The Galician Language Association (, AGAL) is a reintegrationist association established in 1981 which seeks the full restoration ("re-integration") of Galician as a branch of Galician-Portuguese. It also aims for the official incorporation of Galicia into the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. It was originally formed by professional linguists only, although membership was soon made available to individuals showing an interest in the promotion of Galician culture, language, and the ideas of linguistic reintegrationism. History and theoretical foundations AGAL made its name in the public domain in 1983, when its Comissom Lingüística (Linguistic Commission) passed a new set of rules and norms for the Galician language with the title Estudo crítico das «Normas Ortográficas e Morfolóxicas do Idioma Galego» ("Critical study of 'Galician Language Spelling and Morphological Rules'"). This study radically diverged from the norms of the Real Academia Galega (Royal Galician Academy) published in 1982. The AGAL norm was somewhat based in the 1979 official draft for the Galician language prepared under the direction of professor Carvalho Calero. With the dismissal of Carvalho Calero due to political reasons and the subsequent approval of a different set of spelling norms the debate between isolationists and reintegrationists (led by AGAL) was ignited. AGAL considers that "Galician" is the denomination that Galician-Portuguese language should receive in Galicia, and assumes that the international name is Portuguese. Following the reintegracionist ideas, AGAL defends that Galician and Portuguese are two varieties of the same language, in other words, two versions of the same diasystem. This view is based on the facts that Galician and Portuguese share an almost identical grammar, syntax, morphology, vocabulary and that natural mutual intelligibility is over ninety per cent. Members of AGAL have been regularly present at the meetings of the CPLP (Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries). In 2008, AGAL delegates were invited as speakers to the Portuguese Parliament when discussing the new spelling norms for Portuguese language. Although AGAL was first founded under the auspices and guidance of Carvalho Calero, its first president was writer Xavier Alcalá (1981–82), followed by Maria do Carmo Henríquez Salido (1982–2001). The president from 2001 to 2007 was Bernardo Penabade. Alexandre Banhos held the presidency from June 2007 to May 2009, when he was replaced by president Valentim Rodrigues Fagim. From October 2012 to October 2015, Miguel Rodrigues Penas was the head of the association, and after him came the current president, Eduardo Maragoto. Scientific and