GALEGO
(Galician)
HUM 3000
Taylor Crigler
4/21/11

Galician is spoken primarily in the region
of Galicia in northwest Spain, and also the
surrounding borders of Portugal,
Asturias, and
Castile and
León.
Galicia
Galician came from Galician-Portuguese
(also known as Old Portuguese), a
Western-Iberian language. There is some
controversy whether gallego is a
Portuguese dialect or a separate
language.
 Galician is an official
language of Spain.

Derivation from Latin:
Galician is spoken by about 3 million
people, mainly in Galicia (population
approx. 2.78 million, about 6.13% of
Spain’s population).
Largest cities:
Vigogreater area 660,000
A Coruña-Ferrolgreater area 600,000
Who speaks
Galician?

The primary language spoken in the
larger cities is Castilian, whereas Galician
is the primary language in rural areas.
Vigo
Where is Galician
spoken?

Galicia is a mountainous and coastal
region and has so many small bodies of
water that it is also known as “the land of
a thousand rivers.”
About Galicia:
During Roman rule, it is said that Galicia
was “less Romanticized” than other
regions in Spain.
 Galicia became an official region 3 times
(in the 10th, 11th, and 12th centuries).
 Galician was always the spoken language
by the majority and actually had a dual
status with Latin for formal settings.

Linguistic History:



1892- Franco was born in Galicia; as the
dictator of Spain until 1975, Franco actually
discouraged the recognition and promotion of
the Galician language.
1906- the Royal Galician Academy was
founded
May 17- Día das Letras
Galegas (Galician
Literature Day)- devoted
to a different Galician writer
every year
Linguistic History:
Most Galicians are proud of their language
and fight to preserve it and recognize its
distinction.
 As an official language, it is protected and
taught along with Castilian in primary
education, and Galician universities are
largely conducted in Galician.
 On the other hand, some recognize the
situation in urban
areas as a diglossia.

Linguistic Status: mixed reviews
http://www6.gencat.cat/llengcat/noves/h
m02hivern/internacional/a_galego1_4.ht
m
 [Draft of measures to improve attitudes
towards the Galician language and the
extension of its use, by the Research
team of the Seminar of Sociolinguistics of
the Real Academia Galega]

Protecting Galician:
Galician literature has a restless history
emerging in the Middle Ages, suppressed
during the Dark Ages and Franco’s
dictatorship, and now has been revived
once again.
 Notable authors:
Ramón del Valle-Inclán (Generation of 98)
Rosalia de Castro

Literature:
Manu Chao- Bixo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko_cJIe
EUAA
 YouTube - MANU CHAO – BIXO

Music:
Portugués
Galego
Portugués
Galego
Um
Uno
Onze
Once
Dois
Dous
Doze
Doce
Três
Tres
Treze
Trece
Quatro
Catro
Quatorze
Catorce
Cinco
Cinco
Quinze
Quince
Seis
Seis
Dezesseis
Dezaseis
Sete
Sete
Dezessete
Dezasete
Oito
Oito
Dezoito
Dezaoito
Nove
Nove
Dezenove
Dezanove
Dez
Dez
Vinte
Vinte
1-20
Portuguese z  Galician c
Portuguese qu  Galician c
Deletion of geminate consonant
Some vowel changes
Portugués
Galego
Trinta
Trinta
Quarenta
Corenta
Cinqüenta
Cincuenta
Sessenta
Sesenta
Setenta
Setenta
Oitenta
Oitenta
Noventa
Noventa
Cem
Cen
20-100
Portugués
Galego
Portugués
Galego
Janeiro
Xaneiro
Julho
Xullo
Fevereiro
Febreiro
Agosto
Agosto
Março
Marzo
Setembro
Setembro
Abril
Abril
Novembro
Novembro
Maio
Maio
Dezembro
Decembro
Junho
Xuño
Notes:
Galician preference to spell with x instead of the
Portuguese j
Difference in palatals- Portuguese: nh and lh;
Galician: ñ and ll
Months
http://www.academiagalega.org/
Independent organization devoted to preserving
Galician and amicably integrating it with Portuguese
http://www.agal-gz.org/index.php
All Galician news: “A nossa língua na rede, a nossa
língua no mundo” [Our language network, our
language in the world]
http://www.amesanl.org/index.asp
“Sole objective: the promotion
of the use of Galician in all
spheres of social life.” (in
Galician, English, and French)
Sitios en galego:
http://bvg.udc.es/
”Virtual Galician library,” provides access to
Galician texts
http://www.consellodacultura.org/arquivos/cdsg/lo
ia/
History of the language and
grammar tutorials (available in
Galician, Castilian, and English)
http://www.crtvg.es/reproductor/inicio.asp?canal=
radio&arquivo=0
Galician radio and television!
Sitios en galego:
http://www.europapress.es/galego/
National and international news in Galician
http://www.galego.org/
Galician website that provides language
history and opinions on current issues
(available in English)
 http://ilg.usc.es/
 Galician Language Institute
 http://www.vieiros.com/
 Online Galician newspaper
Sitios en galego: