"September 2002" / Includes bibliographical references (v. 2) / 2 v. : ill., plates, col. maps ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Graduate School of Education, 2003

ABSTRACT Spain currently has, within the range of geographical areas and autonomous communities, five official languages: Galician (Galicia), Basque, Basque (Bilbao), Catalan (Barcelona), Valencian (Valencia) and Spanish which enjoy official prestige. Thus, Castilian, a language derived from the area of Castile, acquired its prolonged development from Asturias. This last pure language without a mixture of Mozarabic invasion, cultivated and developed since the Reconquista in Covadonga (a place located in the Picos de Europa, located to the north in the Asturian and Cantabrian area), made Pelayo king in 718 B.C. This last language, Spanish, is the main official language of all of Spain. The main purpose of this sociolinguistic research is to openly expose facsimiles and barriers that have arisen over time, which have been the object of obstacles, thus preventing the official status of the Asturian language. Which has been one of the oldest languages concerning other bordering areas of autonomous communities. History shows a current generation represented by older adults and peasants by profession, who still maintain oral speech discourses of ”Bable” (the Asturian language) that are still alive. This generation of adults will be responsible for leaving their oral and written legacy of the Asturian language to their preceding generations. At the end of the research, the objective is to point out the importance of the official status of the Asturian language which allows and is a clear identity of the local citizenship, that is, the Asturians. In other words, the Asturians currently represent the legacy of the area, including its Asturian language, and those who enjoy freedom of expression and civil and moralright, thus protecting the languages, in the different autonomous communities of the Spain today. Keywords: Asturian language, official spanish languages, linguistic identity, Asturians, official barriers, linguistic attitudes, spanish languages, official recognition