Old Leonese language

Old Leonese was a West Iberian dialect of Vulgar Latin spoken in several regions of the Kingdom of León and the medieval Principality of Asturias. It was the ancestor of several languages, all forming the Asturleonese language family. Old Leonese was spoken until around the year 1500, and was attested starting from the 10th century with the Nodicia de kesos.

Consonants

 * The sound change to, called yeísmo, may appear in Old East and Central Leonese (such as in muyer and meyor). This phenomenon may have spread to Castilian from Asturian and Leonese settlers. In areas around Salamanca, however, they made a -like sound, for example mujer and mejor.

Vowels

 * Latin ŏ and ĕ developed in Old Leonese to and  respectively, such as in puerta. Compare Old Galician-Portuguese porta.
 * Over diphthongisation was a common feature of Old Leonese, alongside other Ibero-Romance varieties.

Literature
The first text in the Leonese vernacular was the Nodicia de kesos, dated from the 10th century. Meanwhile, in 1155, Fueru d'Aviles was written, being the oldest text in the Asturian vernacular. The majority of Old Leonese texts from the 13th century are in the book Étude sur l'ancien dialecte léonais d'après des chartes du XIIIe siècle by Erik Staaff in 1907. A notable text is the translation of liber iudiciorum, the Fuero juzgo or Fueru xulgu.

Sample text
The following text is from the Nodicia de kesos. Nodicia de /kesos que /espisit frater /Semeno: jn labore /de fratres jn ilo ba- /celare /de cirka Sancte Ius- /te, kesos U; jn ilo /alio de apate, /II kesos; en [que] /puseron ogano, /kesos IIII; jn ilo /de Kastrelo, I; /jn ila vinia majore, /II
 * 1st column
 * List of /cheeses that spent brother /Semeno: in the work/ of the brothers in the vi /neyard /near Saint Just,/ 5 cheeses; in the /other of the abbot, /2 cheeses; in [the one that]/ they put this year, / 4 cheeses; in the one /of Castrillo, 1; /in the main vineyard, 2''

/que lebaron en fosado, /II, ad ila tore; /que baron a Cegia, /II, quando la talia- /ron ila mesa; II que /lebaron Lejione; II /..s...en /u...re... /...que... /...c... /...e...u /...alio (?) /... /g... Uane Ece; alio ke le /ba de sopbrino de Gomi /de do...a...; IIII que espi- /seron quando llo rege /uenit ad Rocola; /I qua salbatore ibi /uenit'
 * 2nd column
 * /that they took as war tribute, /2, to the tower; that they took to Cea, /2, when they car- /ved the table; 2 that /they took to León; 2/..s...en /u...re... /...que... /...c... /...e...u /...other (?) /... /g... Uane Ece /another that to- /ok Gomi's nephew /de do...a...; 4 that they spe- /nt when the king /came to Rozuela; /1 when Salvador /came there.