Asturian, once the language of the Kingdom of Asturias, was traditionally also spoken in the Spanish regions known as León and Zamora, where it has influenced the Castilian Spanish that is spoken there. In 718, the Kingdom of Asturias was established in the northwest of present-day Spain. It later became the Kingdom of Asturias and León before it disintegrated in 910, as Alfonso III, the Asturian leader, divided the Kingdom of Asturias into three sections — Asturias, Galicia, and León, each ruled by one of his sons.
The first Asturian documents were written in the 12th century (1100–1200), primarily alongside Latin. As a Romance language, Asturian had naturally developed from Vulgar Latin (the common, vernacular forms of Latin), spoken throughout Western Europe until about the 7th century, during the Middle Ages.
In the 14th century, Castilian Spanish overtook Asturian as the dominant language, apart from Latin. Until the 17th century, Asturian-language documents disappeared. The writer Antón de Marirreguera (also known as Antón González Reguera) became the first prolific writer of Asturian, creating many of the earliest preserved Asturian works. He is remembered for his literary contributions and his aid in restoring the Asturian language.
During the Francoist dictatorship in Spain, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain (1936–1975), Asturian was buried under Spanish-language dominance. When Franco died in 1975, ending the Francoist dictatorship, campaigns to restore education in the Asturian language began. These included the establishment of the Conceyu Bable (Asturian language Council) in 1974 and, later, L'Academia de la Llingua Asturiana (Asturian Language Academy) in 1980. In 1981, the Asturian region was given autonomous status, and in 1998, the Asturian Parliament requested further recognition of Asturian in the form of Asturian-language place names and acceptance of Asturian-language documents.
The first Friday of May is now, in the Principality of Asturias, el Día de les Lletres Asturianes (The Day of Asturian Letters), celebrating the Asturian language and its history. L'Academia de la Llingua Asturiana hosts the event, noting it also recognizes the Galician-Asturian language (Asturian: eonaviegu; Galician: eonaviego) and the relationship between these two languages.
The Astur-Leonese Language & Dialects
This is a linguistic map of the Principality of Asturias. The pink shades highlight dialects of Asturian, while the green highlights Galician languages.
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The subgroup of languages that Asturian belongs to is called Asturo-Leonese, and it includes the Asturian language as well as Mirandés/Mirandese, which is spoken in Portugal. These two languages are closely related, and Mirandés is considered a variety of Asturian to some scholars. The two were a shared language in the Middle Ages, hence the name Asturo-Leonese.
Additionally, there are dialects of the Asturian language itself. These include the following:
- Leonese language/dialect (Lleones), considered a dialect of Asturian by some and a distinct language by others
- Western Asturian and Central Asturian dialects (Bable)
- Eastern Asturian dialect
- Cantabrian
- Pasiegan (also called Pasiego or Pasiegu) dialect
In addition to these officially recognized Asturian dialects, there is also Montañes, considered by some to be a dialect of Asturian and by others a dialect of Spanish.
