“People confuse respeto ‘respect’ with terms of address”: an analysis of online metacommunication about politeness and second-person pronoun use in Peninsular Spanish

Abstract

Abstract This article investigates online metacommunication about politeness and second-person pronouns in Peninsular Spanish. I propose a framework that integrates a discursive approach to politeness, speech codes theory, and dialogism to capture emically the contested nature of politeness at the cultural level. The analyses show two oppositional codes of address: Las formas ‘manners’ presumes that the use of usted (formal-second person pronoun) is the default polite way to enact respect towards societal hierarchical structures. El tuteo ‘the act of addressing somebody as you[tú]’ presumes that respect is not inherent in terms of address or an obligation towards hierarchy; instead, respect is owed to all people and earned through one’s actions. These codes co-exist in tension and their respective meanings stem from how they articulate with each other. I conclude that online metacommunication provides new affordances to study politeness and speech codes.