Abstract (eng)
The Spanish language has 480 million native speakers distributed over 21 countries (El País 2018; Instituto de Cervantes 2018: 5) making it pluricentric, meaning that it has more than just one linguistic centre which forms the basis for the standard language. However, not all linguistic varieties of Spanish enjoy the same level of prestige (Maldonado Cárdenas 2012: 96). Chilean and Rioplatense Spanish are highly stigmatized due to their abundance of distinctive characteristics compared to the Spanish norm. Furthermore, the shared prehistory and the numerous conflicts between Chile and Argentina attract particular attention. What makes them undoubtedly fascinating is their highly contrastive language awareness (Larraín 2005: 7). This diploma thesis examines the linguistic attitudes and identities of Chilean and Argentinian university students and the impact on intercultural communication between them. First, Chilean and Rioplatense Spanish will be described in detail, compared and contrasted. Secondly, the reciprocal influence of the spoken dialect on the linguistic self-perception and the external perception of the neighbouring country’s dialect will be analysed. Thirdly, this thesis investigates social prejudices and stereotypes of both Chilean and Rioplatense Spanish. Finally, the research also sheds light on possible communicative challenges and misunderstandings as well as their elimination by means of communicative strategies.
A field study was conducted in Santiago de Chile and Buenos Aires during the period of June until August 2018. It consisted of an electronic survey with 161 participants, a guided interview with 50 participants, as well as two expert interviews with linguists and professors at the University of Chile, Darío Rojas, and at the University of Buenos Aires, Roberto Bein. By means of the mixed method of a quantitative-qualitative research, the research findings fulfil both high significance and informative profoundness.
The findings demonstrate that Argentinian students hold greater language loyalty towards their own language than the Chileans due to the evaluation of their own dialect as one of the most ‘correct’ variations of Spanish. In contrast, the Chilean dialect ranks among the most ‘incorrect’ form of Spanish according to both Chilean and Argentinian students. However, the Chileans have not stopped using their dialect nor have they modified it, which is to say that the Chilean dialect enjoys, to some extent, a so-called ‘covert prestige’ (Milroy 2007: 138; Silva-Corvalán 2001: 99). On the other hand, many respondents reject the terms ‘correct’ and ‘incorrect’ with regard to language and advocate for concepts such as ‘adequate’ and ‘inadequate’ or ‘appropriate’ and ‘inappropriate’ instead. This critique is probably based on the high level of education of the university students and, thus, their increased linguistic sensibility. In conclusion, it can be argued that the substantial linguistic discrepancies between Chilean and Rioplatense Spanish do not trigger any remarkable communication problems, since native speakers of both countries tend to adapt their language to linguistic context and apply communicative strategies when necessary. Thus, linguistic diversity should be perceived as a cultural enrichment rather than a burden.