Co-official Languages of Spain: A Rich Linguistic Tapestry
Co-official Languages of Spain
A Rich Linguistic Tapestry
Spain is a multilingual country. While Castilian Spanish is the official language, Catalan, Valencian, Galician, and Basque hold co-official status in their respective regions. Each of these languages has its own dialects, adding to the linguistic diversity. Remnants of historical dialects derived from Latin, such as Leonese and Aragonese, also persist in some areas.
Catalan
Catalan is spoken by about ten million people in Catalonia, Balearic Islands, Valencian Community, a strip of Aragon bordering Catalonia, the Principality of Andorra, French Roussillon, and the city of Alghero (Sardinia). Originating from the evolution of Latin in the former Principality of Catalonia, this Romance language spread north (part of present-day Roussillon), south (part of the Valencian Community), and across the Mediterranean (Balearic Islands and Alghero). The first written Catalan words appeared in the 12th century with the Iudicum Forum. Catalan literature flourished during the Middle Ages, particularly in the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries.
From the 15th century onward, the union of the Castilian and Aragonese crowns led to the rise of Castilian and the decline of Catalan, especially in public life. However, Catalan remained an official language until the 18th century when Philip V suppressed the charters and privileges of the confederated kingdoms, banning its use and relegating it to informal settings.
The revival of Catalan began in the second half of the 19th century with the Renaixença, a literary and cultural movement fostered by Catalonia’s industrialization and the emergence of a nationalist-minded bourgeoisie. The early 20th century paved the way for linguistic standardization with the publication of the first grammar rules (1918) and the creation of the General Dictionary of the Catalan Language (1932). Following the Civil War, Catalan was outlawed in education and public spheres. Since the 1978 Constitution and the Statute of Autonomy, Catalan has continued its standardization process through specific statutes.
Valencian
Valencian shares phonetic, morphological, and lexical features with Western Catalan. The Valencian Academy of Language (2001) considers Valencian a geographical variety of Catalan, stating that “Valencian is part of the linguistic system of the Catalan language and the Balearic Islands,” a view consistently held by the Royal Spanish Academy and international Romance language scholars.
Galician
Galician is spoken by about three million people in the four provinces of Galicia, the Navia-Eo region of Asturias, the western part of El Bierzo, and the As Portelas region of Zamora (both within Castile and León). Galician evolved from the Latin spoken in the Roman province of Gallaecia. Medieval Galician is often referred to as Galician-Portuguese. The differentiation between Galician and Portuguese began in the 15th century. A notable example is King Alfonso X, author of the Cantigas de Santa Maria.
In the 19th century, the Rexurdimento revived Galician literature and language awareness, with Rosalía de Castro as one of its most significant authors. During the Second Republic, Galician was declared co-official with Castilian in Galicia, but this was never implemented due to the outbreak of the Civil War. The 1981 Statute of Autonomy established Galician as an official language of Galicia.
Basque (Euskera)
Basque is spoken by about 700,000 people across the three provinces of the Basque Country, Navarre, and the French Basque Country. Unlike the Romance languages, including Castilian, Basque is not derived from Latin. Its origins predate Romanization and remain uncertain. Basque is the only pre-Roman language surviving on the Iberian Peninsula.
Records of Basque exist from the 10th and 11th centuries, initially appearing in fragmented dialects. It survived as an isolated language linked to cultural traditions and oral literature, evident in the tradition of Bertsolaris (improvisational poets). Unlike Catalan or Galician, Basque did not experience a revival in the 19th century. The First Congress of Basque Studies was held in 1918, marking a milestone in the history of the Academy of the Basque Language. During the Second Republic, Basque saw a resurgence in official use, which was interrupted by the Civil War and Franco’s regime. Following the 1978 Constitution and the Statute of Autonomy, Basque achieved official status.
A key challenge for Basque is standardization—creating a uniform written standard. This has led linguists to propose a unified form for written Basque, resulting in the creation of Euskara Batua (Unified Basque).