The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Globalising standard Spanish: the promotion of 'panhispanism' in the Spanish press

Globalising standard Spanish: the promotion of 'panhispanism' in the Spanish press
Globalising standard Spanish: the promotion of 'panhispanism' in the Spanish press
The aim of this chapter is to consider and analyse the way in which language ideologies are present in the Spanish media. My discussion of language ideologies is underpinned by the work on language ideologies of such writers as Schieffelin et al (1998), and Blommaert (1999), and within this framework I draw on the work of Lippi-Green (1997), Cameron (1995) and Milroy & Milroy (1999) with their particular focus on the ideology of language standardisation. My theoretical approach then takes into account the important way in which institutional ideologies are manifested in press discourse, and I discuss the contributions of Fowler (1991) and Richardson (2007) in particular.

My case study explores articles from two of Spain’s leading daily newspapers – El País and ABC – arguing that they represent clear examples of how media are discursive sites in which language ideological debates take place. These debates regard the status and role of the Spanish language in a world marked by the processes of globalisation, and in which the language itself is being reconceptualised as it is subjected to these processes. In order to contextualise this study, I chart the rise of one crucial institution, the Spanish Language Academy (Real Academia Española, RAE), which throughout its history has been the principal agent in standardising the Spanish language. For centuries now, the number of Spanish-speakers in the world has far outranked the population of Spain itself, but in recent years, the Madrid Academy (one of 22 Spanish language academies worldwide) has engaged in an increasing number of debates about Spanish as an essentially unified global language.

My investigation considers how a critical analysis of news discourse can reveal more about the ideological underpinnings of the Academy’s Panhispanic Language Policy (PLP), developed in collaboration with the other Spanish Academies and commercial partners, but led by Madrid. In order to achieve this critique, I draw on some of the analytical questions posed by scholars in the field of Critical Discourse Analysis, such as Fairclough (1995, 2006), Wodak and Meyer (2001) and van Dijk (1998, 2001). I reflect on the discursive features and strategies employed in press coverage of the PLP which reinforces and legitimises the authoritative voice of the Madrid Academy in the definition, management and guidance of the Spanish language and related language debates in a globalised world. The benefits of the spread of Spanish, the subsequent rescaling of discursive and social practices of language guardians, and the increasing collaboration with commercial entities, are first and foremost going to Spain. As one Spanish language guardian has suggested, it is Spain that is present in the world through Spanish, and I present evidence that media discourse is used to propagate the panhispanic language ideology of which these trends are a part.
language ideologies, spanish language, spanish language academy, real academia española, critical discourse analysis, media discourse
9781441155863
41-60
Continuum
Paffey, Darren
d226edec-b23b-4869-8279-2773f6beec61
Johnson, Sally
Milani, Tommaso M.
Paffey, Darren
d226edec-b23b-4869-8279-2773f6beec61
Johnson, Sally
Milani, Tommaso M.

Paffey, Darren (2010) Globalising standard Spanish: the promotion of 'panhispanism' in the Spanish press. In, Johnson, Sally and Milani, Tommaso M. (eds.) Language Ideologies and Media Discourse: Texts, Practices, Politics. (HASH(0x9991d30)) London, GB. Continuum, pp. 41-60.

Record type: Book Section

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to consider and analyse the way in which language ideologies are present in the Spanish media. My discussion of language ideologies is underpinned by the work on language ideologies of such writers as Schieffelin et al (1998), and Blommaert (1999), and within this framework I draw on the work of Lippi-Green (1997), Cameron (1995) and Milroy & Milroy (1999) with their particular focus on the ideology of language standardisation. My theoretical approach then takes into account the important way in which institutional ideologies are manifested in press discourse, and I discuss the contributions of Fowler (1991) and Richardson (2007) in particular.

My case study explores articles from two of Spain’s leading daily newspapers – El País and ABC – arguing that they represent clear examples of how media are discursive sites in which language ideological debates take place. These debates regard the status and role of the Spanish language in a world marked by the processes of globalisation, and in which the language itself is being reconceptualised as it is subjected to these processes. In order to contextualise this study, I chart the rise of one crucial institution, the Spanish Language Academy (Real Academia Española, RAE), which throughout its history has been the principal agent in standardising the Spanish language. For centuries now, the number of Spanish-speakers in the world has far outranked the population of Spain itself, but in recent years, the Madrid Academy (one of 22 Spanish language academies worldwide) has engaged in an increasing number of debates about Spanish as an essentially unified global language.

My investigation considers how a critical analysis of news discourse can reveal more about the ideological underpinnings of the Academy’s Panhispanic Language Policy (PLP), developed in collaboration with the other Spanish Academies and commercial partners, but led by Madrid. In order to achieve this critique, I draw on some of the analytical questions posed by scholars in the field of Critical Discourse Analysis, such as Fairclough (1995, 2006), Wodak and Meyer (2001) and van Dijk (1998, 2001). I reflect on the discursive features and strategies employed in press coverage of the PLP which reinforces and legitimises the authoritative voice of the Madrid Academy in the definition, management and guidance of the Spanish language and related language debates in a globalised world. The benefits of the spread of Spanish, the subsequent rescaling of discursive and social practices of language guardians, and the increasing collaboration with commercial entities, are first and foremost going to Spain. As one Spanish language guardian has suggested, it is Spain that is present in the world through Spanish, and I present evidence that media discourse is used to propagate the panhispanic language ideology of which these trends are a part.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 2010
Keywords: language ideologies, spanish language, spanish language academy, real academia española, critical discourse analysis, media discourse

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 72238
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/72238
ISBN: 9781441155863
PURE UUID: 414165f9-0014-4857-b5d4-e3f0f9ce75ca
ORCID for Darren Paffey: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2709-8012

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 02 Feb 2010
Last modified: 06 Apr 2022 01:38

Export record

Contributors

Author: Darren Paffey ORCID iD
Editor: Sally Johnson
Editor: Tommaso M. Milani

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×