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In this paper I describe focalizing syntactic structures in which the so-called que galicado (que used instead of the "canonical" relative pronouns or adverbs) is used. I also make reference to its origins, which several scholars of Spanish have attributed to the influence of other Romance languages. Empirical studies, however, show that que galicado seems to relate to a generalized linguistic tendency, even though the contact of Spanish with other languages, especially French, could favor its use. Several studies on the subject show that the occurrence of que galicado seems to be conditioned by dialectal regions (more frequent use in Spanish speaking Latin America than in Spain), speakers' socioeconomic status, and most of all, by the syntactic function of the focalized constituent, its grammatical category and number of syllables. Some recommendations about the use of que galicado are made in the final part of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the idea that the language used in today's financial press belongs to the speciality language field of Business Spanish, this paper provides a description and systematisation of the lexis used by financial journalists. For this purpose, having analysed a body of texts taken from contemporary financial newspapers, the lexis used is described on the basis of certain theoretical assumptions regarding the origin, security and functionality of this lexis. This analysis points to the conclusion that the lexis used can be divided into two groups: denoted, made up of monosemic lexical units, and connoted, lexical units with a specific meaning in the context of use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the impact that a standardized form of Spanish in current media may have on the Spanish-speaking people, especially in linguistic-contact situations in which media may be a crucial factor for both the growth and strength of a language, so that choosing a linguistic standard rather than another may become a major issue. It is concluded that a global, non-local Spanish standard, reflecting the current extension of the language, may serve both as a formal standard and as a learning device for bilingual speakers who lack total command of the language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]