Spain has followed the lead of other Western countries by establishing new citizenship requirements for immigrants. In 2015, the Real Decreto 1004/2015 was passed, making both knowledge of culture and history of Spain and knowledge of Spanish language a requisite for immigrants wishing to become citizens. In order to fulfill this legal requirement, immigrants need to take two exams: the Conocimientos Constitucionales y Socioculturales de España and the Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera (DELE), which are both administered by the Instituto Cervantes. This paper analyses some of the discourses that surrounded the introduction of the new testing regime. Given the complex sociopolitical and historical context of Spain, establishing a requirement in Spanish for new citizens reinforces the subordination of other co official languages such as Galician, Basque and Catalan. Beyond the ideological forces at play, we also highlight the monetization of compulsory tests and its 1✉ 2 3 1 2 3 benefits for test administrators. Furthermore, we bring attention to the fact that the DELE, a language test that was originally designed for other purposes and predates the new citizenship legislation, is now being employed for highstakes immigration, subverting the original purpose of the test. We highlight the problems this causes in terms of test effect, validity and ethics. Finally, we caution that greater reflection is required regarding the need for such tests, including more research on individuals experiencing the new naturalization process.
Este artículo da cuenta de la mercantilización del español como lengua extranjera (ELE) en España. Empezamos presentando el marco teórico de los estudios sobre la mercantilización del lenguaje y sobre el aparato discursivo en torno al valor económico del español desarrollado en España de los 90, el cual proponemos entender como parte de un dispositivo de promoción internacional del español. A continuación, analizamos la visión del ELE en España como industria de la lengua. En concreto, mostramos que la colaboración entre instituciones públicas y entidades privadas ha conformado el sector como turismo idiomático, lo cual tiene consecuencias ideológicas (estandarización y mercantilización de la lengua) y profesionales (falta de legitimidad, precariedad laboral). Concluimos planteando una serie de cuestiones fundamentales para una visión crítica del ELE que contemple la enseñanza de español en relación con la injerencia institucional (política lingüística), las condiciones del mercado laboral, la relación entre conocimiento e interés y otras cuestiones sociales y políticas.
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