Cantabrian or Montañés (that is, from the Mountain) is the name given to the indigenous language of Cantabria, Spain and especially to the variety most distinct from standard Castilian.

Description and dialects [edit]

According to various criteria, Cantabrian may include varieties spoken in various parts of Cantabria, in the border areas of Biscay, and in nearby mountain regions of the provinces of Burgos and Palencia. Within Cantabria, the dialect is spoken in the west and some zones of the Valley of Pas and the Valley of Soba in the east.

It is a transition language that can be considered either a dialect of Astur-Leonese,^[2] an ancient dialect of Castilian, or an independent Romance language in its own right.

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

Cantabrian was listed in the UNESCO Red Book of the World’s Languages in Danger in 2009, in the Astur-Leonese linguistic group as a definitely endangered language.^[3]

  Extension of Leonese variants in Spain

Dialectal Map of Cantabria:

  Liébana: Reminiscence of Leonese

  Nansa, Saja, Besaya (Nucleus of Cantabrian): Characteristic mountain phonetic, archaisms, influences of common Latin

  Pas: Substrates of Leonese, characteristic phonetic from Pas, archaisms, influences of common Latin

  Trasmiera, Asón: Own dialectals shades

  Western coast: Substrates of Astur-Leonese and Cantabrian

  Agüera: Tenuous Basque sediments

  Campoo: Old Castilian and Cantabrian reminiscences

Comparative tables [edit]

Sample text [edit]

Central Cantabrian

Na, que entornemos, y yo apaecí esturunciau y con unos calambrios que me jiendían de temblíos... El rodal quedó allá lantón escascajau del too; las trichorias y estadojos, triscaos... Pero encontó, casi agraecí el testarazu, pues las mis novillucas, que dispués de la estorregá debían haber quedau soterrás, cuasi no se mancaron. ¡Total: unas lijaduras de poco más de na!^[4]

Castilian

Nada, que volcamos, y yo acabé por los suelos y con unos calambres que me invadían de temblores...El eje quedó allá lejos totalmente despedazado; las estacas quebradas... Pero aún así, casi agradecí el cabezazo, pues mis novillas, que después de la caída deberían haber quedado para enterrar, casi no se lastimaron. ¡Total: unas rozaduras de nada!

Footnotes [edit]

References [edit]

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

External links [edit]

• Cantabrian-Spanish Dictionary in the Asturian wiktionary (in Cantabrian).
• Alcuentros, Cantabrian magazine of minority languages (in Cantabrian/Castilian)
• Proyeutu Depriendi Distance learning of Cantabrian (in Cantabrian/Castilian)