Aragonese language

Aragonese is a special way to talk. It is spoken in the high mountains. Many people live in these valleys. They use this language to share their lives.

Long ago, the language spread far and wide. Now, it is mostly spoken in small towns. Some people use it as a second language. Laws now help protect this old way of speech. It is a proud part of their history.

Aragonese is a special way of speaking. It is a Romance language. This means it comes from old Latin. It is spoken in the Pyrenees mountains in Spain.

Long ago, the language spread across many lands. This happened as the Kingdom of Aragon grew. Later, the Spanish language began to take its place. In the 1700s, new laws even banned Aragonese in schools. Students were sometimes punished for using it.

Today, the language is making a comeback.

About 10,000 to 12,000 people use it actively. Some people also learn it as a second language. A law from 2009 calls it a historic language. This law helps protect its use in public life. There are different ways to write the words. Some writers use one system, while others use another. These systems help keep the old sounds alive. People use different dialects in different valleys. These local ways of speaking help keep the culture strong.

Aragonese is a unique Romance language spoken in the Pyrenees mountains of Spain.

It is a living link to the medieval Navarro-Aragonese language. This language is special because it stayed distinct from Spanish. Today, people in the mountain valleys of Aragon use it to share their culture. Some people call it by the names of local dialects. For example, speakers in the Benasque Valley use a specific version. Around 10,000 to 12,000 people are active speakers today. Some polls suggest the number of speakers might be as high as 25,500.

Learning the language involves understanding its many different sounds and patterns.

Aragonese shares many traits with Catalan, such as how it handles certain letter groups. It keeps some old sounds from Latin that Spanish changed. For instance, it often keeps the "cl" or "pl" sounds in words like "key." In some dialects, these sounds might shift slightly. The way people pronounce vowels can also change depending on the valley. In the Benasque dialect, the vowels can be very open. These small differences create a rich map of local speech.

History shows how the language moved across the land. During the High Middle Ages, the Kingdom of Aragon expanded southward. This movement helped spread the language through the Pyrenees mountains. A famous person who supported the language was Johan Ferrandez d'Heredia. He lived at the end of the 14th century. He was the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller in Rhodes. He even translated Greek works into Aragonese for the first time in medieval Europe.

However, the language faced hard times as Spanish grew more common. In the 15th century, the coronation of Ferdinand I was a turning point. Later, in 1707, the Nueva Planta decrees changed everything. King Philip V ordered that Aragonese be banned in schools. This made Spanish the only official language in the region. For a long time, the language was seen only as rural dialects. Students were even punished for speaking it in class.

Things began to change again during the transition to democracy in 1978. This period helped bring back books and studies written in Aragonese. In 2009, a new law recognized it as a historic and native language. This law gives speakers rights to use it in public life. There are also different ways to write the language today. Some writers use the Uesca system, which follows Spanish patterns. Others use the SLA system, which looks more like Catalan or Occitan. These different rules help keep the beautiful sounds of Aragonese alive.

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It is a unique linguistic survivor from the medieval Navarro-Aragonese period. Unlike many other regional languages, it has remained distinct from Spanish throughout its history. Today, it serves as a vital cultural marker for its speakers. The language is spoken by about 12,000 active speakers, according to 2017 estimates. However, some polls suggest the total number of speakers may reach 25,500. Native speakers often identify with specific local dialects rather than a single broad term.\n\nThe language is organized into several distinct dialectal groups. These groups are defined by the specific valleys and regions where they are spoken. The Western dialect includes areas like Ansó and the Valle de Hecho. The Central dialect covers regions such as Sobrarbe and Bielsa. The Eastern dialect is found in places like Graus and Estadilla. Finally, the Southern dialect is spoken in areas like Ayerbe and Almudévar. These variations mean that a speaker from the Benasque Valley may sound different from someone in the Ribagorza region.\n\nPhonologically, Aragonese maintains several conservative features from Latin. It often preserves initial \"f-\" sounds, such as in the word for \"son.\" It also keeps Romance groups like \"cl-\", \"fl-\", and \"pl-\" intact. For example, the Latin word \"clavis\" becomes \"clau\" in Aragonese, whereas Spanish uses \"llave.\" Some transitional dialects, like Ribagorzano, may shift these sounds to \"cll-\" or \"fll-\." The language also features specific vowel patterns. In the Benasque dialect, mid vowels can be as open as \"e\" and \"o.\" These phonetic traits link Aragonese to other Occitano-Romance languages like Catalan.\n\nThe history of Aragonese is tied to the expansion of the Kingdom of Aragon.

During the High Middle Ages, the kingdom grew southward during the Reconquista. This expansion spread the language from the Pyrenees into the Ebro basin. One notable figure was Johan Ferrandez d'Heredia, the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller. In the late 14th century, he translated Greek works into Aragonese. This was a major achievement, marking the first such translation in medieval Europe. He also created an extensive catalog of works written in the language.\n\nDespite this rich history, the language faced significant pressure from the spread of Castilian. The rise of the Trastámara dynasty and the similarity between the two languages helped Spanish expand. A major turning point occurred in the 15th century with the coronation of Ferdinand I. Later, the political landscape changed drastically following the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1707, the Nueva Planta decrees were issued by Philip V. These decrees prohibited the use of Aragonese in schools. They established Castilian as the only official language in the region.\n\nFor many years, Aragonese was marginalized and viewed merely as rural Spanish dialects. Compulsory education often undermined its status, and students were even punished for using it. However, the Spanish transition to democracy in 1978 brought a period of renewal. This era encouraged new literary works and academic studies of the language. In 2009, the Languages Act of Aragon officially recognized it as a native and historic language.

This legislation granted linguistic rights, including the ability to use the language in public administration.\n\nWriting Aragonese involves navigating different orthographic standards. Before 2023, three main systems were used by writers. The Uesca system, codified in 1987, uses letters similar to Spanish. The SLA system, devised in 2004, uses etymological forms closer to Catalan and Occitan. A third standard was established in 2010 by the Academia de l'Aragonés to modernize medieval spelling. These systems differ in how they represent sounds like \"j\" or \"z.\" Choosing a system often depends on whether a writer prefers Spanish-style spelling or historical etymology. These diverse ways of writing help preserve the complex identity of the language.", "media": [ "File:Linguistic map Southwestern Europe-en.gif", "File:Grupos de parlas de l'aragonés.svg", "File:Ibero orientales aragonés.PNG", "File:Evolución cheografica de l'aragonés.svg" ] }