Asturian, also referred to as Asturleonese, is a Romance language spoken by approximately 100,000 people in a region of northwest Spain called Asturias. It developed from vulgar Latin and shares similarities with Galician. Asturian is a symbol of regional identity and cultural heritage in Asturias, and it is often seen in music, literature, and oral traditions.
Historically, the Asturian people faced oppression, particularly during the Franco regime when Spanish was imposed as the dominant language. Then in 1980, the Statute of Autonomy of the Principality of Asturias recognized Asturian as an official language in the region. In 1981, Asturias created the Academy of the Asturian Language (ALLA) to promote and regulate Asturian.
Nowadays, political views divide the language’s use, with right-wing parties expressing less support than left-wing parties. Liberal parties make an effort to preserve, promote, and revitalize it — including educational programs aimed at teaching Asturian in schools and initiatives to increase its presence in the media.
Despite these actions, Asturian still faces challenges, including the fact that it is often considered a dialect rather than a fully distinct language. It also lacks full co-official language status at the national level in Spain.
According to a 2018 research paper published in the Language Policy journal, “doubts over [Asturian’s] ‘languageness’ have real material consequences.” The paper’s author, Naomi Wells, writes, “Its lack of official status means that it is either ignored or subjected to repeated challenges to its status as a language variety deserving of recognition and support.”
