Aranese dialect

Aranese is a special way of speaking that is used in a place called the Val d'Aran. This area is in northwestern Catalonia, very close to the border between Spain and France. Aranese is part of a bigger language family called Occitan, and it is one of the three official languages spoken there, along with Catalan and Spanish.

In 2010, important leaders in Catalonia decided that Aranese should be recognized as an official language. This means that people can use it in schools, government offices, and other important places. The names of towns in Val d'Aran are often shown in Aranese on maps and signs, instead of using the Catalan or Spanish names. For example, a town called Vielha in Catalan is known by its Aranese name on official maps.

This dialect is important because it helps keep the culture and history of the Val d'Aran special and alive.

Official status

The Aran Valley is the only place where the Occitan language has official recognition and protection. According to Law 35/2010 passed by the Parliament of Catalonia, Occitan is an official language in all of Catalonia, with special focus in the Val d'Aran where it is spoken.

The laws in Catalonia make sure that Aranese, the local name for Occitan, is taught in schools and used in public services. Since 1984, children in the Aran Valley have been learning and using Aranese in their schools. The valley also has some self-government, which helps protect and promote the Aranese language. Place names in the Aran Valley are shown in Occitan, not Catalan or Spanish, on maps and signs.

Usage

According to a study from 2001, about 90% of people in Val d'Aran can understand the Aranese language. Fewer young adults, around 80%, understand it. Between 60% and 65% of people can speak Aranese, but only about 26% can write it.

In 2008, another study found that 78.2% of people in Val d'Aran could understand Aranese, 56.8% could speak it, 59.4% could read it, and 34.8% could write it. By 2020, the number of people who could speak Aranese grew to 61% of the population.

Aranese was once thought to be a language only older people used, but now it is coming back. It has official status along with Catalan and Spanish in Val d'Aran. Since 1984, children in schools there have learned Aranese together with Spanish. They spend two hours each week learning Spanish, Catalan, and Aranese. Sometimes they also learn a foreign language, often French because it is nearby, and sometimes even more English.

Phonology

The Aranese dialect has special sounds and ways of speaking that make it unique. For example, some words from old Latin change in interesting ways. Words that started with "F" often now start with "H", like the word for "fire." Also, certain letters change depending on where they appear in a word.

Aranese also has its own special rules. Some sounds that are heard in other similar languages are not used in Aranese, except in two specific towns. There are also special ways to make words plural and to say words that end in certain letters.

Notes:

1. Certain sounds at the end of words change to quieter sounds.
2. A special sound is only used in two towns and in foreign words.
3. Another sound is usually quiet at the end of words.
4. A specific sound can change depending on its place in a word.

Notes:

1. Some sounds are often said in a simpler way.
2. Endings of words can change how they sound.
3. A certain sound can be said in two different ways.
4. An old way of writing sounds is now said differently.

Aranese uses special marks above letters to show when two vowels are said separately and not mixed together.

• A special mark over certain letters: ï, ü
  • flaüta /flaˈy.ta/
  • cocaïna /ku.kaˈi.na/
  • coïncidir /ku.in.siˈdi(ɾ)/
• A mark that shows where to stress a word, on í, ú
  • país /paˈis/

Orthography

The Aranese dialect uses special combinations of letters called digraphs. These help show the sounds unique to this language.

There are also special ways to write vowels in Aranese. These help make the words sound just right.

Loanwords

The Aranese dialect, spoken in Val d'Aran, has been influenced by Spanish and Catalan. It has taken some new words from these languages, like actuar instead of agir, and empresa instead of entrepresa.

Spanish and Catalan have also changed some Aranese words, such as turning abans into abantes. Some Spanish words, like hasta, are used directly in Aranese.

Regulation

Aranese follows standard rules of the Occitan language, which were set by Loís Alibèrt. These rules are supported by the Occitan Language Council and have been accepted by the General Council of Aran since 1999.

Sometimes Aranese uses different words or endings than other Gascon varieties. For example, Aranese uses "-ES" instead of "-AS" for feminine plurals, like "hemnes araneses" for Aranese women. It also sometimes uses "U" instead of "V", like "auer" instead of "aver". The Aranese Language Institute is the official group that studies and supports the Aranese language.

Written publications

Grammar

A book about Aranese verbs called Es Vèrbs conjugadi: morfologia verbau aranesa was written by Verònica Barés Moga and published in 2003. Another book about Aranese grammar was written by Aitor Carrera and published in March 2007. It shows how Aranese changes in different villages.

Dictionaries

A dictionary of Aranese was written by the Catalan linguist Joan Coromines as his doctoral thesis.

There is a simple dictionary with Spanish, Aranese, Catalan, and French, written by Frederic Vergés Bartau.

An Aranese-English and English-Aranese dictionary was published in 2006. It was written by Ryan Furness, a young man from Minnesota, after he became curious about the language when he traveled to Val d'Aran.

A big dictionary for Catalan and Occitan was published with support from the governments of Catalonia (Generalitat de Catalunya) and Val d'Aran (Conselh Generau d'Aran). It uses Aranese spelling and focuses on the Aranese variety.

Periodicals and commercial publications

A local monthly magazine called Toti and local newspapers are partly in Aranese. The online newspaper Jornalet also has many articles and opinions in Aranese.