Rhetorical devices in the Christmas messages of Felipe VI

Since the restoration of monarchy in Spain in 1975, the Spanish King’s Christmas messages are considered to be the main instrument of communication of the Head of State with his citizens. Although they do not have any legal status and belong to the realm of customs and traditions, these speeches receive wide media coverage as they are one of few occasions when the monarch addresses the Spanish people on television. This article deals with syntax and lexical aspects of Felipe VI’s Christmas messages issued from 2014 to 2018 and employs critical discourse analysis in order to highlight the rhetorical devices which the monarch uses to project a friendly image of the situation in Spain, an image that does not always correspond with the concerns of the population. Felipe VI underlines the importance of peaceful coexistence in Spain, a highly democratic country, where the King plays a role of liaison between the State and the citizens. Besides, the monarch uses certain communication strategies. He seeks to persuade the audience of the benefits of the status quo, thereby contributing to its maintenance and hence the legitimacy and perpetuation of the monarchy. The texts are full of rhetorical devices, such as metaphors, personification, repetitions, which are normally used in other genres of political discourse in order to persuade and manipulate the people.