Mirandese language
| Mirandese | |
|---|---|
| mirandés, lhéngua/léngua mirandesa, charro | |
| Native to | Portugal |
| Region | Eastern Tierra de Miranda (Miranda de l Douro and eastern Bumioso) |
Native speakers | 3,500 speakers, 1,000 common users of the language. (2020) |
Early forms | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Co-official recognition. Special protection status in Miranda de l Douro, Portugal. Statutory language of provincial identity in 4 municipalities, northeast Portugal (1999, Law No. 7-99 of 29 January). |
| Regulated by | Anstituto de la Lhéngua Mirandesa |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | mwl |
| ISO 639-3 | mwl |
| Glottolog | mira1251 |
| ELP | Miranda do Douro |
| Linguasphere | 51-AAA-cb |
Map of the Mirandese-speaking regions of Portugal, highlighting the language's three dialects:
Central Mirandese
Sendinese Mirandese
Raiano Mirandese | |
Mirandese is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Mirandese (mirandés [miɾãˈdes̺, -ɾãŋ-]) is an almost extinct language or variety that is sparsely spoken in a small area of northeastern Portugal in eastern Tierra de Miranda, an ethnocultural region comprising the area around the municipalities of Miranda de l Douro, Mogadouro and Bumioso. It is extinct in Mogadouro and present in Bumioso only in some eastern villages, like Angueira. The Assembly of the Republic granted Mirandese official recognition alongside Portuguese for local matters with Law 7/99 of 29 January 1999. In 2001, Mirandese was officially recognised by the European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages, which aims to promote the survival of the least-spoken European languages.
Mirandese has a distinct phonology, morphology and syntax. It has its roots in the local Vulgar Latin spoken in the northern Iberian Peninsula.
The language is a descendant of the Asturleonese variety spoken in the Kingdom of León and has both archaisms and innovations that differentiate it from the modern varieties of Asturleonese spoken in Spain. In recognition of these differences, and due to its political isolation from the rest of the Asturleonese-speaking territory, Mirandese has adopted a different written norm to the one used in Spain for Asturleonese.