Discourse functions of es que

Es que is considered to have two basic functions in the grammar of Spanish. It be-longs to a series of structures that foreground information and acts as a discourse marker of justification, introducing a complete sentence (RAE, 2010; Fernández Leborans, 1992; Porroche, 1998; Fuentes-Rodríguez, 1997; Gómez Torrego, 1994).

In both cases, the speaker seeks to intensify his assertion and convince the listener of its importance. The discourse environment of Parliament strengthens this func-tion, leading the speaker to use this form in different contexts and distributions, thereby widening the syntactic scope of its usage.

In a further study of the various discourse functions of es que (Fuentes-Rodríguez, 2015), another use has been identified as an intensifier, which is very common in this type of discourse. Therefore, from a focusing device, to bring to prominence informationally one segment over the others, es que goes on to be-come an intradiscursive device (intensification) for an extradiscursive effect: in-sistence in argument against an opponent. It has a dual objective:

– self-image: creation of an identity as belonging to a group and as an individual representative of it

– disputation: in defence of actions (government) or attacking them (opposi-tion)

Again, we can see how at the level of the sentence, there is always a correlation of levels: information and argumentation; modality and formulation. Therefore, to characterise an element adequately, we must always consider this multidimen-sionality. This research deals with Andalusian Parliament. It focuses on a series of plenary and committee sessions selected at random,¹³ within the eighth legislative term. Here, it encounters formats ranging from committee debates to appeals and oral questions. Men and women take part on an unequal footing. Although there is parity globally speaking, at the level of members’ participation in the chamber, this is not the case.

13. We have analysed the plenary sessions of the VIII Legislature, no. 105, 111, 114, 117, 118, 119, 121 and 133, and committee sessions 469, 473 and 507.

The research has analysed the occurrences of es que in its different discourse functions:

a. in focusing or foregrounding structures, either highlighting the argument function of what follows or its modal or declarative value

b. as an intensifying operator, focusing the whole utterance

c. in fixed structures, as modal (la verdad es que) or connector (lo que pasa es que)

d. as a discourse marker of justification

In all these instances, es que adds greater force to the assertion and serves as a mechanism of imposition against the arguments of the opposition. Its usefulness in debate is obvious.

A) In focusing or foregrounding structures, it is frequent after relative clauses which highlight an element:

(9) Mire usted, lo que pretende el Partido Popular es que no pase lo que ha estado pasando hasta ahora. (DSPA 122, p. 14, Sr. Ramos. PP) [Look, what the Partido Popular is really after is that what’s been

happening up to now doesn’t happen.]

The speaker imposes his vision of reality on others by using a focusing strategy.

In other instances, it is preceded by a noun that acts as a discourse label signal-ling in the argument the content to follow:

(10) Y aparte de su dejadez y su conformismo, el problema es que la agricultura no ha estado nunca en la agenda de Zapatero, y ha perdido las alianzas que

teníamos. (DSPA 105, 26, Sra. Crespo, PP)

[And apart from your laziness and conformism, the problem in fact is that agriculture has never been part of Zapatero’s agenda, and you have lost the alliances we had.]

In these cases, intensification acts as a mechanism of thematic and/or argument organisation. Especially noteworthy among these are the evaluative preambles: lo que lamento, lo que sí espero, lo que confiamos, lo que no voy a permitir nunca, lo que verdaderamente me irrita, la valoración que hago de ese informe, lo malo de esta táctica, lo que verdaderamente me duele, lo que sí le pido, lo que me resulta sospechoso… [what I lament, what I do hope for, what we are confident of, what I’m never going to allow, what really irritates me, the assessment I make of that report, the worst thing about this tactic, what really pains me, what I do ask of you, what seems suspicious to me …].As we can see, they express the desire and intention of the speaker.

(11) Lo que me parece verdaderamente contradictorio es que, usted, cuando se ha suprimido esta prestación, haya dicho que vamos a entrar en emergencia social por la supresión de una prestación. (DSPA105, 52, Sr. Arenas, PP) [What seems to me truly contradictory is that you, when this assistance

has been withdrawn, should say that we are entering a social crisis for the elimination of a benefit.]

(12) – Señor Presidente, yo asisto a este debate e intervengo como considero procedente. Lo que me faltaba ya es que me diga usted lo que tengo que decir en los debates, si puedo opinar de su debate con el señor Valderas o no. Mire, usted, yo he estado en Écija y Lora del Río. (DSPA 105, 50, Sr. Arenas, PP) [Mr President, I attend this debate and participate in it in whatever ways I

see fit. The last thing I need is for you to tell me what I should say in these debates, whether I can have an opinion on your debate with señor Valderas or not. Let’s be clear. I have been in Écija and Lora del Río.]

This use with evaluative terms implies that it also occurs with modal expressions (lo que está claro es que, lo cierto es que) and performative ones (lo que quiero decir es que, lo que digo es que), to emphasise these discourse functions:

(13) Mire, señoría, lo que está claro es que lo que hace falta es conocer todos los pagos que sí se hicieron aasesorías jurídicas en nombre, para participar en los ERE, con el chanchullo de los intermediarios, que eran los comerciales que luego se lo llevaban calentito. (DSPA 118, p. 38, Sr. Sanz, PP) [My right honourable member, it is crystal clear that what is required is

to know all the payments made to legal advisers, in order to participate in the EREs, with the racket of the intermediaries, who were the agents that made a packet.]

(14) Yo no entro en eso, lo que digo es que es una respuesta mínima, que no llega al 15% del total de la población que está afectada.

(DSPA 105,42, Sr. Sánchez Gordillo, IU) [I don’t want to go into that, what I do want to say is that it’s a minimal

response, which doesn’t reach the 15% of the total population affected.]

B) As operator of intensification, it emphasises a complete sentence, whether an affirmation or a question, and appears frequently in plenaries and com-mittees (Fuentes Rodríguez, 2015). Es que emphasises an affirmation which is presented as a conclusion (15 and 16) or as a counter-argument (17):

(15) Eso ustedes ya es que no lo pueden soportar, no sé por qué.

(DSPA 114, 29, Sr. Recio, Consejero de Empleo) [That is something, it’s just that you really can’t tolerate it, I don’t know why.]

(16) Hay que tenerla dura para hablar, un representante del Partido Socialista, aquí de diecisiete discursos distintos. Precisamente un representante del Partido Socialista. Es que no se cortan por nada, absolutamente por nada.

(DSPA 105, 13, Sr. Raynaud, PP) [You’ve got to have quite some nerve, you a representative of the Socialist

Party, to speak here of seventeen different speeches. A representative of the Socialist Party, no less. You really stop at nothing, absolutely nothing.]

(17) ¿Cómo explica usted que 190 millones para 2010 sean correctos, sean suficientes, y 420 en 2011 sean insuficientes? ¿Es que ha crecido la inflación de 2010 a 2011 en un 200%? (DSPA 118, 74, Sr. Martínez Vidal, PSOE) [How do you explain that 190 million for 2010 is correct, adequate, and 420

million for 2011 is inadequate. Is it that inflation has grown from 2010 to 2011 by 200%?]

In other instances, it can appear among opposed arguments, supporting what is affirmed (18), denied (19) or both (20):

(18) Ya no se trata de que consideraran los 51.000 millones de 1995 como una auténtica irresponsabilidad, de que en 1996, nada más y nada menos que el señor Arenas calificara la Deuda histórica de folletín electoral, de que en ese año se resistieran a pagar de forma contumaz los 20.000 millones de pesetas ya acordados por el Gobierno de Felipe González. Es que el señor Rajoy, lisa y llanamente, negó la existencia de la Deuda histórica.

(DSPA105, 13, Sr. Martínez Vidal, PSOE)

[It’s no longer a question of considering the 51,000 million of 1995 as rank irresponsibility, or of no less a figure than Mr Arenas, in 1996, dubbing the Historical Debt as election pamphleteering, or of your obstinate reluctance to pay the 20,000 million pesetas already agreed by Felipe Gonzalez’

government. The point is that Mr Rajoy, plainly and simply, denied the existence of the Historical Debt.]

(19) No es que no se contabilice, usted lo sabe, el endeudamiento, que se

contabiliza todo, sino que no se aplican al cálculo del objetivo de estabilidad aquellas empresas que tienen ingresos de mercado.

(DSPA105, 12, Sr. Martínez Vidal, PSOE)

[It’s not that the indebtedness, as you well know, isn’t calculated, it is, all of it, but that those companies that have market income are not included in estimations of the stability objective.]

(20) ¿Porque sabe, señora Oña, qué pasaría si se aprueba esa petición? Que se declararían nulas, se anularían todas las ayudas, señoría, que en un 99% no es que sean legales, que lo son, es que se las merecen unos trabajadores que

han pasado muchos años trabajando, ganando esas ayudas que ha concedido de forma legal el Gobierno de la Junta de Andalucía, señoría.

(DSPA 118, 83, Sra. Navarro, PSOE) [Because do you know, Ms Oña, what would happen if that motion is

passed? That all the financial assistance would be declared null, would be cancelled, my right honourable member, assistance that, in 99% of cases, it’s not that it isn’t legal, it is, it’s that some workers who have been working many years deserve it, they have earned that aid that the Regional Government of Andalusia has legally granted, my right honourable member.]

C) We can also find es que in more or less fixed structures, where it emphasises the connection (lo que pasa es que) or the modality (la verdad es que, lo cierto es que…):

(21) Mire usted, hay que ser mucho más rigurosos. Lo que pasa es que a ustedes les descolocó la consignación de 200 millones en 2010.

(DSPA 118, 74, Sr. Martínez Vidal, PSOE)

[Look, you’ve got to be much more rigorous. The problem is that the assignation of 200 million in 2010 knocked you off course.]

(22) No sé si eso es la cuota que usted tiene que pagar para subirse a esta tribuna a hablar de economía y de innovación, señor Nieto, porque, la verdad es que me ha extrañado. (DSPA 118, 14, Sr. Núñez Roldán, PSOE) [I don’t know whether that is the fee you have to pay in order to step onto

this rostrum to speak about economics and innovation, Mr Nieto, because, the truth is, you’ve surprised me.]

D) As a discourse marker of justification, it is not very frequent in the type of discourse analysed. Although it is a discourse marker that requires an earlier utterance, and is not specifically an intensification marker, the result is identi-cal. Introducing a justification or explanation of what has come before serves to highlight it:

(23) ¿Por qué no se ha hecho nada, señor Consejero? Y no me vale que me diga usted que va a recuperar el dinero, es que esa es su obligación, usted y el juzgado, lo que vale es el control previo, señor Consejero.

(DSPA 114, 17, Sr. Loaiza, PP) [Why has nothing been done, Minister? It’s not good enough for you to tell

me that you’re going to recover the money, the fact is that’s your obligation, yours and the court’s, what’s needed is prior supervision, Minister.]

As we can observe in the following, the most frequent cases are cases A) and B). In other words, it is when a particular component is emphasised, or when the whole

content of the assertion is focused. This implies that for the speaker, this form is as-sociated with intensifier use, triggering the creation of this argumentative marker, which is highly effective in this discourse type (Fuentes Rodríguez 2015).