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Glite Dictionary
🇪🇸 From Leon, Spain 🗣️ A Romance language 👤 A person from Leon
Leonese

Leonese

9.9
A language spoken in and around León in northwestern Spain
  • noun
: leonés
  • Old Leonese was spoken in various towns across the province of León in Spain.

Examples

  • Many historical documents are written in Leonese, showcasing its rich linguistic heritage.

  • The form 're is indeed attested in Old Leonese (Hanssen 71).

    Academic text (1998)

  • However, Old Leonese buee(s) suggests that this was probably not the case.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Linguists study Leonese to understand the evolution of Romance languages in northwestern Spain.

Surface Forms

Leonese singular
Leonese plural

Morphology

Leonese = Leon (transparent) = Leon + ese

The name of the language is a standard formation from the place name + '-ese', a common productive pattern (e.g., 'Portuguese', 'Chinese').

Etymology

Leonese is the name of a local language that comes from the region León, which got its name from the old Latin Legio, meaning 'legion' or 'group of soldiers' and sharing the same root as English legion. So Leonese means the language 'from León'.