Asturian

Asturias is a region in the northwest of Spain, bordered by the Cantabrian Sea to the north and the Cantabrian Mountains to the south. It is known for its dramatic landscapes, combining rugged coastline with lush green valleys and forested hills. The region holds a unique place in Spanish history, as it was the site of the Christian resistance to Moorish rule, beginning with the victory at Covadonga in 722, which marked the start of the Reconquista. Asturias became a kingdom in the early Middle Ages and retained a distinct identity even after being absorbed into the larger Kingdom of León. Culturally, Asturias is characterized by its Celtic heritage, traditional music featuring bagpipes, hearty cuisine such as fabada asturiana, and its deeply rooted cider-making traditions. The people of Asturias, known as Asturians, are often described as proud of their heritage, resilient, and closely tied to the region’s natural environment.

Asturian language

The Asturian language, also known as Bable, is a Romance language that developed from Latin during the early Middle Ages, following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. It shares a common origin with Castilian (Spanish) but diverged into its own branch within the Ibero-Romance group, preserving older linguistic features that have disappeared from modern Spanish. Asturian differs from Spanish in several aspects, including vocabulary, pronunciation, and certain grammatical constructions; for example, it retains the use of the neuter gender and has distinct verb conjugations. Grammatically, Asturian is noted for its three-gender system (masculine, feminine, and neuter), its use of definite articles like “el,” “la,” and “lo,” and its preservation of Latin-based verb forms. While not widely spoken today, some Asturian words have made their way into broader Spanish or regional usage, such as “guaje” (child), “prao” (meadow), and “fai” (he/she/it does). Despite lacking official status at the national level, Asturian is recognized and promoted within the autonomous community, and efforts are ongoing to preserve and revitalize it through education and media.

Asterix in Asturianu

The Asterix comic series has been translated into Asturian (Asturianu), with the first edition, Astérix en Britania, published in 1992 by Grijalbo-Dargaud S.A. and Alborá Llibros Ediciones in Xixón, Asturias. Subsequent translations have been released by Salvat Editores, S.A., including titles such as Astérix na tierra los Pictos (Asterix and the Picts, 2013), Astérix el Galu (Asterix the Gaul, 2014), and Astérix y el papiru de César (The Missing Scroll, 2015). As of October 2023, a total of 17 Asterix albums have been translated into Asturian, with the latest being El lliriu blancu (The White Iris, 2023). These translations have been undertaken by translators including Xosé Antón González Riaño, Xesús González Rato, and María Xosé Rodríguez.