Y, PERO, ASÍ QUE y ES QUE: Un estudio de su uso en las interacciones del español de jóvenes bilingües y unilingües

The focus of this study is use of discourse markers (DM). Data consists of taped interactions of informants. From this data, four particular DM are analyzed with regard to distribution in turn taking. The concepts of cohesion and coherence in text or discourse, together with informants´ communicative and discourse strategies, in a group of bilingual speakers (BS) and a control group of monolingual speakers (MS), are also analyzed. The findings confirm that BS, compared to the MS, make more frequent use of y with a pragmatic meaning when introducing various types of questions that constitute requests for elucidation directed to an interlocutor and thereby continue the interaction. In general, however, the MS use the DM y more frequently than the BS, demonstrating a more elaborate sense of stylistics in the coordination of their turn as narrations and descriptions. With regard to pero , the BS prefer to use this DM with a pragmatic meaning, in the continuation of an intervention or at the end of a turn, in order to question that which has been stated. The MS use pero primarily with a semantic meaning, to express counter-arguments inside a turn. It is exclusively the BS who use the DM así que with pragmatic meaning of consequence, in interactional exchanges, when they wish to introduce questions and assertions, where así que begins their reaction to the utterance of the interlocutor. Such questions may be regarded as a discourse strategy that permits possibilities for avoiding taking responsibility for how an utterance is interpreted. In addition, both the BS and the MS use así que at the end of turns, providing the discourse with meta-pragmatic meaning whereby it allows possibilities for interpreting this as finalizing. Through their use of es que , the BS gradually explain and justify statements made in utterances during their turns while the MS, through use in their discourse of this DM, allows them to introduce explications, justifications or excuses in the event of possible disagreement. In addition, the MS use justification introduced through this DM as a strategy to take a turn or to attempt to take over the turn, where es que conveys discourse-pragmatic meaning and introduces a tone of verbal courtesy.