In recent years, it seems as though Spain is struggling to keep itself together. Primarily, this has been due to the numerous different languages of Spain, which often cause tension between the central and local governments.
From a linguistic point of view, Spain has some of the most diverse languages on the planet, ranging from Slavic, to Semitic, to Germanic, to Romance languages. It even has a language isolate too!
Official Languages of Spain
Although a number of languages hold varying degrees of “official” status, Spain currently only has one official language:
Castilian Spanish
According to the Spanish Constitution, the only official language of Spain, is Spanish. To be more specific, this is the variant of Spanish known as Castilian Spanish (which originates in Madrid).
This is the official “standard” variant of Spanish that is used in government and business across the country. Most Spanish literary works published in the last 100 years or so, have been done in Castilian Spanish.
Unless the region of Spain has its own co-official language, all school, media and business is published in Castilian Spanish.
If the region does have a co-official language, then schooling is done 50-50, whilst media and business are done in whichever language they choose.
Recent government polls estimate that there are around 46 million people in Spain who speak and understand Castilian Spanish. This is roughly the entire population (currently 46.94 million).
Spanish Sign Language
As with other languages, Spanish also has an official sign language-variant of the language, Spanish Sign Language. This is the language used by most deaf people in Spain, and their families.
In many ways, Spanish Sign Language is just like ASL, with a number of the “words” being the exact same in both languages. However, there are naturally differences in terms of things like grammar.
As with other sign languages, Spanish Sign Language is used in official broadcasts. This is done by people who are fluent in both Spanish and Sign Language, which allows deaf Spaniards to understand what’s being said.
Sadly, there are no official statistics for the number of people who can “speak” Spanish Sign Language, there are a number of estimates. Currently estimates vary from 75,000 to 125,000 speakers in Spain alone!
Regional Languages of Spain
Despite Castilian Spanish being the official language of Spain, there are a number of regional languages, which are spoken is different areas of Spain.
For most of these languages, they are spoken both in the rural and urban areas. Many of them, are also given special statuses in the regions where they are spoken, as per their local statutes.
Aragonese
If you’re familiar with the history of Spain, you’ll probably have heard of Aragon, whose Kingdom of Aragon merged with the Kingdom of Castile to form what we now call Spain.
The official language of the Kingdom of Aragon was Aragonese, a romance language similar to Castilian. Over time, mostly due to the formation of Spain, Aragonese has fallen out of favor, with fewer people speaking it each year.
At one point, it was spoken in modern-day Aragon, as well as parts of Catalonia, Valencia and Castile. Today, however, it is mostly spoken in Aragon, being spoken by roughly 40,000 people.
Recent estimates believe that there are around 12,000 native speakers of Aragonese, mostly in Aragon. On top of that, and estaimated 30,000 to 50,000 more can speak the language as a second language.
Asturian-Leonese
Despite what you may initially believe, Asturian-Leonese is not simply one language. Instead, it is a broad term used to describe a series of highly, mutually-intelligible languages spoken in the areas of Leon and Asturias.
The two largest languages in the group are Asturian and Leonese, both of which are even more mutually intelligible than other languages in the group. This is because both languages are descended from Old Leonese, first spoken in the 12th century.
As with many of the other regional languages of Spain, Asturian-Leonese is spoken mostly in the countryside. This is mostly due to them having more autonomy than the major cities, where regional languages were illegal under Franco’s reign.
With that being said, most major cities in the area do have large populations of Asturian and Leonese speakers, it’s just not as much as it is in the countryside.
Today, the Asturian-Leonese group of languages has approximately one million speakers to date.
Basque
In recent years, Basque has become quite famously internationally due to its often violent separatist movement. Although not all, many Basque speakers are strong supporters of Basque independence.
Primarily, this is down to their language. Unlike other languages of Spain, which are primarily romance languages, Basque is not. In fact, Basque is a language isolate, with it not being related to any known language!
As the name would imply, Basque is spoken in the Basque region of Spain, as well as a little bit in France. These areas are collectively known as the Basque Country, surrounding the Pyrenees and the Bay of Biscay.
Today, according to the Euskaltzaindia (the official academic language regulators of Basque), there are around 750,000 native speakers, and 1.2 million second-language speakers of Basque, mostly in the Basque Country.
Catalan
Alongside Basque, Catalan has similarly made international news in recent years too. This has similarly been due to their growing independence movement, which voted to secede from Spain in 2017.
Mostly, this is to do with the region having its own language, Catalan. From here, the region has also developed its own culture, cuisine and media, much of which is completely different from the rest of the country.
As the name suggests, Catalan is the co-official language of the Catalonia region of Spain. It is also spoken in the Balearic Islands and in Aragon, although Catalan does not have “official” status in the latter region.
The language is also one of the official languages of Andorra, whose entire Spanish border is in Catalonia.
In total, according to the Spanish government, roughly 10 million people understand Catalan, with the majority being in Catalonia. However, this figure does also include the few people abroad have learned Catalan too.
Valencian
If you were to travel to the Valencia region of Spain, they too, speak Catalan. However, if you were to ask the locals what language they speak, they would probably respond “Valencià” (Valencian) quite enthusiastically.
When you ask them what Valencian is, they’ll often make it clear that Valencian is it’s own separate language. However, to most linguists, and the Spanish Government, Valencian is just a southern dialect of Catalan.
Beyond just being spoken in the Valencia region, Valencian is also spoken in the Murcia region too. Valencian is most spoken along the coastal areas, whilst standard Catalan is spoken in the rural areas.
In total, roughly 2.4 million people speak Valencian as of a 2004 survey. Although the Spanish Government view Catalan and Valencian as the same, Valencian is the official regional language of Valencia, not Catalan.
Galician and Portuguese
Looking at a map of Spain, you’ll notice a tiny area in the northwest, that stretches over the north of Portugal. This area is called Galicia and naturally shares a lot in common with its southern neighbor.
Mostly, this is to do with history and culture, but also, in part, language. You see, Galicia speak a romance language called Galician. In many ways, this language is very similar to Portuguese, with the two being highly, mutually intelligible.
Due to the region’s geographical vicinity to Portugal, the people who live near border between the two, speak Spanish, Galician and Portuguese, and use them on a regular basis.
The same is also the case with Portuguese being along the border between Extremadura (in midwestern Spain) and Portugal. Here, the dialect of Portuguese is very reminiscent of Galician-Portuguese, from which both languages are derived.
Occitan
Technically, Occitan is a French language, originating in the departement (region) of Occitanie, in southern France. However, along the border with Catalonia, there are is a large Occitan-speaking minority.
More specifically, this is the Aranese dialect, which is sometimes cited as Gascon-Occitan due to having a number of similarities to both languages. It is by far the least spoken language in Spain, having a total of 10,000 speakers.
The majority of the Occitan speakers in Spain are located in the Val d’Aran area of Catalonia. This is mostly because there is a break in the Pyrenees, which was historically part of Occitanie, and therefore, spoke French.
Despite being spoken by only 10,000 people, Occitan is recognized by the Parliament of Catalonia, as one of the three official languages of the region. As such, all Catalan Government documents are also produced in Occitan too!
Immigrant Languages of Spain
Over the last 30 years in particular, Spain has become not only a popular tourist destination, but also a popular country for both retirees and immigrants.
With this, many of these immigrant communities build up local communities of their own. In these communities, the immigrants tend to speak their native language(s) rather than the local regional language or Spanish.
Arabic
Historically, Arabic was one of the most spoken languages in Spain. Over the course of the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th centuries, however, Arabic was slowly pushed out of Spain in favor of the aforementioned languages.
Today, Spain has become a popular destination for migrant workers from the Arab World as well as Muslim Asia. This is due to Spain offering a much higher standard of living than their home countries.
Due to this, Arabic has seen a resurgence in Spain over the past 20 years, swelling to around 350,000 as of the time of writing. The majority of these Arabic-speakers are from former Spanish holdings in North Africa.
Many more are from places like Pakistan, which (stereotypically) sends its best and brightest to the West to become lawyers, doctors and engineers. In fact, a large minority of Spain’s doctors, today, are Muslim.
Chinese
For many of the same reasons as mentioned above, namely the better standard of living, a number of Chinese people have likewise moved to Spain. With this, the number of Chinese speakers in Spain has increased rapidly.
Typically, these Chinese migrants move to the center of large towns and cities, forming their own little communities, commonly referred to as “Chinatowns”. This is because they are essentially a little Chinese town in another country.
Unlike Chinese communities in other countries, a large minority of Spanish-Chinese are marrying into Spanish families. This is creating a small number of half-Spanish, half-Chinese children, who are native speakers of both languages.
According to official numbers, the Spanish Government estimates that there are about 350,000 to 400,000 total native speakers of Chinese in the country. This is estimated to increase over the next 20 years.
English
In recent years, British tourists have flocked to Spain, as a cheap way to escape the dismal British weather. For many of the same reasons, British retirees have similarly flocked to Spain as well.
Naturally, many of these retirees have chosen to live by the sea, forming their own little expat communities. In reality, these expat communities act more like enclaves of the UK, within Spain itself.
Indeed, there are Spanish stores, in Spain, that sell British products. There are Spanish restaurants that serve exclusively British meals. And yes, the population speaks exclusively English (although many will learn Spanish).
According to the Spanish Government, there are roughly 360,000 British expats in Spain, all of whom speak English. The majority of these expats live in Catalonia and Valencia, with many of them learning Catalan/Valencian too!
French
As with the British, a number of French retirees have similarly moved down to their southern neighbors in order to bask in a little sunshine. As with their British counterparts, they too have established their own expat communities.
Many of these are in the same areas as the British ones – on the Mediterranean coast. Often, these communities are only a few hundred feet apart from one another, with there being an expat-rivalry between the two.
Similarly, there are stores in France that stock French goods, rather than Spanish ones. French restaurants are similarly abundant, as is the French language, which estimates place at around 650,000 native speakers.
Plus, along much of the border with Spain, there are small villages that speak both Spanish/Catalan and French/Occitan too. A number of ports along the Mediterranean also have small French-speaking populations too!
German
Similarly to their French and British cousins, a number of German-speaking retirees have similarly chosen to retire to sunny Spain. This is often due to the cheaper cost of living, and better weather.
Many of these German-speaking retirees have formed their own expat communities too. Unlike other expat communities, these are often built around Spanish ones, with there being a kind-of Spanish-German hybrid community.
According to official Spanish figures from 2010, there were roughly 200,000 native speakers of German. Most of these were from Germany, but there were also ones from Liechtenstein, Austria and Luxembourg too!
Polish immigration to Spain is also high. Many of the Polish immigrants from the German border speak both German and Polish, which also helps to boost the aforementioned numbers.
Russian
In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, splitting into 15 countries. Many of these countries have subsequently joined the EU, with those countries enjoying the freedom of movement for workers that comes with EU membership.
Although not the only choice, Spain has become a favorite place for many of these Eastern European migrants. Here, they often work in the factories or in the grape fields, where they earn far more than they would back home.
Many of these migrants speak one of the many languages in Eastern Europe, with the most common language being Russian. The Spanish Government estimate that there are around 100,000 Russians in Spain.
Generally speaking, Spanish-Russians live in one of two places: the inner city or in small villages with other Spanish-Russians. This is mostly to do with what occupation they have.
Similarly, there are a number of Russian communities in Spain, who speak solely Russian. Unlike other immigrant groups, many of them don’t bother to learn Spanish, instead relying on the local translator, who is paid for their services.
Do you speak any of the languages of Spain? What are your thoughts? Tell me in the comments!