Editing Autonomous communities of Spain (section)

===Linguistic regimes===
[[File:BilingualSign Spain.svg|thumb|Bilingual signs, showing the names of the city known as [[Pamplona]] in both Spanish and Iruña in Basque]]
The preamble to the constitution explicitly stated that it is the nation's will to protect "all Spaniards and the peoples of Spain in the exercise of human rights, their cultures and traditions, languages and institutions".<ref name=preamble>Preamble to the Constitution. {{cite web|url=https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/lang/en/espana/leyfundamental/paginas/index.aspx |title=Spanish Constitution |author=[[Cortes Generales]] |date=27 December 1978 |publisher=President of the Government of Spain and the Council of Ministers |access-date=6 August 2022}}</ref> This is a significant recognition not only in that it differed drastically from the restrictive linguistic policies during the Franco era, but also because part of the distinctiveness of the "historical nationalities" lies on their own regional languages.<ref name="villar"/><ref name="shabad"/> The nation is thus openly multilingual,{{sfn|Conversi|2002|loc=}} in which [[Names given to the Spanish language|Castilian]]—that is, Spanish—is the official language in all territories, but the "other Spanish languages" can also be official in their respective communities, in accordance with their Statutes of Autonomy.

Article 3 of the constitution ends up declaring that the "richness of the distinct linguistic modalities of Spain represents a patrimony which will be the object of special respect and protection".{{sfn|Spanish Constitution|1978|loc=Article 3}} Spanish remains the only official language of the State; other languages are only co-official with Spanish in the communities that have so regulated. In addition, knowledge of the Spanish language was declared a right and an obligation of all Spaniards.

Spanish legislation, most notably in the Statutes of Autonomy of the bilingual communities, use the term "own language", or "language proper to a community",{{efn-lr| "Own language (of a community)" or "language proper [to a community]" (in Spanish: ''lengua propia'', in Basque: ''berezko hizkuntza'', in Catalan/Valencian: ''llengua pròpia'', in Galician: ''lingua propia'').}} to refer to a language other than Spanish that originated or had historical roots in that particular territory. The Statutes of Autonomy of the respective autonomous communities have declared [[Basque language|Basque]] the language proper to the Basque Country and Navarre, [[Catalan language|Catalan]] the language proper to Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community—where it is historically, traditionally and officially known as [[Valencian language|Valencian]]—and [[Galician language|Galician]] to be the language proper to Galicia. There are other protected regional languages in other autonomous communities. As a percentage of total population in Spain, [[Basque language|Basque]] is spoken by 2%, [[Catalan language|Catalan/Valencian]] by 17%, and [[Galician language|Galician]] by 7% of all Spaniards.<ref name=cia>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/spain/|title=Spain|work=The CIA World Factbook|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]|access-date=22 October 2012}}</ref> A 2016 Basque Government census revealed 700,000 fluent speakers in Spain (51,000 in Basque counties in France) and 1,185,000 total when passive speakers are included.<ref>VI Enquete Euskal Herria 2016, in French</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
|+ Co-official or protected languages of Spain
|-
! Language
! Status
! Speakers in Spain{{efn|All figures as reported on ''[[Ethnologue]]'' for the number of speakers in Spain only.}}
|-
| [[Aragonese language|Aragonese]]
| Not official but recognised in [[Aragon]]
| 11,000<ref name=aragonese>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=arg|title=Aragonese|work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth Edition|editor=Lewis, M. Paul|year=2009|location=Dallas, TX|publisher=[[SIL International]]|access-date=25 November 2012}}</ref>
|-
| [[Astur-Leonese languages|Asturleonese]]
| Not official but recognised in [[Asturias]] and in [[Castile and León]]{{efn|In the Statute of Autonomy of Castile and León, the Astur-Leonese dialect spoken therein is referred to as [[Leonese language|Leonese]].}}
| 100,000<ref name=asturian>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ast|title=Asturian|work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth Edition|editor=Lewis, M. Paul|year=2009|location=Dallas, TX|publisher=[[SIL International]]|access-date=25 November 2012}}</ref>
|-
| [[Basque language|Basque]]
| Official in the [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque Country]] and [[Navarre]]
| 580,000<ref name=basque>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=eus|title=Basque|work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth Edition|editor=Lewis, M. Paul|year=2009|location=Dallas, TX|publisher=[[SIL International]]|access-date=25 November 2012}}</ref>
|-
| [[Catalan language|Catalan/Valencian]]
| as ''Catalan'', official in [[Catalonia]] and [[Balearic Islands]], and as ''Valencian'', in the [[Valencian Community]];{{efn|The Catalan dialect spoken in the Valencian Community is historically, traditionally and officially referred to as [[Valencian language|Valencian]].}} Not official but recognised in [[Aragon]]
| around 10 million,<ref name=catalan>{{cite web|url=http://www.llull.cat/catala/cultura/llengua_catala.cfm |title=Catalan|work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth Edition|editor=Lewis, M. Paul|year=2009|location=Dallas, TX|publisher=[[SIL International]]|access-date=25 November 2012}}</ref> including 2nd language speakers
|-
| [[Galician language|Galician]]
| Official in [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]] and recognised in some municipalities in Castile and León that border [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]]
| 2.34 million<ref name=galician>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=glg|title=Galician|work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth Edition|editor=Lewis, M. Paul|year=2009|location=Dallas, TX|publisher=[[SIL International]]|access-date=25 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328094338/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=glg|archive-date=28 March 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| [[Occitan language|Occitan]]
| Official in [[Catalonia]]
| 4,700
|-
| [[Fala language|Fala]]
| Not official but recognised as a "[[Bien de Interés Cultural]]" in [[Extremadura]]<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2001-7994 | title=BOE.es – Documento BOE-A-2001-7994}}</ref>
| 11,000
|}