ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the role that language plays in Galicia as an identity marker and in creating a sense of belonging or 'groupness'. It links language and identities to what happens in practice in Galician schools, and then raises some of the sociolinguistic issues which the author believes lie behind the current orthographic debate between the Reinteg-racionista and Independentista (or Isolacionista) tendencies. The chapter suggests that the Reintegracionista-Independentista orthographic debate has repercussions for communityor nation-building in Galicia. The cultural-political movement which developed from this was Galeguismo, which has been categorised as three phases: provincialism, regionalism and nationalism. The chapter attempts to link the importance which language, and particularly written language, has for the 'imagined community' to the Reintegracionista-Independentista debate in Galicia. Language and identity are intimately related. Calling the language spoken in Galicia Portuguese could, therefore, raise questions about Galician identity.
