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Languages of Spain

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The Constitution of Spain regards these languages as "Spanish languages" (Spanish: lenguas españolas).

Spanish is the most widely spoken language, used by approximately 99% of the population as a first or second language. Catalan/Valencian is the first language of 10.5% of the population, followed by Galician at 3.8% and Basque at 1.4%. Immigration has also introduced communities of speakers of various other languages, the most prominent of which being Arabic, Romanian, English, Chinese and Ukrainian.

Present-day languages

Spanish is official nationwide and is spoken by the majority of the population.

Catalan or Valencian is co-official under the name of "Catalan" in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, and "Valencian" in the Valencian Community. The language is also spoken, although not official, in the eastern strip of Aragon (La Franja) and in the Carche area of the Region of Murcia.

Galician is the majority language of Galicia and is also spoken in adjacent areas of Asturias and Castile and León.

Basque is co-official in the Basque Country and municipalities of northern Navarre as designated by the Foral Law on Basque. It is a language isolate, having no demonstrable relationship with any other languages.

Aranese, a dialect and register of Occitan, is a co-official language of Catalonia. It is spoken in the Val d'Aran in northwest Catalonia.

Aragonese is spoken in the Pyrenean region of northern Aragon. It enjoys legal protection but does not have official status.

Asturleonese, a dialect continuum, has various standards with Asturian and Leonese being granted legal protection. In Asturias, about 25% of the population is reportedly able to understand, speak, read, and write in Asturian. Leonese is spoken in parts of Castile and León (provinces of León and Zamora).

Extremaduran, another Asturleonese language variety, is spoken in Extremadura. Fala, a variety mostly ascribed to the Galician–Portuguese group, is locally spoken in an area of the province of Cáceres (Extremadura) sometimes called the Valley of Jálama/Xálima, which includes the towns of San Martín de Trevejo, Eljas and Valverde del Fresno. Portuguese has been traditionally spoken by the inhabitants of Cedillo and Herrera de Alcántara (province of Cáceres), La Alamedilla (province of Salamanca, primarily spoken up until the mid-20th century), and Olivenza (municipality in the province of Badajoz, claimed by Portugal). Extremaduran, Fala and Oliventine Portuguese each have the status of a Bien de Interés Cultural in Extremadura.

Moroccan communities in Ceuta and Melilla speak Ceuta Arabic and Tarifit respectively. Both lack government protection.

Caló, a mixed language, is spoken by the Spanish Romani communities across the country, with a large concentration in Andalusia and Catalonia, though it seems to be in the process of becoming just a dialect of Spanish. It should not be confused with Romani, the Indo-Aryan language originally spoken by the Roma, which is most probably no longer spoken in Spain.

Other Romance varieties

Spanish itself boasts a substantial internal variation in the country. For example, the Andalusian or Canarian dialects, each with their own subvarieties, some of them being partially closer to Spanish dialects in the Americas, which they heavily influenced to varying degrees, depending on the region or period and according to different and non-homogeneous migrating or colonisation processes. Despite being a dialect, some Andalusian speakers have attempted to promote Andalusian as a different language independent of Spanish.

Five very localised dialects are of difficult filiation: Fala; Cantabrian and Extremaduran, two Astur-Leonese dialects also regarded as Spanish dialects; Eonavian, a dialect between Asturian and Galician, closer to the latter according to several linguists; and Benasquese, a Ribagorçan dialect that was formerly classified as Catalan, later as Aragonese, and which is now often regarded as a transitional language of its own. Asturian and Leonese are closely related to the local Mirandese which is spoken in an adjacent territory on the opposite side of the border, in Portugal. Mirandese is recognised and has some local official status.

Silbo Gomero, a whistled code of Canarian Spanish, is used on the island of La Gomera.

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