El aragonés: historia de una lengua minoritaria y minorizada

Abstract

Despite the fact that Aragonese is a language exclusive to the Autonomous Community of Aragon and that it was the language used during the Middle Ages in different public and private spheres, it is currently in danger of extinction, according to UNESCO. In fact, the small number of speakers (1.9% of the Aragonese population) and the spaces of use (mainly private and family), together with the lack of intergenerational transmission and institutional support, among other factors, do not favour the survival of the Aragonese language. This paper attempts to explain, from a historical, social and cultural perspective, the process of minorisation and linguistic substitution in favour of Castilian which Aragonese has undergone and which began at an early date, the second half of the 15th century, and at the initiative of the urban, political and intellectual elites. For this reason, special attention will be paid to relevant historical and contemporary testimonies that help to understand the situation of accentuated diglossia that Aragonese is experiencing today and which may lead to the disappearance of this Romance language.

Keywords

• diglossia
• Aragonese
• Aragonese philology
• minoritised languages