Asturian language
Asturian or Asturleonés (Bable in Asturian) is a Romance language spoken in some parts of the provinces of Asturias and León in Spain, and in the area of Miranda de Douro in Portugal (where it is officially recognized as 'Mirandese'). In Asturias it is protected under the Autonomous Status legislation, and it's an optional language at schools. There was a diglossia conflict between Asturian and Spanish, which resulted in some scholars considering it a dialect of Spanish. However, nowadays it is considered a separate language.
Much effort has been made since 1980 to protect and promote Asturian. However, establishing the language as an official tongue has still not happened in most areas. The situation of Asturian in other parts of Spain is critical, with a large decline in the number of speakers in the last 100 years. Portugal has taken a further step in protecting this language, by recognizing it.
