Castilian and Advertising Language: Evolution and Characteristics
Castilian Linguistic Characteristics
Present Geographical Varieties
The state of the Castilian language today is similar to that of the 18th and 19th centuries. However, some linguistic features distinguish our time:
- Phonic Level:
- Generalization of the lisp system in America, the Canary Islands, and Andalusia.
- Spread of yeísmo (confusion of “ll” and “y” sounds) in America and Spain.
- Morphosyntactic Level:
- Continuing volatility in pronominal referents, with leísmo and laísmo coexisting with etymological usage.
- Lexical Level:
- Constant creation of neologisms, sometimes for new realities, but other times without a clear purpose.
Geographical Varieties
Beyond Spanish America, Castilian has four main dialects:
- Andalusian: The most spoken, characterized by lisp, yeísmo, confusion of liquid consonants, aspiration of initial “h,” relaxation of final “-s,” use of “vosotros,” archaisms, and Arabisms.
- Extremaduran: Mixes features of Asturian-Leonese (Cáceres) and Andalusian (Badajoz).
- Murcian: Blends Castilian, Aragonese, Valencian, and Andalusian influences. Features include conversion of initial Latin “-l-” to “-ll-“, conversion of initial “pl-“, “cl-“, and “fl-” groups, diminutive suffix “-ico,” relaxed intervocalic consonants, aspiration of final “-s,” and “-r”/”-l” confusion.
- Canarian: Heavily influenced by Andalusian due to its late incorporation into Castile.
Language of Advertising and Journalism
Journalistic Language
Key aspects of journalistic language include:
- Content Diversity: Leading to thematic classification into sections.
- Linguistic Codes: Heterogeneous language with variations in spatial location, text length, and font size.
- Genres: Reports (news, interviews), opinion pieces (editorials), and mixed genres (chronicles).
- Linguistic Variation: Aims for standard language with correctness, concision, clarity, and objectivity, but often deviates.
Advertising Language
Advertising language is rich and plural, with elements such as:
- Originality: Innovative use of vocabulary, including neologisms, foreign words, and lexical composition.
- Suggestion: Associates products with positive connotations and desirable values.
- Linguistic Wealth: Employs a wide range of resources, close to literary language.
- Multiple Codes: Combines image and text, with image often predominating.