Forms Of Address In The Popular Press

A Comparison of Spain, Mexico and the United States

Abstract

Address pronouns and their semantic implications have been the subject of numerous studies since Brown and Gilman (1960). Forms of address reflect relationships of asymmetry and symmetry, and advertisers' practices in regard to second-person pronoun usage hold interest for at least two reasons. First, they can serve as evidence for changes in speech community norms. Second, they can show how advertisers attempt to manipulate consumers through metaphoric appeals to the domains and contexts associated with each form of address. A comparison of forms of address in magazines and newspapers in Spain, Mexico, and the United States reveals certain correlations with speech patterns in those three countries, as well as with the products and services advertised.