Phonetics, Post-War Context, and Galician Literature
Phonetics and Phonology
A phoneme is the smallest linguistic unit; it is meaningless and abstract. Allophones are the specific ways a phoneme, like ‘k’, is actually pronounced. A grapheme is the written representation of a phoneme.
- Phonetics deals with the study of sounds.
- Phonology dedicates to the study of phonemes.
- Spelling deals with the proper use of letters and signs, like their employment in writing.
A diphthong is the combination of two vowels in the same syllable. For this to happen, one vowel has to be open and the other closed. Rising diphthongs go from open to closed. A homogeneous diphthong is formed by two closed vowels.
The Context of Post-War Spain
On July 18, 1936, a military uprising against the legitimate government of the Republic took place. This started a war that ended in April 1939 with the defeat of the forces loyal to the Republic and the establishment of the Francoist dictatorship. From this point on, a long period of silence, repression, lack of freedom, and loss of basic rights for the citizens began. Many people linked to nationalism and the world of Galician culture were exiled, shot, or alienated from their jobs. The first nationalist parties, UPG and PSG, appeared. In 1975, with the death of the dictator, democracy and the restoration of historical rights were missed.
Language in These Dates
During the dictatorship, strong repression and persecution of the Galician language were carried out. Although most of the population continued using Galician as usual, its use was reduced to informal registers, since Castilian was the only official language. This intensified the process of *desgaleguización* (de-Galicianization) of important sectors of society, who adopted Castilian, considering it a means of social climbing. Galician was identified with the countryside, with a lack of culture, and with the lower classes, creating diglossia.
Postwar Period
Between 1940 and 1950, the only literary production in Galician was that carried out in exile in America: Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Uruguay, and Argentina, mainly. These were the major host countries of the Galician exiles. In these countries, literary magazines and publishers continued the literary production in Galician. Among the exiles, names like Castelao, Luís Seoane, Rafael Dieste, and Blanco Amor stand out.
*Obranceiros* Writers
- In the 1950s: Álvaro Cunqueiro, Eduardo Blanco Amor, and Ánxel Fole.
- In the 1960s (New Galician Narrative): Méndez Ferrín, Casares, Xohán Torres, María Xosé Queizán.
- In the 1970s: Alfredo Conde and María Xosé Queizán.
Eduardo Blanco Amor
Eduardo Blanco Amor was born into a humble family in Ourense. He emigrated to Argentina, where he began his activity as a journalist in newspapers and magazines. During the Civil War in America, he supported the Republican cause, and after it ended, he collaborated with exiled Galicians in activities opposing the Francoist regime. There, he developed cultural activities as a journalist and radio commentator. From the 1950s, he focused on the publication of his most important works. In the early 1960s, he returned to Galicia. Upon his return, he did not find support and had to endure a precarious economic situation. Little by little, however, he began to gain recognition and literary success. He died in Vigo.
Poetry: *Poema en catro tempos*, *Cancioneiro*.
Theater: *Farsas para títeres*, *Teatro pra xente*, *Proceso en Jacobusland*.