Communicative effects of mira ‘look’ and a ver ‘let’s see’ in oral argumentative discourse

Abstract

This paper analyzes the communicative effects of the discourse markers mira ‘look’ and a ver ‘let’s see’ in two subgenres of oral argumentative discourse, viz. tertulia and debate, where the expression of a proper opinion and the formulation of arguments is often accompanied and reinforced by appellative markers, such as the ones we study. Although in the literature both markers are classified as ‘focus markers of alterity’ (Martín Zorraquino and Portolés Lázaro 1999, 4171–4190), corpus analysis shows how they both activate different communicative functions and strategies to appeal to the hearer. Instead of focusing on their resemblance, we will argue how these differences, which we will formulate in terms of communicative divergence versus convergence, tie in with the conceptual meaning structure of mirar ‘to look’ and ver ‘to see’ and the proper perspective attached to each of them.