Español - ¿Lengua internacional? Las representaciones de los usos y los usuarios del español en tres manuales de E/LE en Suecia. Un análisis.

Abstract

The aim of this essay is to explore the representation of the uses and the users of Spanish in three Upper Secondary textbooks of Spanish in Sweden, Alegría, paso uno, Caminando 1 y Fiesta 1. Ulrich Amón‟s definition of international language provides the framework for the textual analysis which is divided into two parts. The first part consists of an outline of both the nationalities of the main characters and the contexts of use of Spanish. The second part seeks to establish which view of the uses of the Spanish language is held by the textbooks, i.e. whether Spanish is also presented as a language intended for international communication or if its use is limited to native speakers. The final discussion revolves around whether such representation is adequate to the status of international language held by Spanish. Furthermore, it considers some possible consequences of such representation in a) the context of the expansion of the Spanish language and b) regarding the attitude of the learners towards the Spanish language.