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Article published In: Spanish in Context
Vol. 22:2 (2025) ► pp.393–418

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Sociolinguistic and functional variation in the use of direct reported speech in Spanish in the corpus CoLaGe-Valencia

ORCiD logo with link | University of Helsinki
 | University of Helsinki | University of Kassel
 | University of Helsinki | University of Alicante
Published online: 18 August 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/sic.24023.pos
Abstract
Previous research has found gendered variation in the use of direct reported speech (DRS) in Spanish and other languages, generally suggesting that women use it more often than men, which has been attributed to women’s allegedly higher intersubjectivity. The present study examines DRS in a corpus specifically designed for the study of gendered variation in Spanish. Qualitatively, we identify two basic functions of DRS: narrative and evaluative. We then conduct statistical analyses focusing on gender, age, and discourse topics, considering also the discourse function of the stretch of DRS and to whom it is attributed. Our analyses did not reveal significant gender variation. Rather, speakers’ age, discourse topic, and function of DRS turned out to be more relevant factors, reducing the role of speakers’ gender in accounting for sociolinguistic variation. The study contributes to the growing body of research on DRS and to the less studied field of language and gender in Spanish.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction and overview of previous research
    • 1.1Functions of direct reported speech
    • 1.2Sociolinguistic variation in the frequency of DRS
  • 2.Data
  • 3.Qualitative analysis: Functions of reported speech
    • 3.1Research questions and methods
    • 3.2Narrative function
    • 3.3Evaluative function
    • 3.4Hybrid function
    • 3.5Metalinguistic function
    • 3.6Summary of the functions of DRS
  • 4.Quantitative analysis: Use of DRS by the informants
    • 4.1Research questions and hypotheses
    • 4.2Methodology
    • 4.3Results
      • 4.3.1Gender, age, and use of reported speech in general
      • 4.3.2Functions and attribution of reported speech
        • 4.3.2.1Evaluative Function
        • 4.3.2.2Narrative function
  • 5.Discussion and conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
References (36)
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