Minority Languages: The Case of Galician Language Normalization

Posted on Sep 7, 2024 in Social sciences

Minority Language and Minority Languages: The Galician Normalization Process

The Concept of a Minority Language

Minority languages are non-official languages historically specific to a particular people and their cultural events. They often face competition from other languages alien to the community, posing a threat to their survival. In other words, it’s any linguistic variety that shares space with another language that enjoys official and full development. We can distinguish different types of minority languages according to their status:

  1. Languages without any legal recognition, such as languages other than French in France.
  2. Languages with some recognition but secondary to the state language, like Galician.
  3. Minority languages with varying degrees of legal recognition, such as Catalan in Spain, France, Italy, and Andorra.
  4. Exceptional cases where the national language is the minority language, like Irish Gaelic in Ireland.

The Reality of Minority Languages

The reality for these languages is diverse. However, they share a commonality: the speakers belong to a minority group compared to others in the same or adjacent areas. The territorial principle is fundamental in their definition, as is the political factor. Speaker communities often exist on the periphery of central power, posing a risk to their language’s survival.

John Edwards established a typology of minority languages:

  1. Minority languages only: Spoken exclusively within one state.
  2. Non-exclusive minority languages: Spoken in more than one state.
  3. Locally minority languages: The majority of speakers reside in another state.

Galician: A Language in the Process of Normalization

Linguistic standardization refers to the recovery of a language displaced by a more dominant one, resulting in limited use. The struggle for supremacy between a socially hegemonic language and a minority language has two possible outcomes: language replacement or linguistic standardization.

The normalization process encompasses all measures and actions aimed at achieving the normal use of a minority language in all areas and recovering its full functionality within the community.

Historical Context of Galician

Since the late Middle Ages, Spanish imposition has been prevalent, with policies and legal measures implemented to grant it supremacy over other languages spoken within the Spanish State. This abnormality has impacted the linguistic and social development of Galician, particularly in prestigious domains.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, a process of”desgaleguizació” (de-Galicianization) affected the middle and upper classes, leading to the emergence of the first voices defending Galician. The normalization process began with the Galician literary renaissance. The Irmandades (Brotherhoods) continued this work in the first third of the 20th century.

Institutional Recovery and Challenges

In the last quarter of the 20th century, an institutional recovery process began, building upon the foundations laid by numerous social and cultural agents during the Franco regime. In the 1980s, normalization took place within a legal framework that included institutions promoting the language socially.

While not the sole normative agent, public institutions play a key role in standardization. The Secretary General for Linguistic Policy aims to promote Galician in administration and society. However, despite the Language Normalization Law (LNL), the process hasn’t halted the progressive replacement of Galician by Spanish. Initiatives have focused on:

  1. Improving language proficiency, including training courses for civil servants.
  2. Introducing Galician in new spaces through grants and subsidies.
  3. Financing CRTVG (Galician public broadcaster) to promote Galician language and culture.
  4. Expanding Galician’s presence among new generations, particularly within universities.

However, the results haven’t met expectations. The main shortcomings of language policy can be summarized as follows:

  1. Lack of training in language planning among responsible personnel.
  2. Failure to comply with legally established regulations.
  3. Inadequate monitoring and evaluation of investments.

The Importance of Citizen Engagement

For successful standardization, new generations must use the language in all spheres of life. This is the main challenge, surpassing even institutional efforts. Committed citizens, through movements, associations, or organizations, are crucial for driving the process.

The Need for a Comprehensive Plan

Legislation concerning Galician suffers from vagueness and a lack of clear timelines. For over 20 years, normalization proceeded without a general plan, resulting in disorganization, improvisation, and partiality. The General Plan for Language Standardization wasn’t drafted until March 2004, and its implementation remains pending in most areas.