From monolingualism to heteroglossia: Gaztea radio, vernaculation in the sociostylistic design of youth media

Abstract

Generally speaking, a monolingual ideology and praxis has been prioritised in the media, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. Yet the media ecology has completely changed in the last two decades: from being homogenous and controlled, it has been transformed into a heteroglossic media context of multiple linguistic voices and ideologies. That heteroglossic tendency is especially evident in media aimed at young people. Vernacularisation and translocalisation, two sociolinguistic tendencies, have been apparent in recent years among young people’s language use. This article will focus on vernacularisa- tion: we have examined the presence of vernacularisation in the sociostylistic design of youth media in the case of the radio station Gaztea (EITB). We will explain that design within that general framework of the sociomediatic context of young people, starting from the links that can be perceived between heteroglossia and youth media identity.