15 Outras lhénguas de Miranda / Other languages in Miranda
Cumo tierra de frunteira, an Miranda siempre se haberan falado outras lhénguas par’alhá de la “natiba”.
Hoije, todos ls mirandeses falantes de mirandés son bilhingues: mirandés i pertués. I, muitos deilhes (ne ls lhugares arrimados a la raia seca – adonde hai muitos cuntatos sociales cun Spanha, i na cidade) son mesmo trilhingues: mirandés, pertués i castelhano.
Like with many national borders around the world, in the Land of Miranda there’s always been a need to learn a language other than the “native” one. (See Chapter 2 to read more about it boarders and languages.)
Nowadays, all speakers of Mirandese are bilingual Mirandese-Portuguese. The towns that are close to the border by land (literally “the dry line”) have lots of social interactions with communities in Spain, and so they are trilingual Mirandese-Portuguese-Spanish. Moreover, if the contact is in the north of the region, it’s also likely to include some Leonese too.
In the 1980s, Miranda went through a profound transformation and became a town reliant on commerce, especially with the thousands of Spaniards that visit as tourists from nearby cities. More than 80% of the costumers that go shopping in Miranda are from Spain.
Before the introduction of the Euro, prices were often shown in both currencies (Portuguese escudos and Spanish pesetas). Costumers are usually greeted in Spanish and words on window shops like “offer” or “sales” are in Spanish. And some Spanish visitors have an extra advantage – those coming from the regions of León and Asturias can easily understand Mirandese.
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