Focus 3Social and Cultural Communication

The starting points of research in Focus 3 are the social and linguistic dynamics of communication in Ibero-America and its contact areas.

Many of the geographic, political, institutional, sociological, and ethnic spaces that constitute the macro-region of Ibero-America are multilingual, and the linguistic dynamics within and between these spaces are multifaceted. Likewise, the relations with external regions reflect similar features and a similar level of complexity. Focus 3 is therefore concentrated on the linguistic and sociocultural consequences of the intra- and inter-regional contact between languages and cultures and their communication dynamics as well as on the related cognitive processes that arise within linguistic and cultural communities. Accordingly, the foci of our research are the perceptions of linguistic and socio-cultural realities, social media, and the Information Society, as well as the handling of linguistic and cultural heritage.

Additionally, our research is focused on linguistic and sociocultural diversity, including that which arises from migratory movements. In Ibero-America, the flow of people has greatly increased over the last one and a half-century, to the point of affecting its societies, politics, and economy, as well as its educational spaces. It has shaped Ibero-American linguistic landscapes and established ways of communication within the macro-region and its contact areas. In the spaces of migration created by mobility, specific linguistic dynamics arise and the inhabitants of these regions develop particular social and communicative customs and patterns. Our researchers are particularly interested in border spaces, urban communities, and second and third-generation heritage speakers in Ibero-America and related regions, such as the USA or Europe.

First Lines of Research

Table

Intra- and Inter-Regional Communication Dynamics in Ibero-America
Sociolinguistic Dynamics in Spaces of Migration and Urban Communities
Social and Communicative Customs and Patterns of Second and Third Generation Speakers in Ibero-America and in Areas Linked to it
Linguistic Contact and its Effects: Spanish/Portuguese-/indigenous languages, Spanish/Portuguese, Spanish/English