Linguistic Conflict, Minority Languages, and the Evolution of Galician
Linguistic Conflict
Linguistic conflict arises when two languages compete to fulfill all possible functions. This often leads to the formation of two distinct forms of language: the hegemonic language and the minority language. The hegemonic language, possessing greater sociocultural prestige, is used in all formal situations and becomes the standard. The minority language, with less social and cultural prestige, is relegated to informal use and often lacks standardization.
These conflicts can arise from processes of expansion and political unification, cultural and economic pressure, or migration. The consequences include interference between the two languages—lexical, morphological, and syntactic—as well as social consequences like a reduction in the number of minority language speakers, imbalanced language use, and distrust between different language groups.
Minority Languages and Minoritized Languages
A minority language has a small number of speakers compared to the total population. A minoritized language, while potentially being native to an area, sees its roles and usage reduced due to conflict with another language.
These concepts differ in that a minority language is defined solely by the number of speakers, whereas a minoritized language is also defined by restrictions on its use. Another difference is that a minority language is the opposite of a majority language, while a minoritized language is opposed to a hegemonic language.
Bilingualism and Diglossia
Bilingualism is the presence of two or more linguistic systems in an individual (individual bilingualism) or a society (social bilingualism). Bilingualism may stem from social diglossia, which is the coexistence and conflict between two languages, with differences according to social contexts, situations of use, and the speakers who use them.
Diglossia often leads to the abandonment of the less prestigious language in favor of the one that offers greater social and economic opportunities. This can be caused by the imposition of one language and leads to linguistic conflict.
The Galician Language: 1900-1936
The early 20th century saw a recovery of Galician literature but a decrease in its oral use. This period contrasted the cultural development of the language with a poor sociopolitical situation, characterized by the concentration of economic power in a minority, a feudal agricultural system, and abundant emigration.
These factors, along with the rise of Galician nationalism, led to an increase in the prestige of the Galician language. Key milestones include:
- Foundation of the Royal Galician Academy (1906)
- Publication of the unfinished RAG dictionary (1913)
- Creation of the first Irmandades da Fala (Brotherhoods of the Language) (1916)
- Publication of the magazine *Nós* (1920)
- Establishment of the Seminario de Estudos Galegos (Seminar of Galician Studies) (1923)
- Publication of the Galician-Castilian dictionary by Leandro Carré Alvarellos (1928)
The Galician Language: 1936-1975
The Spanish Civil War had negative consequences for the Galician language, as Spanish was declared the only official language. However, Galician continued to be spoken in rural areas.
Several Galician authors, such as Castelao, Blanco Amor, Luis Seoane, and Rafael Dieste, went into exile, primarily to Buenos Aires. There, they developed significant ideological and cultural work, leading to a proto-standard language. This language was characterized by a simplification of spelling and a purist trend in vocabulary, rejecting Castilianisms and cultisms.
Key developments during this period include:
- The birth of the publishing house Editorial Galaxia (1950)
- The creation of *Gramática Elemental del Gallego Común* (1959-1961)
- Publication of *Longa Noite de Pedra* by Celso Emilio Ferreiro (1962)
- Publication of the Galician-Spanish dictionary by José Luis Franco Grande (1968)
- The creation of the Instituto da Lingua Galega (Institute of the Galician Language) (1971)