Dataset abstract This data forms the basis for the research presented in the article "Análisis contrastivo de los marcadores pragmáticos de vaguedad
es que y
en plan en el español coloquial actual: indexicalidad social y microhistoria". It consists of two datafiles.
The first datafile includes 641 cases of en plan and 4366 cases of es que, extracted from CORMA, a conversational corpus of peninsular Spanish compiled between 2016 and 2019. The data were subsequently analysed to investigate the social indexicality of the pragmatic markers. The second datafile includes 437 cases of en plan and 1622 cases of es que from a sample of conversations from CORMA, as well as 137 cases of en plan and 854 cases of es que from a sample of conversations from the COLAm corpus. COLAm is a conversational corpus of peninsular Spanish compiled between 2002 and 2007. It consists exclusively of conversations between teenagers.
These data were collected in order to examine the pragmatic function of the pragmatic markers as well as changes in the use and diffusion of the two pragmatic markers in the 21st century.
Abstract of related publication 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 21st century. Through the analysis of colloquial conversations from the CORMA corpus, it is revealed that the productivity of these markers is closely associated with sociolinguistic factors, particularly age. Furthermore, the findings indicate that
es que and
en plan operate at different levels of indexicality: while
es que belongs to the first order,
en plan belongs to the third order, due to its emblematic status in youth language. These levels also account for differences in the dissemination of the markers. A microdiachronic comparison between early 21st century youth language (COLAm) and contemporary youth speech (the youth sub-corpus of CORMA) reveals that third-order elements such as
en plan undergo faster changes and wider spread than first-order elements such as
es que. Moreover, depending on the level, the 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, more traditional sociolinguistic parameters, such as gender and the impact of the network of the school, 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 have remained relatively constant throughout the 21st century. (2025-12-18)
