The status of Andalusian in the Spanish-speaking world: is it currently possible for Andalusia to have its own linguistic standardization process?

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper analyzes the status of the Andalusian variety within Spanish language pluricentricity. It offers an example of the rise of new systems of normative stratification in the traditional ‘linguistic peripheries’ and of how the different linguistic agents deal with the vindication of social and linguistic identities. This fact makes us treat Andalusian as one of the Spanish usage models, with norms that partially differ from those of the central-northern peninsular model - the basis for the configuration of the codified standard - and lack explicit normativization and institutionalization. The reason for this can be found in the actual nature of that hypothetical educated Andalusian around which any grounded proposal for linguistic standardization specific to Andalusia should revolve. Such an option seems highly implausible at present for three main reasons: (1) the building of discourse has hardly any differential morphological or syntactic features in Andalusian; (2) the available and most general lexis used by Andalusians is shared with the other peninsular Spanish areas and the most divergent pronunciation features tend to be softened in educated speakers, especially in formal speech situations; (3) speakers of Andalusian continue to grant the highest prestige to the central-northern peninsular model, the Castilian standard.