<i>Language ideologies and the globalization of ‘standard’ Spanish</i> Darren Paffey (2012) London and New York: Bloomsbury. Pp. vii + 196. ISBN 978-1-44-11874-06

Abstract

Language ideologies and the globalization of 'standard' Spanish Darren Paffey (2012) London and New York: Bloomsbury. Pp. vii + 196. ISBN 978-1-44-11874-06Reviewed by Angela BartensThe volume under review is a revised version of Darren Paffey's 2008 University of Southampton doctoral dissertation. In it, the author addresses the issue of language ideologies in the globalization of Standard Spanish. Or 'Standard' Spanish, as he terms it. He considers that nowadays, the media constitute a or even the primary vehicle for the spread of ideologies about the Spanish language. Therefore, the material analyzed was gathered from two major Spanish newspapers, El Pais and ABC, over the time span 1997-2007, a period when the Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia Espanola, RAE) was already clearly committed to its current modernization process. Diagnostic of this commitment, the period examined starts with the First International Congress of the Spanish Language (Congreso Internacional de Lengua Espanola, CILE) and terminates with its fourth edition. In addition, the Panhispanic Dictionary of Doubts (Diccionario panhispanico de dudas, DPD) was published in 2005 in response to the tens of thousands of questions received by the distinct language academies of the Spanish-speaking world grouped together under the umbrella of the Association of Spanish Language Academies (Asociacion de Academias de la Lengua Espanola, ASALE). The choice of precisely these newspapers is justified by the fact that within Spanish mainstream journalism, El Pais mostly seconds the views of the Socialist Party, ABC those of the center-right Popular Party. As with most studies couched in the framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the purpose of the book is to raise awareness instead of constituting just an 'academic exercise'. In addition, the author points out that understanding how standard language ideology works, enables us to challenge it (pp. 4-5).Chapter 1 of the volume is a general presentation of language ideologies, CDA and its aims, and media discourse. Paffey argues that '[o]ne of the many things that discourse can achieve is the legitimization and naturalization of particular understandings of society [...] through the manufacturing [of] consent' (p. 25). In this case, consent is manufactured to justify the need for standardization as a response to linguistic globalization. Major topics of the chapter - and the entire study - are the role Spanish plays in the present-day world as well as the ensuing question of its linguistic unity and the role of the RAE and other 'language guardians' in this discussion. As discourses target the macro level of society through the micro level of texts and specific linguistic structures, the study 'investigates lexical choices (classifications, collocations, ideologically significant/contested terms, connotative vs denotative meaning, metaphors, metonyms, synonyms) and grammatical choices (agency, nominalizations, active vs passive, modality, deixis)' (p. 29).Chapter 2 deals with language authorities and the standardization of Spanish and shows the interrelationships between these actors and the trafficking of influence which potentially (and actually) results from these connections. First, all Spanish language authorities - or 'guardians' - depend in one way or another on the Government of Spain which has, for obvious reasons, a keen interest in educational issues, a fact particularly emphasized in discourses targeted at national audiences. As far as The Cervantes Institute (Instituto Cervantes, IC), the institution in charge of teaching, learning and promoting the Spanish language and culture in countries the official language of which is not Spanish since its founding in 1991, is concerned, the King of Spain is its honorary president and the incumbent president of the Spanish Government is its executive president. The incumbent president of the RAE is president of Fundeu, a 2005-founded language planning institution which, for instance, offers advice on correct language use, has made agreements with the media, and awards certificates to companies using 'good language'. …