This article is about a subdivision of the Romance language family. For the broader group of languages spoken in the Iberian Peninsula, see Iberian languages. The Romance languages, also called Romanic languages, are a subfamily of the Italic languages, specifically the descendants of the Vulgar Latin dialects spoken by the common people evolving in different areas after the break-up of the Roman Empire. ... The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe. ... The Iberian language describes a linguistic group identified with the Iberian civilization (7th century BC – 1st century BC), formed in the eastern and south-eastern regions of the Iberian peninsula. ...

The formation of Iberian Romance languages followed more or less this process:

• A common Romance language with dialectal differences was spoken throughout the ancient Roman Empire. During this stage, we can speak of the Romance language, although it was probably somewhat different from one region to another. It can still be called Popular or Vulgar Latin.

• From this point on, the Romance languages on the Iberian Peninsula followed a distinct path:

1. Separation of East Iberian (Catalan) on one side of the peninsula from West Iberian Romance on the other. Catalan is sometimes regarded as a transition language between Iberian Romance and Gallo-Romance languages.
2. West Iberian Romance split into Castilian - Astur-Leonese - Extremaduran, in central Iberia, and Galician-Portuguese in western Iberia.

During this stage a group of Romance dialects collectively known as Mozarabic were spoken in Moorish Iberia. With the Christian Reconquest of the peninsula, they were replaced with the Iberian Romance languages of the north, becoming extinct. Another language close to Mozarabic, Aragonese, still has some speakers today. Mozarabic and Aragonese are classified by linguists as Pyrenean-Mozarabic, a separate group from Iberian Romance and Gallo-Romance. The Romance languages, also called Romanic languages, are a subfamily of the Italic languages, specifically the descendants of the Vulgar Latin dialects spoken by the common people evolving in different areas after the break-up of the Roman Empire. ... The Roman Empire is the name given to both the imperial domain developed by the city-state of Rome and also the corresponding phase of that civilization, characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... Vulgar Latin, as in this political engraving at Pompeii, was the language of the ordinary people of the Roman Empire, distinct from the Classical Latin of literature. ... The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe. ... Catalan in Europe Catalan IPA: (català ) is a Romance language, the official language of Andorra and co-official in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Valencia (under the name Valencian) and Catalonia. ... The formation of Iberian Romance languages followed more or less this process: A common Latin/Romance language with dialectal differences was spoken throughout the ancient Roman Empire. ... The Gallo-Romance branch of Romance languages includes French, Oïl languages, Catalan, and Occitan, among other languages. ... West Iberian language is the subcategory of Romance languages, including Spanish and Portugese. ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... Astur-Leonese or Bable (Asturianu in Asturian, Llïonés in Leonese) is a Romance language spoken in some parts of the provinces of Asturias, León, Zamora and Salamanca in Spain, and in the area of Miranda de Douro in Portugal (where it is officially recognized as Mirandese). ... Extremaduran is a Romance language spoken by some thousands in Spain, most of them in the autonomous community of Extremadura and the province of Salamanca. ... Portuguese-Galician (in Portuguese and Galician is known as Galaico-Português) was a Iberian Romance language, spoken in the Middle Ages, in the western area of the Iberian Peninsula. ... Mozarabic was a continuum of closely related Iberian Romance dialects spoken in Muslim dominated areas of the Iberian Peninsula during the early stages of Romance languages development in Iberia. ... Al-Andalus is the Arabic name given the Iberian Peninsula by its Muslim conquerors; it refers to both the Caliphate proper and the general period of Muslim rule (711–1492). ... The Reconquista (English: Reconquest) was the process encompassing almost 8 centuries, by which the Christian kingdoms of northern Hispania (modern Portugal and Spain) reconquered the Iberian peninsula from the Muslim and Moorish states of Al-Ándalus. ... Categories: Pages containing IPA | Language stubs | Romance languages | Languages of Spain ...

It is important to note that power structures enormously influenced the formation of the Iberian languages. If kingdoms and states had formed in a different fashion, there could now be a single Galician-Portuguese language, or a multiplicity of languages. This political aspect was important in the development of every language.

• Portuguese and Galician: Because Portugal became independent in the 12th century and Galicia remained a province of Spain, political and sociolinguistic factors have made them be considered separate languages.
• Spanish: The Castilian Crown pushed for Castilian to be considered the Spanish language, which it is today. However, it did not abolish other languages within Spain.
• Catalan: The political structure and strength of the Crown of Aragon made Catalán a language of culture, science, literature, etc. Its importance diminished for some centuries, but the desire for more autonomy for Catalonia gave it renewed importance (it never ceased to be the language of a majority of the Catalan population up to the 20th century). It is now the official language of three of the four main regions of the Crown of Aragon and of the country of (Andorra). It is also still spoken in other enclaves.
• The fact that Galicia and Catalonia are in Spain makes their languages prone to Castilian influences, especially in large urban centers such as Barcelona in Catalonia and Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
• Minor languages like Asturian, Leonese, Extremaduran and Aragonese became regarded as mere dialects of Spanish by most people, but they are Romance variants with enough distinct features to rank them as separate languages.
• On the other hand, in modern times some authors have argued that varieties of Catalan, Galician and Astur-Leonese such as Valencian, Eonavian, and Mirandese, should be classified as separate languages.

Thus, there are four major Romance languages in Iberia today: Sociolinguistics is the study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used. ... King of Aragons arms in 15th century The Crown of Aragon or Aragonese Empire was the regime of a large portion of what is now Spain, plus numerous Mediterranean possessions, for much of the later Middle Ages. ... Anthem: Els Segadors Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Spanish, Catalan, and Aranese Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 6th  32,114 km²  6. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... King of Aragons arms in 15th century The Crown of Aragon or Aragonese Empire was the regime of a large portion of what is now Spain, plus numerous Mediterranean possessions, for much of the later Middle Ages. ... Galicia (Spain) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Asturian, Astur-Leonese or Bable (Asturianu in Asturian) is a Romance language spoken in some parts of the provinces of Asturias and León in Spain, and in the area of Miranda de Douro in Portugal (where it is officially recognized as Mirandese). ... Leonese (Llïonés in Leonese) is a Romance language spoken in some parts of the provinces of León, Zamora and Salamanca in Spain. ... Extremaduran is a Romance language spoken by some thousands in Spain, most of them in the autonomous community of Extremadura and the province of Salamanca. ... Categories: Pages containing IPA | Language stubs | Romance languages | Languages of Spain ... Valencian (valencià) is the historical, traditional, and is the official name used in the Land of Valencia (Spain) to refer to the language spoken therein, also known as Catalan (català) in the Spanish Autonomous Communities of Catalonia, Aragon and the Balearic Islands; in the country of Andorra; in the southern... Eonavian or Eonaviego is a term used to refer a set of dialects or falas whose linguistic dominion extends in the zone of Asturias between the Eo and Navia rivers (or more exactly Eo and Barayo rivers). ... The Mirandese language (Lhéngua Mirandesa in Mirandese; Língua Mirandesa or Mirandês in Portuguese) is spoken in northeastern Portugal. ...

• Catalan originated from East Iberian Romance, which separated from West Iberian at an early stage in the development of the Iberian Romance languages. Closely related to Occitan, it has many dialects and is spoken by about 7 million people, mostly in four variants: catalán, valencian, balearic catalán and andorran.

• Spanish (also called Castilian) originated from the common West Iberian Romance along with Galician-Portuguese, with some influence from Mozarabic and Basque. It is now spoken by an estimated 392 million people throughout the world.

• Galician originated from the medieval Galician-Portuguese language, which itself originated from West Iberian Romance, along with Castilian (but not with Catalan). It has had a strong influence of Castilian.

• Portuguese originated from a common Galician-Portuguese language, which itself originated from West Iberian Romance, along with Castilian (but not with Catalan), with influences from Mozarabic. It is currently the sixth most widely spoken language in the world, with more than two hundred million speakers.

And three main groups of minor Romance languages, Astur-Leonese/Extremaduran, Aragonese, and Occitan (in its Aranese dialect). Catalan in Europe Catalan IPA: (català ) is a Romance language, the official language of Andorra and co-official in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Valencia (under the name Valencian) and Catalonia. ... There are two names given to the Spanish language: Spanish (español) and Castilian (castellano). ... Mozarabic was a continuum of closely related Iberian Romance dialects spoken in Muslim dominated areas of the Iberian Peninsula during the early stages of Romance languages development in Iberia. ... Basque (native name: Euskara) is the language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain and the adjoining region of South-Western France. ... Galician (Galician: galego) is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia. ... Portuguese-Galician (in Portuguese and Galician is known as Galaico-Português) was a Iberian Romance language, spoken in the Middle Ages, in the western area of the Iberian Peninsula. ... Portuguese-Galician (in Portuguese and Galician is known as Galaico-Português) was a Iberian Romance language, spoken in the Middle Ages, in the western area of the Iberian Peninsula. ... Astur-Leonese or Bable (Asturianu in Asturian, Llïonés in Leonese) is a Romance language spoken in some parts of the provinces of Asturias, León, Zamora and Salamanca in Spain, and in the area of Miranda de Douro in Portugal (where it is officially recognized as Mirandese). ... Extremaduran is a Romance language spoken by some thousands in Spain, most of them in the autonomous community of Extremadura and the province of Salamanca. ... Categories: Pages containing IPA | Language stubs | Romance languages | Languages of Spain ... Occitan, or langue doc is a Romance language characterized by its richness, variability, and by the intelligibility of its dialects. ... Aranese (Aranès or Aranais) is a dialect of Gascon (which is part of the Occitan language group of the Romance languages), spoken in Spain, where it is an official language. ...

Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan and Occitan have the status of international languages, being officially spoken in more than one state: An international auxiliary language (sometimes abbreviated as IAL or auxlang) is a language used (or to be used in the future) for communication between people from different nations who do not share a common native language. ...

• Catalan: Andorra and Spain (it is also spoken by about 100,000 people in France and members of the older generations of one town in Sardinia, Alghero);
• Occitan: official in small regions of Spain (under the name of Aranese) and Italy;
• Portuguese: official in eight independent countries (see Geographic distribution of Portuguese);
• Spanish: many countries throughout the world.

Catalan in Europe Catalan IPA: (català ) is a Romance language, the official language of Andorra and co-official in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Valencia (under the name Valencian) and Catalonia. ... Sardinia (pronounced ; Italian: Sardegna; Sardinian: Sardigna or Sardinna) in the is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily). ... Alghero (LAlguer in Catalan and SAlighèra in Sardinian), is a town of about 35,000 inhabitants (down from 54,300 inhabitants since early 20th century) in Italy. ... Occitan, or langue doc is a Romance language characterized by its richness, variability, and by the intelligibility of its dialects. ... Aranese (Aranès or Aranais) is a dialect of Gascon (which is part of the Occitan language group of the Romance languages), spoken in Spain, where it is an official language. ... Portuguese is the first language in Angola, Brazil, Portugal and São Tomé and Príncipe, and the most widely used language in Mozambique. ...

[edit] See also

• Gallo-Iberian languages

Gallo-Romance languages Gallo-Italian languages Lombard Piedmontese Emilian-Romagnol Venetian Ligurian Gallo-Rhaetian languages Oïl languages(including French) Burgundian Champenois Franc-Comtois French Gallo Lorrain Norman Anglo-Norman Channel Island Norman Auregnais Dgèrnésiais Jèrriais Sercquiais Picard Poitevin-Saintongeais Walloon Rhaetian languages Friulian Ladin Romansh *Franco...

[edit] External links

• Detailed linguistic map of Spain
• Spanish words of Latin origin Spanish , a romance language.