Discourse and Linguistic Dimensions of Flamenco: A Systematic Review on Oral Tradition, Identity, and Cultural Narratives

Abstract

Flamenco has evolved from a local cultural expression to a global heritage recognised by UNESCO in 2010, establishing itself as an artistic, linguistic, and communicative phenomenon. Beyond its aesthetic dimension, it is articulated as a multimodal language where music, voice, gestures, and silence generate meanings and cultural narratives. However, research on its discursive and identity dimensions remains fragmented. This study aimed to systematise scientific production from 2015 to 2025 around four axes: conceptualisation of flamenco as multimodal discourse, its role in the construction of identities, the function of orality, and its educational potential. This systematic review followed the PRISMA model, using the PICOS criteria, and the databases Dialnet, Web of Science, and Scopus were consulted. Thirty peer-reviewed articles with linguistic, identity, or narrative approaches were selected. The results show that flamenco constitutes an integral language characterised by brevity, connotative silence, and bodily expressiveness, with new approaches from digitalisation and hybrid stylisation. In terms of identity, it appears as a space of symbolic dispute: from marginality to its political and heritage appropriation, as well as its re-signification in international contexts such as Japan and Brazil. Orality emerges as the core of cultural transmission through songs, proclamations, and intergenerational memories, acting as a living archive. In the educational sphere, the findings indicate that flamenco may contribute to the development of linguistic, emotional, and intercultural competencies. However, its educational implementation remains uneven, and it is frequently constrained by limited teacher training, curricular integration challenges, and the absence of consolidated pedagogical frameworks. Overall, flamenco emerges as a complex cultural and linguistic discourse undergoing continuous transformation, whose educational and identity-related implications vary depending on sociocultural contexts, methodological approaches, and institutional support.