Who Are the Aragonese Speakers?
The Aragonese-speaking people are inhabitants of the Pyrenean valleys of Aragon in northeastern Spain who speak Aragonese (Aragonés), a Romance language classified as severely endangered by UNESCO. Current estimates suggest only 10,000-25,000 active speakers remain, concentrated in the Alto Aragón (Upper Aragon) mountain valleys. Aragonese was once the language of the powerful medieval Kingdom of Aragon before being largely replaced by Castilian Spanish. Today, it survives primarily in isolated mountain communities like the Valleys of Echo, Ansó, and Benasque, though revival efforts have expanded its presence.
Medieval Kingdom Language
Aragonese was the language of the Kingdom of Aragon, one of medieval Iberia's most powerful states. It was used in administration, literature, and daily life. The union with Castile under Ferdinand and Isabella (1479) began a long decline as Castilian Spanish gained prestige and administrative dominance. By the 18th century, Aragonese had retreated to mountain valleys. Literary production continued sporadically but without institutional support. This history from royal language to endangered mountain dialect illustrates how political unification can dramatically shift linguistic fortunes. Memory of past grandeur motivates contemporary revival efforts.
Contemporary Survival
Aragonese survives primarily in the Pyrenean valleys of Huesca province—Echo, Ansó, Tena, Benasque, and others—where mountain isolation slowed Castilianization. Each valley has its own variety (Cheso, Ansotano, Tensino, Benasqués), and speakers often identify with local variety rather than unified "Aragonese." Efforts to create a standardized literary language have been controversial. The 2013 Aragonese Languages Law provides some protection but less than co-official status would. Transmission to children is weak outside core areas. Whether Aragonese survives beyond the current elderly speaker generation depends on active intervention and community commitment.
Contemporary Aragonese Movement
The Aragonese language movement has grown since the 1970s democratic transition. Organizations like Consello d'a Fabla Aragonesa work to standardize, teach, and promote the language. Aragonese is taught in some schools as an optional subject. Publications, music, and cultural events create visibility. However, lack of official status limits institutional support. Young people increasingly learn standard Aragonese in classes even as natural intergenerational transmission weakens. How the movement balances valley diversity with unified identity—and whether revitalization efforts can reverse decline—shapes this severely endangered language's future.
References
- Nagore LaĂn, F. (1989). Gramática de la lengua aragonesa
- Moseley, C. (Ed.). (2010). Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (UNESCO)
- Postlep, S. (2010). \"Zwischen Spracherhalt und Assimilation: Zur Vitalität des Aragonesischen\"