Marcadores y otros procedimientos de atenuación lingüística en un escenario de contacto de lenguas

Abstract

In the Spanish variety in contact with Basque different modal and attenuating strategies have been already detected and described. This work is dedicated to the description of a new form, the adverb i gual . This adverb has indeed a modal reading in the informal speech of contemporary Spanish, expressing doubt or possibility together with a lo mejor . But the data from oral sources from the Basque Country show that igual is clearly preferred in this variety when compared to data from Central Peninsular Spanish, where a lo mejor is more frequent. Basque data also show that, beyond the expression of real doubt, igual adds an attenuating effect through inaccuracy when used with numbers ans dimensions. Even more, igual at the end of the clause may not express any doubt but a reduced commitment by means of doubt. Additionally, igual can be adressed to the hearer in order to invite him / her to accept or to dismiss the speaker’s hypothesis.