ABSTRACT
Utilizing the theory of verbal politeness, and the concepts of power and solidarity, this chapter presents results of a study of the usage of the singular forms of address, tú and usted, in marketing and advertising documents in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. In Spanish, as well as English, the title plus family name is considered a more formal type of address than the first name, which is more informal. Mayagüez is a port city located on the central western coast of the island of Puerto Rico. More recently, given Puerto Rico's economic crisis of 2015–2016, Mayagüez has undergone a reduction in population. This has occurred on the heels of an almost 10 percent loss of population during the decade of 2000–2010 due to the closure of textile factories and tuna canneries. The chapter provides the representative examples of different types of document, including advertisements from newspapers, magazines, signs, and promotional literature.
