Competing ideologies of linguistic authority amongst new speakers in contemporary Galicia

O'Rourke, B. and Ramallo, F. (2013) Competing ideologies of linguistic authority amongst new speakers in contemporary Galicia. Language in Society, 42(3), pp. 287-305. (doi: 10.1017/S0047404513000249)

Abstract

While in many indigenous minority-language situations traditional native speaker communities are in decline, new speakers are emerging in the context of revitalization policies. Such policies, however, can have unforeseen consequences and lead to tensions between newcomers and existing speakers over questions of ownership, legitimacy, and authenticity. This article examines these tensions in the case of Galician in northwestern Spain, where “new speakers” have emerged in the context of revitalization policies since the 1980s. The subsequent spread of the language outside traditional Galician strongholds and into what were predominantly Spanish spaces complicates the traditional ideology about sociolinguistic authenticity and ownership and raises questions about who are the legitimate speakers of Galician, who has authority, and the potential tensions that such questions generate. To illustrate the tensions and paradoxes that new and native speakers face in this postrevitalization context, we draw on three discussion groups consisting of sixteen young Galicians.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The writing took place during Bernadette O’Rourke’s Fellowship funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council [Grant number AH/J00345X/1].
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: O'Rourke, Professor Bernadette
• Authors: O'Rourke, B., and Ramallo, F.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Modern Languages and Cultures > Hispanic Studies
• Journal Name: Language in Society
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• ISSN: 0047-4045
• ISSN (Online): 1469-8013
• Published Online: 14 May 2013