Galician

Galician shares its origins and early development with Portuguese, as the language Galician-Portuguese.

25BC Establishment of Roman Empire. Introduction of Latin Language and Roman law. Gallaecia Province.

Latinisation of the Peninsula. Local communities in eastern and southern

provinces quickly adopted Vulgar Latin but the process of acculturation and assimilation took place and a much slower pace in the western and northern provinces.

Origins of the Galician Language

3rd century AD – collapse of Roman control and invasions of the Germanic tribes of Swabians, who transformed parts of Roman Gallaecia into an independent kingdom.

711 AD – Islamic conquest. Galicia had a newly found status as an important

Christian Pilgrimage which is why it began to experience more than minimal contact with the outside world.

1179 – Pope officially recognised the independent kingdom of Portugal.

Integration into the Kingdom of Castile marked the beginning of the end of Galicia’s cultural and linguistic isolation.

Events of 14th century. Civil war between son of Alfonso XI of Castille (Enrique Trastamara) and his half brother, Pedro the Cruel.

Upper echelons of society attempted to establish Castilian as the official language.

1474: Isabella I became the Crown of Castile 1486: Spanish monarchy initiated the process of

centralisation known as “Doma y Castración del Reino de Galicia”.

End of the 15th century: Galicia was totally integrated into the Crown of Castile.

15th- 16th century: Galician clergy evicted. Galician seen as a negative social trait.

16th-18th century: “Séculos Escuros” 1700: Monarchy wanted a ‘united Spain’.

Castilian imposed. 1713: ‘Real Academia Española’ set up to purify

and preserve the Castilian language. End of the 18th century: economic development in

Galicia.

1807-1814: Peninsular War. 1833: Galicia formally lost its condition of

kingdom, Spain moved towards the creation of a centralised nation-state.

1857: In education, the ‘Ley Moyano’ forbade the use of any language other than Castilian:

“La Gramática y Ortografía de la Academia Española serán texto obligatorio y único para estas materias en la enseñanza pública”.

Galeguismo 1863: Rosalía de Castro published ‘Os Cantares

Gallegos’, the first modern work written entirely in Galician.

1905: Establishment of the Real Academia Galega.

Partido Galeguista created in 1931 Monolingual Galician in rural areas State control over mass media and

education Exile activity abroad Galicia Emigrante magazine 1954-1959 Radio show 1954-1971

Galician Language and Nationalism under Franco

By the 1950s Galician used publicly in 1949 Editorial Galixia founded in 1950 by Ramón

PiñeiroIn the 1960s Partido Socialista Galego in 1963 Unión do Pobo Galego in 1964 Civil protest poetry- Manuel María’s Terra Cha

By the 70s More relaxed attitude towards the Galician

language. 1963- Historia da literatura galega

contemporánea by Caballo Calero 1965- Gramatica elemental del gallego común 1971- Instituto da Lingua Galega (ILG)

ARTIGO 5 A lingua propia de Galicia é o galego. Os idiomas galego e castelán son oficiais en Galicia

e todos teñen o dereito de os coñecer e de os usar. Os poderes públicos de Galicia garantirán o uso

normal e oficial dos dous idiomas e potenciarán o emprego do galego en tódolos planos da vida pública, cultural e informativa, e disporán os medios necesarios para facilita-lo seu coñecemento.

Ninguén poderá ser discriminado por causa da lingua.

O Estatuto de Autonomía de Galicia (1981)

Official language for public administration and public entities in Galicia.

Can also be used in the judicial system Children can receive their nursery education in either

language Compulsory subject in all schools University education can be in either Castilian or

Galician Compulsory aspect of teacher training Promotes dubbing, subtitling and the production of

plays, films and literature in Galician. Makes the Real Academia Gallega responsible for

maintenance of the language.

Lei de Normalización Lingüística de Galicia (1983)

1989 and 1990 Congresses calling for support from the Xunta in promoting Galician.

Galician currently has no recognised status in the Franxa Exterior.

In the Franxa Exterior

Language Planning Measures post Franco.

1983 - LEI DE NORMALIZACIÓN LINGÜÍSTICA DE GALICIA 

"Law of Linguistic Normalization", Ley 3/1983, 15 June 1983)

first time since the introduction of mass education that a generation has attended school in Galician.

Reinforced the sociolinguistic status as well as the role it has to play alongside Castilian, as a viable language of administration.

Ley de Normalización Lingüística :

Concerning linguistic rights in Galicia: Article 1. Galician is the autochthonous language of Galicia.

Everyone has the right to know it and the right to use it. Article 2. the public authorities of Galicia will guarantee the

normal use of Galician or of Castilian, as the official languages of the self-governing region.

Article 3. the public authorities of Galicia will adopt the necessary measurements to ensure that no one is discriminated against because of their language. As far as the right to employ their own language is concerned, citizens will have the recourse to the law courts and tribunals in order to obtain legal protection.

Aims of the law

to re-establish Galician as foremost symbol of ethnic identity at the very least from a socio-political and socio-linguistic perspective.

to reintroduce language to those who had stopped using it, or only used it in very restricted contexts

hoped to create the situation where pupils would be competent in Galician so that within schools the status of Castilian would be limited to that of study.

Laws on education

Article12:1 Galician, as the autochthonous language of Galicia, is also the official language of the education system at all levels.

Article 13 Children have the right to receive their pre-school and primary education in their mother tongue.

Article 14 Made the study of Galician mandatory at all compulsory education levels.

Media and government institutions

Title IV, Article 18: Galician will be the customary language used in radio and television and in other means of public communication liable to administration by or competition from business concerns of the self governing community.

TITLE II regarding legislation relating to language use by governmental institutions in communication with the general public.

Title II Article 6:1 Citizens have the right to demand the use of Galician, both in spoken and written communications with public service authorities within the confines of self governing community.

2004 - PLAN XERAL DE NORMALIZACIÓN DA LINGUA GALEGA

Decrees prior: decreto 257/1995 and decreto 66/1997 were precursors to Plan Xeral or PNL. In English, General Plan for the linguistic normalization of the Galician language.

Eg. Article 4. At pre school level and in first years of primary school, teachers will use in class the mother tongue that prevails among the pupils.

Plan Xeral cont.

General objectives of Plano Xeral de Normalizacion Linguistica (PNL) makes attempt to disengage from political deliberations:

To implement series of measure that will provide for a recovery in no. of speakers

Generate more respect for the language Encourage speakers to use it naturally without

restrictions Should not be used as political tool or for political

bias

Plan Xeral cont.

Incorporates many suggestions from council for Galician culture and main objective is to overturn age old inferiority complex. This is to be achieved by:

Introducing changes in social behaviour of speakers eg. Encouraging people to use Galician outside their

intragroup environment, in other more influential sectors of society and persuading parents to pass on their spoken Galician to their children.

Suggested pupils in compulsory education should receive at least 50% of their instruction in Galician.

Further areas of promotion

Communications industry. Public radio station, Radio Gallega introduced in 1980’s. Regional tv channel, TVG (television galega) Huge effort to promote literatacy since 1980’s Galicia drama centre created in 1980’s (centro dramatico galego) Local authorities and public services. Lei 5/1988 reinforced stipulations from lei 1983 regarding Galician as

official language of use by local government. Oral and written purposes in Xunta offices and debates carried out in G.

Official documents tend to be in both languages. Lei 1983 says Place names should be in Galician. PNL adds that business and commerce should be encouraged to

promote it in workforce, church, tourism and social services.

Political history of Galicia

• Órgano colegiado del gobierno de Galicia.

• Compuesta por el presidente, vicepresidentes y consejeros.

• Creada en 1981 con la aprobación del Estatuto de Autonomía. Elección popular de su primer presidente, Gerardo Fernández Albor.

XUNTA DE GALICIA

En 1983 se aprueba la Ley autonómica 1/1983,

reguladora de la Xunta y de su Presidente.

• La Junta de Galicia moderna aparece por vez primera en el proyecto de Estatuto de Autonomía de Galicia de 1936.

• Aprobado el Real Decreto-Ley 7/1978 y el Real Decreto 474/1978 se establece la Junta de Galicia como gobierno autonómico gallego.

COMPETENCIAS

• Organización de sus instituciones de autogobierno y de las comarcas y parroquias como entidades propias de Galicia.

• Ordenación del territorio y del litoral, urbanismo y vivienda.

• Actuaciones en relación a las instituciones del derecho civil gallego; normas procesales y procedimientos administrativos que se deriven del específico derecho gallego o de la organización de los poderes públicos.

• Obras públicas; vías férreas, carreteras y transporte; puertos, aeropuertos y helipuertos.

• Aprovechamientos forestales, hidráulicos y relativos a la energía eléctrica; aguas minerales y termales; pesca en las rías y aguas interiores; ferias y mercados.

• Artesanía, patrimonio artístico, bibliotecas, museos, conservatorios de música y servicios de Bellas Artes; fomento de la cultura y de la investigación; promoción de la enseñanza de la lengua gallega, del turismo y del deporte;

Resultados Elecciones Gallegas

Effectiveness of Language Planning

Measures

1. 1978 Spanish Constitution 2. 1981, Article 5 of the Estatuto de

Autonomía de Galicia 3. June 1983 – Lei de Normalización

Linguística de Galicia 4. September 2004 – the Plan Xeral

de Normalización da Lingua Galega

Most important Measures:

62.425.6

11.4 0.6

First Language 1991

GalicianSpanishBilingualOther

First Language

51.7530.31

16.271.67

First Language 2003

GalicianSpanishBilingualOther

Daily Language

Only Galician More Galician

More Spanish Only Spanish05

1015202530354045

19912003

•Less Bilingualism – More Monolingualism•Larger Increase of Castillian speakers, yet there is still a larger number of Galician speakers.

Compre-hension

Speaking Reading Writing0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

19912001

Language Proficiency in Galician

Administration: Autonomous administration - under the obligation to promote the widespread use of

Galician, not only because of the legislation, but also because the language is the vernacular of the country it governs and it gives prestige with relation to other administrative bodies (http://www.galego.org/english/today/administration.html).

City Halls “within the central offices of the Xunta, Galician is employed almost

exclusively for both oral and written purposes and the majority of politicians and local representatives employ Galician in debates of the regional parliament” (Regional Nationalism in Spain – Beswick)

Public Institutions:o Health

o “Access to any public administration post includes tests in the Galician language to guarantee a minimum knowledge” (http://www.galego.org/english/today/administration.html).

Galician Today...

Mass Media: Press Books Radio TV Music

Education

Galician Today...

Alberto Núñez Feijóo Decree 79/2010 - establishes the language

of each subject in primary and secondary education, and allows parents to decide the main language of education within the classroom.

Promoting bilingualism. Triggered an adverse reaction among

Galician civil society.

The Current Debate in Education:

Galician speakers are optimistic about the future of their language

While they almost unanimously believe that bilingualism will continue to prevail in Galicia, over half of them take the view that the use of Galician will increase.

Almost 90% consider Galician to be as useful as Castilian. Despite all improvements in Administration, Education

and Mass Media there was not an increase in the oral use of Galician, but a general rise of Castilian speakers.

Future of Galician?

Beswick, Jaine, Regional nationalism in Spain : language use and ethnic identity in Galicia (Clevedon : Multilingual Matters, 2007)

http://www.editorialgalaxia.es/ http://es.wikilingue.com/gl/Galicia_Emigrante http://grupogalabra.com/documentos/Presen

%C3%A7a%20e%20Refer%C3%AAncias%20Portuguesas...%20(Ci%C3%AAncias%20Sociais,%20Coi.pdf

Bibliography