This volume considers the spread of Spanish today and particularly its role in the processes of globalization. Spanish is frequently dominant in contact with other languages. But how contested is its hegemony and how far does it threaten other languages? How are these other minoritized languages faring in a world of few strong, global languages?

Spanish is now the third most widely spoken language in the world after English and Chinese. This book traces how and why Spanish has arrived at this position, examining its role in the diverse societies where it is spoken from Europe to the Americas. Providing a comprehensive survey of language issues in the Spanish-speaking world, the book outlines the historical roots of the emergence of Spanish or Castilian as the dominant language, analyzes the situation of minority language groups, and traces the role of Spanish and its colonial heritage in Latin America. The book is structured in four sections: Spanish as a national language: conflict and hegemony Legislation and the realities of linguistic diversity Language and education The future of Spanish. Throughout the book Clare Mar-Molinero asks probing questions such as: How does language relate to power? What is its link with identity? What is the role of language in nation-building? Who decides how language is taught?

This volume considers the spread of Spanish today and particularly its role in the processes of globalization. Spanish is frequently dominant in contact with other languages. But how contested is its hegemony and how far does it threaten other languages? How are these other minoritized languages faring in a world of few strong, global languages?

This book examines how language ideologies are manifested in newspaper media. Using the Spanish press as a case study it considers how media discourse both from and about the Real Academia Española constitutes a set of 'language ideological debates' in which the institution represents a vision of what the Spanish language is and what it should be like. Paffey adopts a Critical Discourse Analysis approach to a large corpus of texts from Spain's best-selling daily newspapers, El País and ABC. More generally, the book sheds light on how institutions produce and maintain visions of 'standard language' in the contemporary context. A global language, such as Spanish, is by nature more widely used outside of the nation state in question than in it. The book covers recent research on language ideologies, standardization and CDA and considers the application of these to three core discursive themes: language unity and a concept of a 'panhispanic' speech community; the RAE's construction of its authority; and institutional ideologies and management of language on a global scale.

The Routledge Handbook of Spanish in the Global City brings together contributions from an international team of scholars of language in society to offer a conceptual and empirical perspective on Spanish within the context of 15 major cosmopolitan cities from around the world. With a unique focus on Spanish as an international language, each chapter questions the traditional and modern notions of language, place, and identity in the urban context of globalization. This collection of new perspectives on the sociology of Spanish provides an insightful and invaluable resource for students and researchers seeking to explore lesser-known areas of sociolinguistic research.

An introduction to bilingualism in the Spanish-speaking world, looking at topics including language contact, bilingual societies, code-switching and language choice.