Abstract

This work describes the role assigned to language in the delimitation of the ethnic border between Mapuche and Non-Mapuche in the discourse of municipal and educational authorities of Temuco and Cholchol (Chile), revealing its argumentative structure and the language ideologies that support them. The data consist in a corpus of twelve semi-structured interviews, which were conducted with city councillors and principals of educational institutions from Temuco and Cholchol. An argumentative discourse analysis has been applied to the corpus. A discursive orientation that confers to mapudungun the status of ethnic marker predominates among the interviewed actors; being also frequent those that totalize o relativize the linguistic difference. Each of these orientations expresses a particular language ideology. On the other hand, inconsistencies in the discourses are evinced. Variations in the role assigned to Mapudungun in the Mapuche identity were found. These variations take place in relation to the scenario faced bythe actor.