Language and symbolic power: argument analysis of newspaper editorials

Abstract

This paper analyzes arguments which appeared in newspaper editorials from the point of view of the legitimacy attributed to the Catalan and Spanish languages in relation to the development of language laws in Catalonia. The concept of legitimacy incorporates the reality that is taken for granted, which is considered as normal, with the tacit recognition of a certain order or the absence of recognition of its arbitrariness. The analysis of texts is carried out on the basis of the strategies of argumentation and reasoning used in newspaper editorials in the defense of opinions.

Keywords: language and symbolic power, legitimacy, argument analysis