"The (In)Visibility of Arabic in Spain: Evidence from Online News Articles" in Digital Flux, Linguistic Justice and Minoritized Languages

Document Type

Chapter in a Book

Publication Date

4-2024

Abstract

While Arabic-Spanish contact is a global phenomenon, its presence in the Spanish-speaking world is most widely associated with Spain and in historical contexts (Molina Martínez 2006, Ruhstaller and Gordón Peral 2018). Currently, the extensive vitality of Arabic all across Spain can be largely attributed to the predominantly Moroccan migrant diaspora. As such, current research in this area has centered on multilingual practices of Moroccan Arabic speakers in Spain, as well as how these practices relate to identity and language attitudes (García-Sánchez 2013, Mijares Molina 2006, Moustaoui Srhir 2020, Ready 2021). However, despite the perpetual presence of Arabic in Spain and the considerable Arabic-speaking Moroccan population throughout the country, Arabic and Arabic speakers are often regarded as foreign and separate from Spain’s heritage. Media discourse can be a key site for perpetuating such ideologies: as a widely disseminated medium that often pushes specific interests or agendas, news media can offer insights into the social and political contexts that shape linguistic ideologies about Arabic. Using critical discourse analysis, I examine 60 Spanish online news articles published between 2013-2022, and analyze the representation of Arabic as it is used in Spain. Focusing specifically on news articles that center around Arabic in Catalonia and in Ceuta, I illustrate and problematize the paradoxical visibility and invisibility of Arabic in Spain, as well as how news discourse disowns Arabic and Arabs from Spain’s European heritage.

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