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- The use of the language in various fields
Asturian (Bable)IntroductionAsturias is a region in northern Spain (10,564 km2; pop. 1/1/00: 1,076,567). It became an autonomous region in 1981. Its capital is Uviéu (Oviedo in Spanish). Most of the population, industry and agriculture are concentrated on the coastal plain. Asturias has yet to diversify its economy since the decline of the coal mining and shipbuilding industries, and unemployment is still well above the Spanish average. Asturianu (also called Bable in the 1981 Statute of Autonomy and the Language Law) is linguistically very close to Spanish: some regard it as a dialect. It is spoken in Asturias and in northern Castilla y León. The language has several mutually intelligible varieties. Asturian was closely linked with the kingdom of Asturias (718-910) and the ensuing Asturian-Leonese kingdom. In the 12th-early 14th centuries, it is found in official documents of the kingdom and many agreements, donations, wills, commercial contracts, etc. Spanish began to appear in documents in the 14th century, when officials where appointed by the court of Castile to political and ecclesiastic posts. The language became restricted to informal usage. In the 19th century literary production built on the work of the poets of the earlier Xeneración del Mediu Sieglu (Half-century Generation), and there was an intellectual debate about Asturian. In the early 20th century, a newspaper in Asturian (Ixuxu) and the Academia de la Llingua Asturiana152 were founded; yet artistic and intellectual production failed to restore the language’s social status. After the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), poetry became folkloric, sentimental or festive, until writers and linguists born after the Civil War began to play an active role. The 1981 Statute acknowledged the language and officially recognised the Academia. A Law on the Use and Promotion of Bable was enacted in 1998153. The Academia published a grammar (1998) and a normative dictionary (2000). The use of the language in various fieldsEducation: Over 22,000 pupils are taught Asturian at nearly 300 primary schools (up from 1,351 at 6 schools, in 1984-5). The figures for secondary education have also grown, from 3 schools with 352 pupils (1987-8) to 19 schools (650 pupils) in 2000. The courts, public authorities and services: Asturian is not used in the courts for official business, even since the Language Act came into force. There are no data on how many courts officials can speak or write it. The regional government has a language-planning unit: the Servicio de Política Lingüística founded in 1985, and transformed in 1995 into the Servicio de Enseñanza Lingüística. The government makes limited use of Asturian (insufficient, according to language militants); several official bodies have used it in campaigns and signage, and the regional government usually accepts documents in Asturian. But Spanish is by far the most used language by the regional authority, and Asturian texts are occasional. Thanks to public demand, a few public services are starting to use it. RENFE (the Spanish Rail Company) offers bilingual maps of its suburban network and posters and some advertisements are in Asturian. Telefónica, the main Telephone Company, has also begun to use the language in some instructions and general information. Mass media and Information technology: The public service Televisión Española broadcast programmes in Asturian until a few years ago. Xixón-TLG, a local TV channel, broadcasts c. 2h a week in Asturian, as does Uviéu-TLU (c. 3 h per week). About 20% of radio and TV programmes made by the regional government’s Productora de Programas del Principado are in Asturian. Radio Sele, a cultural station, broadcasts totally in Asturian; the independent Radio Kras broadcasts partly in Asturian; Antena Norte also offers programmes in Asturian. Most of the main Spanish radio stations broadcast in Asturian (20-80 mn. per week). The dailies La Voz de Asturias, La Nueva España and El Comercio have sections and supplements in Asturian. Finally, the weekly Les Noticies is totally in Asturian; founded in 1996, it sells c. 5,000. Perhaps the most striking presence of Aragonese is a website, www.asturies.com, (1,535 daily visitors in June 2001), offering daily general news and general information about the language for learners, including links to on-line resources. The Arts: Six publishers produce about 70 books in Asturian every year. The most important is the Academia de la Llingua Asturiana. Sietestrellu and Zimbru are collections devoted to literature. Other initiatives are XyZ (for youngsters) and Asturias (an ethnographic journal). Several other magazines use the language regularly. There are regular literary contests. Two successful semi-professional companies usually perform in Asturian. The business world: Proficiency in Asturian is not a job asset or requirement in Asturias, though it is used in several areas and even in cities like Uviéu for informal exchanges. Family and social use of the language: Two surveys give conflicting results. In 1983 only 12% of Asturians (c. 100,000) claimed to speak the language, whereas in 1991 the figure was 44% (about 450,000). The change is probably due to the language’s improved social status: the 28% wanting their children to speak Asturian in 1983 rose to nearly 67% in 1991. Trans-national exchanges: There are regular contacts with Miranda do Douro (Portugal). References Asturies.Com. Diariu electrónicu asturianu. http://www.asturies.org/. Llera Ramo, Francisco J., Los asturianos y la lengua asturiana. Estudio sociolingüístico para Asturias, Consejería de Educación, Deportes y Juventud del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, 1994. Xunta pola Defensa de la Llingua Asturiana, Llibru blancu de la recuperación y normalización llingüística d’Asturies. Uviéu, 1996. Directory: RegData -> etudes -> document travail document travail -> Working paper a single market in financial services RegData -> European commission brussels, XXX RegData -> The european commission RegData -> Provisional agreement resulting from interinstitutional negotiations Download 1.21 Mb. Share with your friends:
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