant > ou

CAUSUM > cousa PAUCUM > pouco ALTERN > outro

AI > ei -ARIUM > -eiro (e.g. vaqueiro)

Phonology: Vowels

Initial F- Conserved in West & Central areas

fesoria; fachu Aspirated in East areas > h-; later became j- /x/

josoria; jachu Initial L-

Palletised > /ʎ/; except in extreme East > /l/ Central area: /ʎ/ > /ĵ/ (yeísmo)

Phonology: Consonants

Initial N- Palletised > /ɲ/

Ñegro; ñube; ñuble Initial PL-, KL-, FL-

> /ʧ/ PLOVERE > chover PLANUM > chaver CLAMARE > chamar

Phonology: Consonants

Internal features -DY- > /ĵ/ PODIUM > puyu -KT- > /ʧ/ NOCTEM > nuiche -KS- > /x/ LAXARE/LEXARE > dexar Some -B- and -G- confusion. E.g. fuibo

(fuego)

Phonology: Consonants

Aragonese

Aragonese

In Aragon, Catalan and Aragonese are the two vernacular languages that coexist with Spanish. Aragonese is spoken mostly in the northern Pyrenean valleys.

Romance Language developed in the Pyrenees and derived from Latin.

Emerged in the 8th century in what is today northern Aragon, southern Navarre and La Rioja.

Aragonese - History

First text – Glosas emilianeses – 11th century.

Between the 11th and 15th centuries:◦ Spread south◦ Became more prestigious in literature.

15th century – Ferdinand I of Aragon who was Castilian was made king. Aragonese limited to colloquial use.

Since 15th century – Castilian dominated. 20th century Franco – pupils were beaten in

schools for using Aragonese.

Aragonese - History

Still spoken natively in its core area. Learnt as a second language in Huesca,

Zaragoza and Teruel. Currently around 30,000 speakers. 1978 – constitutional democracy – debut of

literary works and studies in Aragonese.

Aragonese – Current Situation

Current Situation and Attitudes

Aragonese

UNESCO – Aragonese in danger

Declining population in the valleys where natural isoglosses have developed

Education – Not compulsory

Media – Journals, Radio, Literature

Today

1974 – proposal for a standard form

1976 – Consello d’a Fabla Aragonesa“the defence, promotion, study and dissemination

of Aragonese in all its aspects.” (Quintana, 1999)

1977 – Diccionario Aragonés – Rafael Andolz- Gramática de la Lengua Aragonesa

1978 – “L’Aragonés t’a Escuela” “L’Aragonés Cofizial

Normativisation and Normalisation

1980s – Increase in courses, associations, books

1987 – “Congreso ta ra Normalizazión de l’Aragonés” – standard orthographical norms

1997 - “Tresoro d’a Lengua Aragonesa” - Lexicography research project

Normativisation and Normalisation

2001 - “Consello Asesor de l’Aragonés” - Progress in standard written Aragonese- Progress in normativisation and normalisation

2001 – “Ley de Lenguas de Aragón”- called for co-officiality

Normativisation and Normalisation

Argument amongst scholars:Comte, Gimeno, Nagore vs Alvar and Buesa

- Movement to have standardised form of written Aragonese

- BUT: could lose the many dialects of Aragonese as one regional variety will be promoted over others

Debate

• Aragonese recognised as a minority language of Aragón (Ley de Lenguas de Aragón en 2009).

• Derived from Latin, similar to Castilian and Catalan.

• Formerly considered as merely a dialect of Castilian.

• Currently 10,000 native speakers of Aragonese.

• There are 25-30 dialectal variants of Aragonese.

• Aragonese language linked to regional identity.

• Taught as a second language in certain schools in Zaragoza and Huesca.

Aragonés Linguistic Features

Gender Maintains the remainders of Latin genders in

nouns VALLEM > la val SALICEM > la salz

Adjectives take -a/-o endings from Latin trista / tristo

Pronouns Lots of variation between local areas Some comparability with Gascón Evolved from Latin

ILLUM > lo, o; ILLE > el; ILLOS > es (m. pl.); ILLUM, ILLAM > ro, ra

Morphological Features

Imperfect -er, -ir conserve -b-

teneba (tenía); partiba (partía) Perfect

Perfect was substituted by the imperfect and therefore now uses a present tense stem in -er and -ir

Evolution of perfect provoked -b- preservation in imperfect.

Morphology: Tenses

Perfect cont'd

TENEBAT > *tenea > tenía > teníe > teniéTENUERUNT > … > tenieron

Morphology: Tenses

-ar -er, -ir1P s -é -ié

2P s -és -iés

3P s -ó -ié

1P pl -emos -iemos

2P pl -éis, -ez -iez

3P pl -oron, -on -ieronOther forms are found in

old/medieval texts

Phonetic Features

Vowels Diphthongation Loss of final vowelConsonants Initial Internal

Diphthongation of short, stressed Latin vowels

Diphthongation of ser Ser > ye, yes, yera... etc.

Diphthongation of -ELUM > -iello

Phonology: Vowels

Latin O (FONTEM)

E (PEDEM)

Cast. (10th Century) ué ié

Aragonese ué ié

uá iá

uó

Loss of final vowel NOCTE > nueyt FALCEM > falz GENTE > chen

Phonology: Vowels

Initial F- More obviously maintain in medieval

documentation e.g. fuesa, filo

Alternatively; F- > h- > Ø (more prominent in Western areas)

Initial J-, Ge,i- > palatal-alveo fricatives Voiced

GERMANOS > germanos Voiceless

JENIPERU > Chinebro

Phonology: Consonants

-KS- > voiceless palatal-alveo fricative FRAXINU > fraxin

-SKY-, SKe,i- > voiceless palatal-alveo fricative

ASCIATA > eixada NASCERE > naxer

-KT-, -ULT- > it Medieval examples

LECTU > leyto OCTO > ueito CATARACTA > Cadreita

Modern examples PECTU > peitu > pit LACTE > let

Phonology: Consonants

Further Information: Websites

Asturianhttp://www.ridea.orghttp://www.exunta.org/spiphttp://www.academiadelallingua.com

Aragonesehttp://www.charrando.comhttp://www.consello.orghttp://www.acalaaragon.com

Further Information: Bibliography

Alvar, M. El dialecto aragonesAlvar, M. Manual de dialectología hispánicaFrías Conde, X. 'An Approach to the Asturian Language'Menendez Pidal, R. El dialecto leonés