Aragón has been a land with a historical linguistic diversity. In the territory of Aragón three languages are spoken: Spanish, Catalan (in the oriental area) and Aragonese (Pyrenean and Pre Pyrenean areas). Our Law of Languages, approved in 2009, recognised our three languages. It was a difficult and hard fight obtaining it. Now, five years later, it has changed.
Last ninth of May, a law of languages was approved by the government of Aragón, that commits an outrage against the linguistic diversity. Our languages like we knew them have disappeared from the law. Now, in an attempt of despising them they have been given new and invented names, instead of historical and real ones.
This law not only does not recognize the trilingual historical reality of Aragón. In addition, it limits more and more the rights of their use for the administration. The Aragonese disappears and its remainder is to be called a "Lengua Aragonesa Propia del Área Pirenaica y Prepirenaica" (LAPAPYP), meaning the Aragonese Language of the Pyrenean and Pre Pyrenean areas. The serious situation in which the Aragonese is nowadays, recognized by the EU as the language most threatened within the whole of Europe, demands a series of measures that prevent his short-term disappearance and promote its learning, diffusion and utilization, as indicated in some European recommendations to the Government.
After more than five centuries, the Catalan language has disappeared from Aragón. Now it has to be known as "Lengua Aragonesa Propia del Área Oriental" (LAPAO), meaning “Aragonese Language of the Oriental Area”. This measure has been used as a tool against the Catalanism movement.
We desire a society that respects, understands and supports our linguistic diversity. Furthermore, the Government should promote this position to protect our three mother languages, instead of pushing them into oblivion.