Discurso institucional e imagen en los mensajes de Navidad del rey de España (1975–2013)

Abstract

King Juan Carlos I’s Christmas Messages are one of the few occasions when the head of the Spanish State addresses Spanish people on television. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the texts issued by the King during the period of his reign (1975–2013). They are speeches delivered by the representative of the Crown but they do not have any legal endorsement and, as a consequence, they belong to the realm of customs and traditions. The research was carried out from the perspective of Critical Discourse Analysis and the Semiotics of Communication, in order to highlight how the texts are used with the ideological purpose of strengthening the face of the monarchy as well as that of the State structure. In this respect, the ethos and royal autorictas figures are emphasized when the intention is to enhance the monarch’s image and that of the institution he embodies. The messages comply with the rules of classical oratory and are used as a means to discuss, persuade and arbitrate a framework of coexistence in Spain in which the King plays a role of liaison between the state and the citizens.