Political narratives in the Christmas messages of King Felipe VI of Spain
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33910/Keywords:
discourse of power, Spanish monarchy, Spanish King, public speech, Christmas message, Felipe VIAbstract
Introduction. Political narratives, due to their pragmatic potential, are becoming the main tool for structuring public discourse. In this context, it is relevant to analyze the political narratives present in the annual Christmas addresses of the Spanish King.
Materials and Methods. This study analyzes the Christmas addresses delivered by Felipe VI from 2014 to 2024, employing semantic, discursive, and contextual analyses.
Results. Despite the traditionally hierarchical relationships among political actors within institutional discourse, recent years have demonstrated a clear tendency toward a narrowing of the gap between the monarchy and the national audience, achieved through both verbal and non-verbal means of communication. Changes in socio-political and geopolitical context continuously reshape the monarch’s rhetorical strategies. For instance, all Christmas messages — particularly those delivered after the Catalan crisis of 2017 — consistently emphasize the principles of national and multinational unity grounded in democratic values and affiliation with the European community, while simultaneously reaffirming the legitimacy of the monarchy. Analysis of eleven speeches identified three political narratives: (a) Spain is a constitutional monarchy; (b) Spain is a country characterized by ethnic and cultural diversity; and (c) Spain is a reliable partner of the European Union. These narratives help the King achieve consensus in a multinational and multicultural society that has undergone profound structural transformations in recent decades. They are primarily expressed through ideologemes and metaphors of integrative semantics.
Conclusions. The findings provide insights for analyzing the political narratives of other government and public leaders from both a linguo-pragmatic and a sociolinguistic perspective.
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