IS RUSSIAN DECOMMODIFYING IN CATALONIA?

The data collected in an ethnographic study conducted between 2014 and 2016 in tourist areas in Catalonia, Spain shows that the mastery of Russian has become a profitable commodity in Spanish tourism industry. The purpose of this paper is to show where and how Russian is used in the service industry...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Miquel Cabal-Guarro
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) 2017-12-01
Series:Russian journal of linguistics: Vestnik RUDN
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journals.rudn.ru/linguistics/article/view/16793
Description
Summary:The data collected in an ethnographic study conducted between 2014 and 2016 in tourist areas in Catalonia, Spain shows that the mastery of Russian has become a profitable commodity in Spanish tourism industry. The purpose of this paper is to show where and how Russian is used in the service industry and trace the commodification of the language over time. Against the background of fluctuating numbers of Russian-speaking visitors, this analysis will contribute to a better understanding of processes of language commodification and decommodification and the relationship between wider political and economic con-texts and valorisation of particular languages and speakers.
ISSN:2312-9182
2312-9212