Contrastive analysis of the pragmatic markers of vagueness 'es que' ('it is that') and 'en plan' ('like') in present-day colloquial Spanish

social indexicality and microhistory

Abstract

This article explores two markers of vagueness, es que (‘it is that’) and en plan (‘like’), and the role of social indexicality in their use and spread in the 21^st century. Through the analysis of colloquial conversations from the CORMA corpus, it is revealed that the productivity of these markers is linked to sociolinguistic factors, particularly age. Furthermore, the findings indicate that es que and en plan occupy different levels of indexicality. While es que belongs to the first order, en plan is part of the third order, due to its emblematic status in youth language. These levels also explain differences in the dissemination of the markers. A microdiachronic analysis comparing the youth language at the beginning of the 21st century (COLAm) with current youth language (the youth sub-corpus of CORMA) reveals that third-order elements like en plan undergo faster changes and wider spread than first-order elements such as es que. Moreover, depending on the level, these links between social groups and the frequency of marker use do not always remain stable over time. Additionally, socio-cultural changes are also reflected in linguistic changes. Thus, traditional sociolinguistic parameters become less decisive in current youth language under the pressures of globalization and the expansion of social networks. Finally, the microdiachronic study indicates that the pragmatic-functional profile of both markers has remained relatively constant throughout the 21st century.