Portugal's Other Official Language, Mirandese, Writing the Future

Since she was six years old, Ana Martins,16, has chosen the elective of Mirandese, studying it since Year 1 in school. She talks with older villagers in Malhadas, Miranda do Douro, in January 2019. (Photo by José Coelho/Lusa).

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When Portugal recognized Mirandese as a second language, "the people began to lose their shame and started speaking with pride", said Júlio Meirinhos who, as a deputy of the Assembleia da República, was the first person to speak the centuries-old language in Parliament, some of whose members did not know of the existence of this mother tongue.

However, 26 years later, advocates of the language spoken in the northeast of Trás-os-Montes, are racing hard against time to protect and perpetuate what renowned ethnographer José Leite de Vasconcelos (1858-1941) called "the language of work, of the countryside and of love", reported Expresso (September 16, 2023).

The Mirandese language is spoken on a 500 square-kilometer (193 square miles) plateau along the (former) border of Spain, defined by the Douro River, according to Border Languages: Mirandese (2019), Linguistics Center of the University of Lisbon (CLUL), a Research and Development unit integrated into the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon.

It is in a "very critical" situation due to the abandonment of this way of speaking by public and private entities, according to Uses, Attitudes and Language Competencies of the Mirandese Population, Department of Philology, University of Vigo, Galicia, Spain, reported Lusa, according to Miranda do Douro Municipality (February 21, 2023).

If nothing more is done, the language "will die out within the next 30 years", cautioned the report, which was written in Mirandese and Portuguese. The study was carried out in collaboration with the Association of Mirandese Language and Culture and the municipality of Miranda do Douro.

Initiated in 2020 and based on 350 surveys, the study estimated that about 3,500 people know the language, with about 1,500 using it regularly. About 6,400 people live in Miranda do Douro Municipality, according to the 2021 Census, and 10.3 million in Portugal. The study identified a disconnect with the language, "mainly among those born between 1960-1980" when "a strong linguistic Portugueseization took place, "mainly through "the press, radio, TV, school and public administration" and the association of Mirandese with rural life, ignorance and poverty.

The younger population is asking for "conditions to socialize in the Mirandese language".

"In each language, we express a different world. Words are magic keys which create worlds. If we lose a language, we are losing keys to the world," said translator and geographer Carlos Ferreira, a collector of lhonas, anecdotes of the Mirandese oral tradition about which he makes notes for later publication in books.

Mirandese was purely a spoken language until 1884 when José Leite de Vasconcelos wrote the book Mirandese Flowers, in which he proposed a writing system to save it from dying out. The system included a large number of diacritics which have helped to convey how Mirandese sounded in the 19th century. It was only in the 20th century that Mirandese adopted a standardized form of writing.

Miranda do Douro City Council as well as Mirandese and language advocates write, translate and teach the language while, at the same time, urging the Portuguese government to ratify Mirandese under the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages in order to strengthen legal protection and funding, reported SIC Notícias (September 15, 2023).

Even with these actions, they admit that demographics are not in their favor: people are not having children.

Mirandese is spoken in all the villages of Miranda do Douro Municipality, with the exception of two, and in three villages of Vimioso Municipality, both municipalities in Brangança District. Mirandese is also spoken by many who have immigrated to the main cities of the country or abroad, according to Partido Popular Monárquico, Braga Blog (May 7, 2012). (Map from PPM Braga Blog)

Spoken in School Classes, Not in the Street

"From the point of view of written Mirandese, the language is more alive today than ever, but it is spoken less in everyday life than it was 20 years ago. The population is small and aging," said Alfredo Cameirão, president of the Mirandese Language and Culture Association (ALCM).

Alcides Meirinhos, secretary of the Mirandese language association, said:

"Young people are learning Mirandese at school because they don't speak the language at home. It's important that they start speaking it amongst themselves in order to recover the dynamic. The language is the "greatest identifying factor of the Terra (Land) de Miranda", pointing out that it is still spoken in Brazil, Angola, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

The Mirandese law allowed for the establishment of Mirandese language teaching at the Miranda do Douro School Group, where it is taught from preschool to the end of secondary school as an optional subject. In the school year 2024-2025, 612 students attended the School Group and, of these, 471, or 77 percent of students, were enrolled in Mirandese classes, according to Puxa a Norte Para Cima (Pull the North Up).

In secondary school, when students have more crucial national examinations and a heavier workload, some drop the course, said President António Santos.

"It functions as a School Enrichment Activity, and the results don't count towards the student's average. Therefore, some choose not to enroll."

Three Mirandese Teachers

One of the criticisms of the University of Vigo study was the lack of specialized teachers.

For the 2024/2025 school year, the Ministry of Education had contracted three Mirandese teachers , according to Puxa a Norte Para Cima. It was the first time that a teacher was hired for preschool and kindergarten. This teacher visits all the schools in the municipality, bringing Mirandese to all the students -- even to the kindergarten in the village of Palaçoulo, where there is only one child.

Duarte Martins, a native son of Malhadas, in the municipality of Miranda do Douro, is one of the three Mirandese teachers. He has been teaching the language for more than 20 years after studying in Lisbon.

"My grandparents spoke exclusively Mirandese. My parents only speak Mirandese with me. My first contact with Portuguese was in primary school.

"In the past, many people spoke Mirandese in the streets, but nobody spoke Mirandese at school. Now, there are more and more people speaking Mirandese at school, and fewer and fewer people speaking Mirandese in the street."

In the village of Sendim, Emílio Martins teaches the one-hour weekly class. Year 5 has eight students, but all have enrolled in Mirandese. Even Dima, a Ukrainian boy who arrived less than two years ago. He speaks Portuguese and Mirandese.

Emílio Martins, a history graduate and musician, created the Mirandês 4Kids channel on YouTube 11 years ago. Like the other teachers and promoters of the language, they create learning aids.

"I don't really know why I ended up teaching a language when, after all, I have a degree in history." But after a moment of reflection, he said, "Speaking Mirandese is like breathing. I was born in France, but I was raised in Portugal with my grandparents. Until I was 13, Mirandese was the language I breathed."

The process of registering the Mirandese names of 794 streets, squares and other public spaces in 32 villages of Miranda do Douro took four years. During the next two years, the respective signs were scheduled for installation, reported Expresso (August 25, 2015). (Photo by Rui Oliveira/Expresso)

Textbooks

Another of the criticisms of the University of Vigo study was the lack of textbooks.

A couple of years ago, the first textbook, Cachapin, named after a regional bird who is, like children, curious and restless, was published for the first two years of primary school, according to Puxa a Norte Para Cima. Alfredo Cameirão collaborated in the creation of the book, which was financed by the Intermunicipal Community of Trás-os-Montes.

Also, the textbook, Las Mies Purmeiras Palabras an Mirandés (My First Words in Mirandese), was based on an Asturian book, published by the Academy of the Asturian Language, with whom the Mirandese primer was published, according to Miranda do Douro Municipality.

The Mirandese Language and Culture Association has been central and fundamental in the schools' teaching. For years, it has been lobbying for an institutional structure, which was granted last year.

Mission Structure

In March 2025, the government created a structure for "creating and coordinating a Mirandese Language Teachers Exchange, developing and implementing Mirandese teaching programs at various educational levels, and supporting the translation and publication of literary and scientific works, as well as the production of audiovisual content, in Mirandese, reported Renascença (March 18, 2025).

"We have long argued that the on-the-ground implementation of this mission structure is a priority for the defense of the second official language of Portugal," said Alfredo Cameirão, president of the Mirandese Language and Culture Association (ALCM).

"This is another step in "a long and fundamental struggle for the preservation and survival of Mirandese as a living language and heritage of Portugal."

As part of the newly created mission structure, on October 15, 2025, Professor Alfredo Cameirão hosted a webinar directed at the Portuguese Language Teaching Abroad network in Spain and Andorra, students in the morning and teachers in the afternoon.

The Mirandese language association also collects audio and video recordings of the Mirandese language and culture and has exceeded 100 hours of material, reported SIC Notícias (September 15, 2023). The collection's purpose is to provide data for researchers and develop material for the language's preservation.

The Mirandese Language Association published the first electronic book in Mirandese, which is a transcription of short stories published in a podcast called Terreiro de la Lhéngua 25, reported Lusa (December 17, 2024).

The stories and themes are in collaboration with such writers as Amadeu Ferreira, Carlos Ferreira, Alfredo Cameirão, Alcides Meirinhos, Adelaide Monteiro and Suzana Ruano. The original illustrations are by Ana Rita Afonso (Ana Manjora).

The project was supported by the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission.

The podcast was first broadcast in 2021, and 89 episodes have been aired, with more added regularly. It is hosted on the website of the Common House of the Faculty of Letters of the University of Porto and on Spotify.

European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

At the time of the establishment of the mission structure, the Mirandese Language and Culture Association reiterated the need for ratification by the Portuguese government of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, reported Renascença (March 18, 2025).

Xosé-Henrique Costas, coordinator of the University of Vigo study, agreed that it is time for ratification and a new Mirandese Law, updated in accordance with planned and budgeted actions and measures in education, justice, local and regional administration, public services, media, social activities and facilities, the economy and cross-border exchanges as a starting point for "the Mirandese language to regain vitality", according to Uses, Attitudes and Language Competencies of the Mirandese Population, Department of Philology, University of Vigo study, reported Lusa, according to Miranda do Douro Municipality (February 21, 2023).

In 2021, Portugal signed the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages of the Council of Europe, according to the Diplomatic Portal, Foreign Affairs, República Portuguesa (September 7, 2021). Adopted in 1992, the instrument strives to protect and promote such languages, maintaining and developing European cultural heritage and traditions along with respecting "the inalienable and commonly recognized right" to use such languages in public and private life.

"The Mirandese language was the basis for this signing. Mirando do Douro City Council, together with the "Associaçon de la Lhéngua i Cultura Mirandesa" developed a list of commitments to be fulfilled, arising from Portugal's accession to the Charter."

Ratification of the Charter is fundamental and ensures some of the commitments such as the State's agreement "to offer translation from Portuguese to Mirandese in courts, should the citizen so desire", said Alfredo Cameirão, president of the Mirandese Language and Culture Association (ALCM), according to SIC Notícias (September 15, 2023).

As of December 9, 2025, the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages reported that it covers 84 languages used by 209 national minorities or linguistic groups. In Spain alone, there are the 11 protected languages of Aragonese; Asturian; Basque; Catalan; Darija; Extremaduran; Fala; Galician; Leonese; Occitan and Portuguese (in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura). In the United Kingdom, there are seven: Cornish; Irish; Manx Gaelic; Scots; Scottish-Gaelic; Ulster Scots, and Welsh.

Standardized Spelling

In 1994, the Linguistics Center of the University of Lisbon formed a team of linguists and Mirandese speakers to begin the linguistic standardization of Mirandese. In 1995, it published a Proposal for an Orthographic Convention. In 1999, the year that Mirandese became a legal and official language of Portugal also marked the publication of a more complete spelling convention, according to Border Languages: Mirandese (2019), Linguistics Center of the University of Lisbon (CLUL), a Research and Development unit integrated into the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon.

From 2000 onwards, there has been a surge of publications in Mirandese and in the number of people interested in studying the language.

"Miranda do Douro must be the municipality in Portugal with the most writers per capita. We are few in number, and yet there are so many people publishing in Mirandese," said Carlos Ferreira, who has translated some of the Asterix comic series into Mirandese, giving the language visibility and prestige around the world, according to Expresso (September 16, 2023).

How Mirandese Differs From Other Languages

According to the the Linguistics Center:

"Historically, this language is part of the Asturian-Leonese linguistic domain, with which it shares a series of phonetic features resulting from a long period of common evolution from Latin. Among these, the palatalization of initial l- in heritage words of Latin origin stands out -- a phenomenon not found in either the Galician-Portuguese or Castilian domains.

"Constantly subjected, on the one hand, to the pressure of Portuguese in all situations and, on the other, to the growing influence of Spanish in tourism and trade, Mirandese has been preserved to this day by the agro-pastoral population, with the individuality which the history of these influences confers upon it and which is evident in several features that do not exist in Asturian-Leonese -- notably the sibilant system", which contains hissing consonant sounds resembling the sh in sash.

The vocabulary itself can be quite different from its Spanish and Portuguese counterparts, reported The New York Times (January 17, 2012).

"Sheep is canhona, knee is zinolho, snowflake is farrapa. Most memorable was how Mirandese distinguishes grandmother and grandfather, both of which are spelled abó. When necessary, grandfather becomes l abó de las calças (grandparent of the trousers) and grandmother is l'abó de la saia (grandparent of the skirt). . . . (Another favorite: the phrase for rainbow is cinta de la raposa, fox's belt."

Cinta de la raposa was adopted as the name of the fifth LGBTQIA+ Pride March, in October 2025, of Bragança, which is in the Trás-os-Montes region. LGBTQIA+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and others, the latter acknowledging an evolving understanding of gender and sexuality.

Shame

Amadeu Ferreira (1950-2015), brother of Carlos Ferreira, a writer and jurist who translated into Mirandese Camões' Os Lusíadas, Pessoa's Mensagem, the four Gospels of the Bible and two Asterix adventures, recalled a time when speakers shared shame, reported Expresso (March 5, 2015).

"In the past, many years ago, they forced us to speak Portuguese. They told us that Mirandese wasn't a language for people, or that it was a language for stupid, backward people. . . . Ashamed, it hid itself from outsiders, shrinking until it was trapped in a tiny corner of Portugal. . . . In each village, the language grew with its differences, its own way of being, without ceasing to be what it was. To erase these differences or pretend they don't exist would be to become poorer and, who knows, perhaps die out completely.

"Belonging to Mirandese, as a unique language, is something we should be proud of."

Assembleia da República Deputy Júlio Meirinhos said that he "had the privilege of being the first person to speak Mirandese in the Assembly of the Republic, when I read the text of the bill (recognizing it on September 17, 1998). It was a great source of pride," reported Expresso (September 16, 2023).

Júlio Meirinhos recalled the many who traveled by bus from Miranda to witness the culmination of an eight-century struggle.

"I saw people of all ages, some 70 years old, who cried when the law was approved. There were repressed feelings," said the former mayor of Miranda do Douro, who is involved with the Association of the Mirandese Language and Culture. "We had had decrees from bishops which prohibited praying in Mirandese. We were always taught that it was a low, shameful language, and we tried to speak the language that the Portuguese speak."

Translator Carlos Ferreira said in Expresso (September 16, 2023):

"We gained that pride of seeing Mirandese officially recognized by the State, Until then, there was shame in speaking our language. During the Estado Novo regime, it was forbidden. When we arrived at primary school, we were forced to write in Portuguese and we couldn't speak in Mirandese."

Alfredo Cameirão, the association's president, said,

"'A language which is not suitable for speaking with God is the language of the devil.'

"The people of Mirandese always have lived with this burden on their shoulders. The people of Mirandese were seen as savages who still spoke in the manner of the Suebi and Goths who inhabited these provinces.

"No one can imagine what it is like to hear: 'You don't know how to speak!' That is a tremendous, horrible thing" for which "the language law had a decisive importance" and "ended the stigma".

Things have changed since then. Teacher Duarte Martins said in Puxa a Norte Para Cima:

"A language lives as long as we speak it. A language goes as far as we take it."