Linguistic ideologies in institutional settings: the pronunciation of Galician in radio broadcasts

Beswick, Jaine E. (2010) Linguistic ideologies in institutional settings: the pronunciation of Galician in radio broadcasts. In, Nuria, Lorenzo-Dus (ed.) Spanish at Work: Analysing Institutional Discourse Across the Spanish-Speaking World. Basingstoke, GB. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 35-49.

Abstract

This chapter examines current issues surrounding the pronunciation of Galician used by broadcasters (newscasters and weather forecasters) on the Galician-language radio station, Radio Galega. Central to the issue is the superimposition of an ostensibly Castilian pronunciation on the Galician standard forms used in broadcasting, given that the former tends to be the L¹ of the broadcasters on this radio station, and given that these broadcasters tend to have very little daily contact with any Galician speakers, particularly those who still articulate dialectal varieties of the language. An initial historical overview will take account of linguistic ideologies that have impacted on contemporary language policy and planning activities as well as of attitudinal factors pertaining to the status and prestige of Galician. In order to contextualise the use of language in the media, a brief delineation of standardisation and the creation of a Galician norm will also allude to dialectal variation and the influence of Castilian in oral production scenario. My empirical data highlights and reinforces the hypothesis and earlier contentions regarding the pronunciation of Galician in the media, and the use of informant-driven responses towards this pronunciation serves to answer some of the questions concerning covert ideological and attitudinal perceptions of dialectal and standard varieties of Galician.

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Contributors

Author: Jaine E. Beswick

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