Sociolinguistics in Spain

Resumo

Sociolinguistic research in Spain is diverse as a result of different historical processes: firstly, given the process of political and language policy reorganisation after the dictatorship, and secondly, given the increase in mobility, within the framework of the new economies, and the greater presence of languages originating from immigration. Within this complex context, one of the greatest contributions by Spanish sociolinguistics is the study of the situations faced by speakers of different languages and varieties and their social and identity consequences with a critical approach. Here we focus on the consolidation of the critical perspective and the innovations it has entailed, and how these innovations explain the emergence of two groundbreaking tendencies - linguistic landscapes and the development of action research and language activism.