Who Are the Asturians?
The Asturians are a Romance-speaking people of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain, numbering over one million in the region, with estimates of 100,000-450,000 active speakers of the Asturian language. They speak Asturian (Asturianu or Bable), an Astur-Leonese Romance language distinct from Castilian Spanish. Asturias, nestled between the Cantabrian Mountains and the Bay of Biscay, is known for its lush green landscapes, Celtic heritage, cider culture, and mining history. The Kingdom of Asturias was the nucleus of the Christian Reconquista; Asturians take pride in having "never been conquered."
Language Without Official Status
Unlike Catalan, Basque, or Galician, Asturian lacks co-official status in Spain. The 1981 Statute of Autonomy promised protection and promotion but not officiality. Efforts to achieve co-official status have repeatedly failed in the Asturian parliament. Asturian is taught as an optional subject in schools; use in administration and media is limited. This lack of official status reflects political divisions within Asturias and the Spanish state's reluctance to expand linguistic officiality. Activists argue that without official status, the language faces continued decline; opponents claim Asturian is merely a Spanish dialect or that officiality would be costly.
Industrial and Mining Heritage
Asturias was Spain's industrial heartland, with coal mining and steel production concentrated around Oviedo and Gijón. The mining valleys developed distinctive working-class culture with strong labor unions and leftist politics. The Asturian miners' uprising of 1934 was a landmark in Spanish labor history. Deindustrialization since the 1980s has devastated mining communities. The industrial heritage now contrasts with rural Asturias's pastoral traditions. This dual identity—industrial and rural, modern and traditional—characterizes contemporary Asturian culture. The decline of mining has also affected language transmission in formerly industrial areas.
Contemporary Asturians
Modern Asturians maintain regional identity expressed through language (where active), bagpipe music, cider culture, and connection to Celtic heritage (Asturias participates in Celtic festivals). Tourism—beaches, mountains, gastronomy—has grown economically important. The language movement continues advocating for official status and expanded education. Many young Asturians understand Asturian but speak Spanish primarily. How Asturians preserve their linguistic heritage without official support—and whether they can achieve the recognition other Spanish regional languages enjoy—shapes the future of this green northern region's distinctive identity.
References
- Llera Ramo, F. (1994). Los asturianos y la lengua asturiana
- González-Quevedo, R. (2001). \"The Asturian Speech Community\" in Multilingualism in Spain
- Academia de la Llingua Asturiana. Normes Ortográfiques