El empleo de de repente como introductor de la complicacion en narraciones de experiencia personal de hablantes de Santiago de Chile

Abstract

Situated within the variationist sociolinguistic framework, in this paper we analyze the use of de repente as a marker that introduces complication or climax in a sample of 300 personal experience narratives (Labov y Waletzky 1967 y Labov 1972) of Santiago speakers. First, we establish the frequency of use of this particle. Then, we correlate the speakers' sociodemographic factors with the use of this marker, and finally, we describe the functionality of this particle within the narratives that make up the sample. Our hypothesis was that the sociodemographic characteristics of Santiago Spanish speakers would be correlated with the use of de repente as a phrase that introduces complication or climax within the narrative. The data analysis shows that de repente was used a total of 100 times, of which 95 (95%) function in this manner, or as introducing the complicated action of the story. Additionally, we demonstrate that this particle is used most frequently by female informants from the younger age group (20-34 years old). The analysis, in turn, enabled us to determine that a main collocation is that of de repente + historical present.