Defocusing constructions, viewpoint, and reference. The shaping of public institutions vs. citizens in digital opinion pieces

Abstract

This study analyzes the configuration of reference with three initiator-defocusing Spanish constructions, namely the non-phoric plural third person (3PL), the audience-inclusive plural first person (1PL) and passive and impersonal reflexives (SE). The focus is on how these grammatical choices and their respective intended references contribute to the development of public argumentative discourse, specifically in a corpus of digital opinion pieces published in local media from Salamanca (Spain). While the use of 1PL and 3PL promotes a contrast between the viewpoint of 'us' (common citizens) and that of 'them' (public institutions), SE tends to present institutions as not clearly demarcated from the rest of the community. Quantitative and qualitative analysis suggests that the contextual identity adopted by the authors of opinion pieces oscillates between two other, more polarized ones in media discourse— that of journalists writing news pieces and stories, who need to preserve their status as well-informed and objective professionals, and that of particular commenters, whose usual anonymity grants them greater expressive freedom. It is concluded that each construction is primarily associated with a different kind of discourse viewpoint— subjective, intersubjective, and objective— and that this substantiates their contribution to different communicative styles and identities across media genres.