The concept of globalization: Semantic settlement or semantic erosion? The semantics of globalization in the newspaper La Tercera, 1999-2004

Abstract

This article analyzes the use of the concept of globalization in the opinion section of the Chilean newspaper La Tercera between 1999 and 2004. The starting points for this research are the following theses: a) concepts, both in their scientific and daily use, undergo at least two semantic phases: settlement and erosion, and b) in the case of globalization, the concept is undergoing the first. Even though the analysis focuses on its daily use and therefore concentrates on its use in the press, the article contains a brief review of its presence in scientific literature. The analysis covers in the first place, the frequency of use of the term (thematic analysis of the concept) and then its conceptual value, both of which are associated and whose meanings are given (semantic analysis).