The Asturian Alphabet - Vowels, Consonants, Digraphs & Accented Letters

Q: How many letters are in the Asturian alphabet?

The Asturian alphabet has 29 letters from the Latin script [1] . This includes 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 24 consonants, notably including two digraphs: ch (counted as one letter) and ll (counted as one letter), plus ñ (n with tilde).

Q: What are the special features of the Asturian alphabet?

The Asturian alphabet has several unique characteristics : • Digraph ch - represents the "ch" sound as in "chair" • Digraph ll - represents a palatal sound like "y" in "yes" • Letter ñ - represents the "ny" sound as in "canyon" • Letter x - represents the "sh" sound (unique feature!) • Uses ü (diaeresis) to mark pronunciation in "gue" and "gui" • Inverted punctuation marks (¿, ¡) like Spanish

Q: Where is Asturian spoken?

Asturian is spoken in northwestern Spain : • Principality of Asturias - the main region • Parts of León and Zamora provinces • 100,000-600,000 speakers (including second-language speakers) [3] • Officially recognized and protected regional language [4] • Celtic heritage influences the culture and some vocabulary

Q: How is Asturian different from Spanish?

While both are Romance languages, Asturian has distinct characteristics : • The letter x sounds like "sh" instead of "ks" • The digraph ll has a palatal sound • Different verb conjugations and grammar structures • Preserves Celtic substrate vocabulary and features • Uses article+noun+adjective order more freely • Part of the Astur-Leonese language family

Q: How do you pronounce Asturian special letters?

Asturian has distinctive pronunciation features : • Ch ch - pronounced like "ch" in "chair" • Ll ll - pronounced like "y" in "yes" or palatal lateral • Ñ ñ - pronounced like "ny" in "canyon" • X x - pronounced like "sh" in "ship" (key feature!) • Ü ü - marks that "u" is pronounced in "güe" and "güi" • R r - trilled or tapped, especially at word beginnings These sounds make Asturian phonetically unique !

Q: What is the cultural significance of Asturian?

Asturian has deep cultural and historical importance : • Ancient language with Celtic substrate influences • Standardized by the Academia de la Llingua Asturiana [2] • Protected by Asturian government law [4] • Rich oral tradition of poetry and folklore • Used in education, media, and cultural events • Symbol of Asturian identity and pride • Growing presence in digital media and online platforms!

The Asturian alphabet uses the Latin script with 29 letters including 5 vowels, 24 consonants, and two important digraphs: ch and ll^[1]. Asturian (Asturianu) is an Astur-Leonese Romance language spoken by approximately 100,000-600,000 people in northwestern Spain, primarily in the Principality of Asturias^[3]. The alphabet includes distinctive features such as the letter ñ (n with tilde), the digraph ll representing a palatal lateral sound, the digraph ch for the "ch" sound, and the letter x representing the "sh" sound, a characteristic feature shared with neighboring Aragonese. The language uses acute accents and diaeresis (á, é, í, ó, ú, ü). Asturian is officially recognized and protected by the Asturian government^[4], with standardization led by the Academia de la Llingua Asturiana^[2].

Uppercase Vowels:

[A]

[E]

[I]

[O]

[U]

Lowercase Vowels:

[a]

[e]

[i]

[o]

[u]

Uppercase Consonants:

[B]

[C]

[Ch]

[D]

[F]

[G]

[H]

[L]

[Ll]

[M]

[N]

[Ñ]

[P]

[Q]

[R]

[S]

[T]

[V]

[X]

[Y]

[Z]

[W]

[K]

Lowercase Consonants:

[b]

[c]

[ch]

[d]

[f]

[g]

[h]

[l]

[ll]

[m]

[n]

[ñ]

[p]

[q]

[r]

[s]

[t]

[v]

[x]

[y]

[z]

[w]

[k]

A a

B b

C c

Ch ch

D d

E e

F f

G g

H h

I i

L l

Ll ll

M m

N n

Ñ ñ

O o

P p

Q q

R r

S s

T t

U u

V v

X x

Y y

Z z

[á]

[Á]

[é]

[É]

[í]

[Í]

[ó]

[Ó]

[ú]

[Ú]

[ü]

[Ü]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

;

A a

[A]

E e

[E]

I i

[I]

O o

[O]

U u

[U]

Ch ch

[Ch]

Ll ll

[Ll]

Ñ ñ

[Ñ]

X x

[X]

R r

[R]

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How many letters are in the Asturian alphabet?

What are the special features of the Asturian alphabet?

Where is Asturian spoken?

How is Asturian different from Spanish?

How do you pronounce Asturian special letters?

What is the cultural significance of Asturian?

References:

[1] Unicode Consortium. "Basic Latin Unicode Block (U+0000-U+007F)". Retrieved from https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0000.pdf
[2] Academia de la Llingua Asturiana. "Official Asturian Language Standards". Retrieved from https://www.academiadelallingua.com/
[3] Ethnologue. "Asturian Language Profile". Retrieved from https://www.ethnologue.com/language/ast
[4] Gobierno del Principado de Asturias. "Asturian Language Policy". Retrieved from https://www.asturias.es/