Linguae francae als Instrument symbolischer Macht in den Internationalen Brigaden

Abstract

The multilingual nature of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War raises the question of means of communication in different war contexts. This article focuses on the use of a lingua franca as a strategy of understanding between volunteers from more than 53 nations, as well between these and their military and political leaders. Drawing on the Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of linguistic capital, the language choice is understood as a representation of social power relations. So that, the analysis of language choice and language usage in a Civil War conflict brings new insights about the organization and functioning of the International Brigades, the centers of power and their change in the course of the war.