"As línguas que são hoje as dominantes nos países europeus adquiriram esse estatuto por se terem tornado, a certa altura, as línguas da administração pública, do poder, das leis, e, mais tarde, com a difusão da alfabetização, da escola, num processo paralelo à formação dos estados modernos. Este mapa mostra a difusão do castelhano (oriundo do norte, e não do centro, como se poderia pensar) na península ibérica. Foi o rei Afonso X, o Sábio, um leonês, que tomou a decisão de adoptar o castelhano como língua dos documentos oficiais, em detrimento da sua própria língua materna. A língua literária de prestígio era o português, ou galego-português, na qual foram escritas, por iniciativa do rei, as Cantigas de Santa Maria."





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