Status and Challenges of the Galician Language Post-1975

The Galician Language: 1975 to the Present Day

During the Franco regime, the peninsular languages were relegated to oral speech, establishing Castilian as the sole language in Spain. After the dictatorship ended in 1975, a democratic system was established, leading to the approval of the Statute of Autonomy of Galicia (1981) and the Linguistic Normalization Law (1983).

The latter law recognizes Galician as an official language. However, its constant contact and coexistence with Castilian have caused a situation of diglossia, often favoring Spanish.

Institutional Efforts and Normalization Challenges

Some Spanish public and private institutions are fighting for the recovery and standardization of the Galician language in social life. The most important of these is the General Directorate of Linguistic Policy.

Today, the use of Galician is heterogeneous across institutional areas. While it is present in autonomic institutions, its recognition is often lacking at the local level. Reliable data on the Galician language is still a priority because many features intended for Spanish still persist. Incorporation into the course of justice and public documents is slow, yielding poor results.

For example, church services concluded en galego do not exceed 10%, depending on the state institution they represent.

Galician in the Media and Communication

The most powerful instruments in the settlement of social values, language, and culture are the means of communication. Historically, in the print media, we find publications such as A Nosa Terra, O Correo Galego, and Novos Tempos. Today, Galician shares prominence with Castilian, even in Portugal.

Little by little, Galician is making its way into different media, but Castilian remains dominant. For instance, there are only a few cinema films dubbed into Galician.

Mass Media Penetration Figures

Figures referring to media that have a greater ability to penetrate society are very low:

• Television: Galician appears in the usual way only on TVG (Televisión de Galicia).
• Radio: There is only one radio station entirely in Galician: Radio Galega.

The Education System and Linguistic Recovery

The education system is a fundamental instrument for the recovery of Galician. Its legislation requires the teaching of Galician, but this policy has received two main criticisms:

1. The minimum requirement of school attendance for Galician instruction mandated by law is often not met.
2. The strong presence of Spanish in both environments means that the ability of youth to use both languages remains intact, hindering normalization efforts.