Analysis of the speech of a spy From Greater Colombia (1825-1831)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to approach the discourse analysis of reports written between 1825 and 1831 by a spy named Tomás Quintero. During those years, this character worked in the Madrid court as a “confidential agent” (that is, as a spy) for the Colombian government’s embassy in London. The reports belong to the discursive genre of controversy, because dialectics is the most appropriate discourse to deal with issues in a situation of political conflict such as that between Spain and the American colonies, the latter seeking independence. First, the historical context in which the reports were written is described and the nature of the espionage discourse is defined. Next, an analysis of the pragmatic strategies of the reports’ discourse is made. The theoretical framework from which the discourse analysis is carried out is that of rhetoric and pragmatics. From this framework, the presence of presuppositions and inferences, polyphony and the so-called “quasilogical persuasive strategies” are studied, with a prominent place for humorous irony and sarcasm, as well as an abundance of insults and hyperbole, among other resources of intensification. One conclusion that can be advanced is the usefulness of the discourse chosen by Quintero to achieve the objectives of the espionage action, since the recipient receives useful information, without the censors being able to perceive the real meaning of the statements, under a dialectic full of traits of biting mockery with which he constructs his reports.