The maze of language policy: A study of minority languages in Aragón

Aragón is an autonomous community located in the north-eastern part of Spain. Like many other Spanish regions, it possesses its own linguistic identity, with Aragonese and Catalan traditionally spoken in certain areas. In recent years, the situation of Aragón's minority languages has become the focus of significant legal and political debate. In 2023, legal reforms introduced by the coalition of the People's Party (PP) and Vox dramatically altered the region's approach to minority languages. These reforms eliminated the explicit recognition of Catalan and Aragonese as part of the region's cultural heritage, replacing them with generic labels referring to "eastern" and "Pyrenean" language varieties. This move marked a return to the policies of 2013, which had significantly restricted the legal protection and cultural recognition of the Catalan and Aragonese languages. The reforms have sparked considerable social and political opposition. Supporters argue that the law recognises Aragón's linguistic diversity without imposing a rigid framework that privileges Catalan or Aragonese over other regional dialects. However, civil organisations and cultural movements accuse the government of undermining the protection and use of minority languages, in contradiction with the commitments made under the Spanish Constitution and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.