Linguistic awareness in the Spanish-speaking world. The representation of the prestige of the peninsular variety

Abstract

Since the wave of independence at the beginning of the 19th century, the Hispano-American community has maintained ambivalent relations with Spain at all levels. Regarding the various (national) dialects of Spanish, the debate between the supporters of linguistic differentiation as a marker of an ethnic identity and the supporters of a unified transatlantic norm is not recent. In this context, the peninsular standard seems to occupy a special place in the Hispanic collective imagination, due in part to its historical influence. The purpose of this article is to discuss these perceptions based on the results of a survey conducted by a team of sociolinguists. Placed in the fictitious situation that is linguistic standardization, the participants of the study are invited to decide on its modalities. Through their answers, we will analyze their relationship with the peninsular variant of Spanish, seeking to assess the extent of the prestige this language enjoys, or not, across the Atlantic.