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Columns on language are characterised by the fact that they are discourses in which a problem related to language is discussed. They are argumentative texts in which subjectivity and scientific explanation are combined to influence groups of readers with whom they share broad areas of agreement. The aim of this paper is to analyse the topics on which the discourse on language in linguistic columnism is based from its origins to the present day. Based on Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca (2015) typology of the places of argumentation quantity, quality, order, and essence a corpus of columns on language is analysed in order to find the argumentative correlates of these topics in the discourse on language. Their continuity over time and their relevance as characterizing elements of the metalinguistic discursive tradition they form will be shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes linguistic change in the 20th century through columns about language published in the media in Spain. These columns are living testimonies of the evolution of Spanish and discourse about language in the last 140 years. The study is divided into three axes: pragmatic-discursive, socio-ideological, and lexico-grammatical, and addresses topics such as argumentation, the ideological construction of Spanish, and changes in vocabulary. The importance of linguistic columnism in the standardization of Spanish is highlighted, and the reaction of columnists to linguistic borrowings is analyzed. Orthographic concerns in the columns are also examined, with accentuation being the most recurrent problem. These works are relevant for understanding how the Spanish language has changed in the last 140 years. [Extracted from the article]