An Historical Perspective of Spanish Essay in Three Studies on Communication (1967-2012)

Abstract

The article makes a historical study on communication in three Spanish works of popularization. Examines the essays by José Luis L. Aranguren, La comunicación humana (Human Communication,1967); by Antoni Remesar, Carles Riba and José Luis Rodríguez Illera, Tres ensayos sobre comunicación (Three essays on communication, 1982); and by Maria Àngels Viladot, Comunicación y grupos sociales (Communication and social groups, 2012). What distinguishes each of these works, of remarkable quality, is the identity of the authors and the time in which they make their contribution. In them we can appreciate approaches ranging from the philosophy of language, Aranguren, to empirical social psychology, Viladot, passing through the anthropological by Remesar, Riba and Rodríguez. The reading of these essays fuels the recollection of determining sources at that time, such as Wittgenstein's analytical philosophy, Austin's pragmatism, non-verbal communication by Bateson and Hall –members of the Palo Alto group– and the theory of accommodation in the communication by H. Giles. The paper concludes that the role of linguistics has been relevant in these developments, although its initial function of scientific paradigm has changed to that of collaborator in studies of social interest.