Galicia talk · Languages in Galicia
All Destinations | Europe | Asia | North America | Africa | South America | Oceania | Hotels
Languages in Galicia
Languages in Galicia
The local language is Galician, a romance language sometimes referred as dialect of Portuguese influenced by Spanish orthography and the differences between the spoken languages are often blurry for outsiders. Galician has a somewhat different accent from that of standard Portuguese and has contains unique colloquialisms and traces of former cultures, using a number of pre-Indo-European, Celtic and Germanic words not found in standard Portuguese.
Galician (or Galego) is Galicia's own language. Both Galician and Spanish are official in Galicia, as recognized by the Spanish Constitution and the Galician Statute of Autonomy. Galician is understood by the vast majority of the population, and Spanish can be spoken by virtually everyone (although it is heavily influenced by the Galician accent and vocabulary). Travellers should have no problems communicating in Spanish or in standard Portuguese.
After the arrival of the Castilian nobility towards the end of the Middle Ages, Galician disappeared from the public eye and was preserved only privately. It was only in the 19th century that Galician started to be reclaimed in all areas of everyday life. Today, children are taught both Spanish and Galician in school, and the majority of the population speaks Galician normally, although thatvaries very much depending on the location.
Young people study English at school, so they should have at least some basic knowledge of that language. The odd person may speak some French or even German (expatriates especially).
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Galicia
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Galicia - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Galicia hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<
WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Galicia Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.