Emmigration is a recurring theme in Galician history but nowadays more people are moving in. Immigration into Galicia has increased by ten percent in a year. Most incomers are South Americans: Brazil (8,309), Columbia (8,091), Argentina (6,390), Uruguay (4,449) and Venezuela (3,860). However, the largest single nationality group are the Portuguese (14,352). Other significant numbers of immigrants into Galicia came from Morocco and Romania. In contrast to many other parts of Spain, more French than British incomers arrived to enjoy Galician life. Although only 2.97% of the total Galician population is foreign, the immigrant population is almost double the figure of just five years ago. The figure is around 9% in Spain as a whole. Extremadura is the only autonomous community with less immigrants than Galicia.
From a report in La Voz de Galicia, 18th Jan. 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Fraga on Franco
"Figures of the calibre of Franco can't be judged until a certain amount of time has passed." Thirty odd years clearly isn't long enough for Manuel Fraga, Franco's former Minister for Information and Tourism and president of the Xunta (Galician Govt.) until as recently as 2005.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Shelling Out
The Galicians love of seafood goes overboard during the Christmas period. Demand is always high for the much-prized percebe or goose barnacle (pictured). This festive season, Galicians were prepared to pay up to 330 Euros per kilo for them. A more typical price was 150 Euros for 1200g for the quality Roncudo type although they could be bought for as little as €20 per kilo if you were prepared to accept the frozen version from the North Sea.
Average prices for small crabs were 40 Euros per kilo for local produce and €12.50 for frozen ones from Ireland. Larger crabs cost €60 for the local goodies and those brought from Scotland were available frozen for just over 20 Euros.
Lobsters were more pricey – around €180 per kilo fresh although you could get them for less than €30 if you were prepared to rough it with the frozen ones imported from Cuba.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Portuguese Language Reforms
I read today about some reforms to the Portuguese language. This may also lead to yet more alterations to the Galician language in the coming years as there is a movement to make Galician even closer to Portuguese for reasons which include improved communication for trading purposes with the Portuguese-speaking world.
The following is loosely translated from www. caetanobarata.wordpress.com (an interesting Brazilian blog):
From January 2008, Brazil, Portugal and other Portuguese speaking countries will undergo language reforms in an effort to unify spelling. Portuguese is the third most spoken western language after English and Spanish. (Hands up, who thought it was French?) Having two different spelling systems (Brazilian and European Portuguese) impedes the spread of the language at international events. Unification would help define criteria for exams and certificates for foreigners. The proposed modifications would result in about 1.6% of the vocabulary in Portugal being modified while only 0.45% of Brazilian words would be affected. However, it will not influence pronunciation differences in any of the countries.
The figures show a general drift towards the Brazilian form of Portuguese. That may be why Portugal appears to be in no hurry to introduce these reforms. Isabel Pires de Lima, the Portuguese culture minister has said that the reforms will come into force within ten years.
Some examples of the reforms include:
In Brazilian Portuguese the circumflex will be removed from words like “abençôo”, “enjôo” and “vôo” which will now be spelt “abençoo”, “enjoo” and “voo”.
The dieresis will be done away with altogether. That is, “linguiça” will replace “lingüiça”, “frequência” instead of “freqüência” and so on.
The new alphabet will consist of 26 letters as “k”, “w” and “y” are added.
In Portugal, the “c” and “p” will disappear from words where the letter is not pronounced. For example in “acçio”, “acto” and “baptismo”.
Also, in Portugal, the “h” will disappear from some words such as “húmido” which will be spelt like the Brazilian “úmido”.
MORE ON THE PORTUGUESE-SPEAKING WORLD
http://bama.ua.edu/~clc/portuguese/portuguese_language_info.htm
MORE ON GALICIAN
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galician_language
The following is loosely translated from www. caetanobarata.wordpress.com (an interesting Brazilian blog):
From January 2008, Brazil, Portugal and other Portuguese speaking countries will undergo language reforms in an effort to unify spelling. Portuguese is the third most spoken western language after English and Spanish. (Hands up, who thought it was French?) Having two different spelling systems (Brazilian and European Portuguese) impedes the spread of the language at international events. Unification would help define criteria for exams and certificates for foreigners. The proposed modifications would result in about 1.6% of the vocabulary in Portugal being modified while only 0.45% of Brazilian words would be affected. However, it will not influence pronunciation differences in any of the countries.
The figures show a general drift towards the Brazilian form of Portuguese. That may be why Portugal appears to be in no hurry to introduce these reforms. Isabel Pires de Lima, the Portuguese culture minister has said that the reforms will come into force within ten years.
Some examples of the reforms include:
In Brazilian Portuguese the circumflex will be removed from words like “abençôo”, “enjôo” and “vôo” which will now be spelt “abençoo”, “enjoo” and “voo”.
The dieresis will be done away with altogether. That is, “linguiça” will replace “lingüiça”, “frequência” instead of “freqüência” and so on.
The new alphabet will consist of 26 letters as “k”, “w” and “y” are added.
In Portugal, the “c” and “p” will disappear from words where the letter is not pronounced. For example in “acçio”, “acto” and “baptismo”.
Also, in Portugal, the “h” will disappear from some words such as “húmido” which will be spelt like the Brazilian “úmido”.
MORE ON THE PORTUGUESE-SPEAKING WORLD
http://bama.ua.edu/~clc/portuguese/portuguese_language_info.htm
MORE ON GALICIAN
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galician_language
Grass backs Saramago
In an interview with the Portuguese magazine Expresso the German author Günter Grass has given his backing to the idea of uniting Portugal and Spain suggested by José Saramago.
“Maybe it won’t happen but it should be given some thought. A single Iberian federal state in Europe would carry more weight than two individual ones,” says Grass.
He adds that the suggestion is interesting and that Saramago deserves credit for speaking his mind on controversial subjects.
Read more about what Grass had to say on other European issues at my other blog
www.catadonia.blog.co.uk
“Maybe it won’t happen but it should be given some thought. A single Iberian federal state in Europe would carry more weight than two individual ones,” says Grass.
He adds that the suggestion is interesting and that Saramago deserves credit for speaking his mind on controversial subjects.
Read more about what Grass had to say on other European issues at my other blog
www.catadonia.blog.co.uk
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Rain in Spain
It has been raining a bit in A Coruña today. Nothing unusual about that you might think. But when a fine drizzle (the famous Galician orballo) fell on the streets of A Coruña yesterday morning it was the first drop of rain for 17 days. In fact, since the start of October only 7 days have seen any rain.
I’ve been quite happy about that after last year's dreich autumn but it’s not good news for Spain as a whole. The country depends upon Galicia for much of its water supply. Last October it rained 22 days out of 31 in A Coruña.
I’ve been quite happy about that after last year's dreich autumn but it’s not good news for Spain as a whole. The country depends upon Galicia for much of its water supply. Last October it rained 22 days out of 31 in A Coruña.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The English Cemetery
Recently a student lent me a book called Mar Tenebroso – A costa da morte do Sol – by Ramón Allegue Martínez and Ramón Allegue Barreiro. I’ve only had time to dip in and out of it but it touches on a topic I’d like to find out more about: the intertwining history and legends of the Costa da morte; so-called because it has been a graveyard for many ships over the years.
One of the best known of these was an English ship called The Serpent, which left Plymouth in choppy waters in November 1890. It was heading for South Africa with a cargo that included gold and armoury when it sank off Punta Boi with only 3 survivors out of a crew of 175.
When the bodies of the victims were washed ashore, they were said to have been plundered for clothes and jewels before other ships from both Spain and Britain arrived on the scene.
The victims were buried in a cemetery in Punta do Boi between Cape Vilán and Trece beach. It is known as the “Cementerio de los ingleses”. There is also a plaque in honour of these sailors in the San Carlos Gardens in A Coruña.
One of the best known of these was an English ship called The Serpent, which left Plymouth in choppy waters in November 1890. It was heading for South Africa with a cargo that included gold and armoury when it sank off Punta Boi with only 3 survivors out of a crew of 175.
When the bodies of the victims were washed ashore, they were said to have been plundered for clothes and jewels before other ships from both Spain and Britain arrived on the scene.
The victims were buried in a cemetery in Punta do Boi between Cape Vilán and Trece beach. It is known as the “Cementerio de los ingleses”. There is also a plaque in honour of these sailors in the San Carlos Gardens in A Coruña.
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