Cantabrian language

language
name=Cantabrian
nativename=Montañés, Cántabru
states=flag|Spain
region= Autonomous community of Cantabria and Asturian municipalities of Peñamellera Alta, Peñamellera Baja and Ribadedeva.
speakers= undefined
familycolor=Indo-European
fam2=Italic
fam3=Romance
fam4=Italo-Western
fam5=Gallo-Iberian
fam6=Ibero-Romance
fam7=West Iberian
script=Latin alphabet
agency=No regulated
iso1=
iso2=
iso3=

Cantabrian language or Mountain language is the name received the language used in the West of Cantabria and some zones of the Valley of Pas and the Valley of Soba, in its Eastern zone, all in Northern Spain.

It is a transition language that can be considered either a dialect of Asturian, an ancient dialect of Castilian, or an independent Romance language in its own right.

The Cantabrian has two subdialects: Western and the Eastern. The dividing zone between both variants is between the Saja river and the Pas. Pas dialect is the Eastern variant with the particularity of being specially well preserved.

legend|#008000|Nansa, Saja, Besaya (Nucleus of Cantabrian): Characteristic mountain phonetic, archaisms, influences of common Latin legend|#E0FF00|Pas: Substrates of Leonese, characteristic phonetic from Pas, archaisms, influences of common Latin legend|#FF0080|Trasmiera, Asón: Own dialectals shades legend|#FF8000|Western coast: Substrates of Astur-Leonese and Cantabrian legend|#0000E0|Agüera: Tenuous Basque sediments legend|#604000|Campoo: Old Castilian and Cantabrian reminiscences]

Comparison of close languages

Extract of "L'últimu home" in Asturian

"Un españíu fizo tremar el fayéu. El ñarbatu esnaló lloñe. L'esguil espaeció nel ñeru. Hebo otru españíu, y darréu otru. L'home, entós, mientres cayía coles manes abiertes, los güeyos nel infinitu y el so cuerpu remanando per tolos llaos abonda sangre, glayó una pallabra, una pallabra namás, que resonó y güei sigue resonando na biesca y en toa Asturies: «¡Llibertá!»."

Translation to Cantabrian

"Un españíu ḥizo temblar el ḥayal. El miruellu voló largu. L'esquilu jospó nel ñial. Hebo otru españíu, y darréu otru. L'hombri, entós, mientris cayía conas manos abiertas, los güeḥos nel sinfinitu y el su cuerpu esvarciando por tolos laos sangri n'abondu, glarió una parabra, una parabra namás, que retingló y hui sigui retinglando ena viesca y en toa Asturias: «¡Libertá!»."

Translation to Castilian

"Un estallido hizo temblar el hayedo. El mirlo voló lejos. La ardilla desapareció en el nido. Hubo otro estallido, y luego otro. El hombre, entonces, mientras caía con las manos abiertas, los ojos en el infinito y su cuerpo vertiendo por todas partes mucha sangre, gritó una palabra, sólo una palabra, que resonó y hoy sigue resonando en el bosque y en toda Asturias: «¡Libertad!»."

English Version

"An outbreak made shake the beech forest. The blackbird flew far. The squirrel disappeared into its nest. There was another outbreak, and soon another one. The man, then, while he fell openhanded, the eyes in the infinite and his body spilling throughout much blood, he shouted a word, only one word, that resonated and today continues resonating in the forest and in all Asturias: "Freedom!"."

References

*García Lomas, A.: "El lenguaje popular de la Cantabria montañesa". Santander: Estvdio, 1999. ISBN 84-87934-76-5

External links

* [http://ast.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=C%C3%A1ntabru-Castellanu+&fulltext=Search Dictionary of Cantabrian] in the Asturian wiktionary (in Asturian).
* [http://personales.mundivia.es/llera/diccion1.htm Dictionary of Cantabrian] (in Spanish)
* [http://revistaalcuentros.iespana.es/ Alcuentros] , Cantabrian magazine of minority languages (in Spanish)
* [http://www.gueb.de/aicionpolcantabru Aición pol cántabru (Action for Cantabrian)] (in Cantabrian/Spanish)