The speech referred to in the opinion articles. Analysis of dialogue in the columns of Alfonso Sánchez

Abstract

Polyphony is a characteristic feature of journalistic discourse. Through the representation of different voices, the interpretative and ideological diversity of the social context is introduced. In the discourse the different voices relate to each other and to the voice of the narrator. This work aims to reflect on the dialogue as a rhetorical resource in the opinion article. Our hypothesis is that reported speech is a technique that produces rhetorical effects, which, in the case of opinion columns, contribute to the reinforcement of its persuasive power. Thus the objective of this work is to define and describe the use of reported speech in opinion columns and analyze its aesthetic and cognitive effects. For this purpose, the dialogical components of ten columns written by the journalist Alfonso Sánchez in the Informaciones newspaper will be analyzed, since according to our hypothesis this author picks up the tradition of the article of customs at a moment of renewal of the opinion genre in Spain. The rhetorical and narrative analysis that we carried out shows that Sánchez's column interprets reality through a polyphony of voices, directed by a narrating self that acts as a witness. Through the opening to the voices of the characters, the discourse referred to increases the dynamism of the narrated facts, provides verisimilitude and, limiting the presence of the narrator, opens the discourse to a plurality of approaches.