'A ella no le gusta que le digan María y a mí que me traten de tú'. A window into Latin American diversity

Abstract

In this paper I explore sociolinguistic and pragmatic aspects of institutional discourse in a Spanish-speaking modern, mediated and regulated site of talk, namely a telephone conversation gathered at a call centre which had recently been set up in a South American financial hub. I focus on instances of interactional misfires in a service call between a Montevidean institutional agent and a Bogotano client by examining how they unfold, the possible reasons behind them and the implications for (mediated) communication in a globalized world.