Galicia (Spain)

:This article deals with the province Galicia in Spain. For the province of same name in central Europe, see Galicia (Central Europe).

Language

The spoken languages are Galician (Galician:Galego, Spanish: Gallego) (the local national language derived from Latin) and Spanish (castellano or español) (in common with the rest of Spain).

Related Topics:
Galician - Spanish

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Spanish was the only official language for several centuries. Since the end of the 20th century, the Galician language also has an official status, and both languages are taught in Galician schools. There is a broad consensus of support within the region for efforts to preserve the Galician language.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Galician and Portuguese languages are derived from the early Galician-Portuguese (Galego-Português) language. In the Middle Ages, the Galician and Portuguese languages began to diverge because of the political separation of Portugal from Galicia. There remain many similarities between Portuguese and Galician. Orally, these differences are comparable in scope to those between Flemish — a form of Dutch spoken in Belgium — and standard Dutch.

Related Topics:
Portuguese - Galician-Portuguese - Flemish - Dutch - Belgium

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A distinct Galician Literature emerged after the Middle Ages. In the 13th century, important contributions were made to the romance canon in Galego-Português. The most notable was by the troubadour Martín Codax and King Alfonso X of Castile, called El Sabio (The Wise). During this period, Galego-Português was considered the language of love poetry in the Iberian proto-romance linguistic culture.

Related Topics:
Galician Literature - Troubadour - Alfonso X of Castile

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~