Phraseology and Pragmatics in Spanish parliamentary discourse

Abstract

The present study analyzes the pragmatic function of the phraseological utterance ¡¿Qué le vamos a hacer?! in Spanish parliamentary discourse. First and foremost, it sets out to review the characterization of such utterances on the basis of a varied array of methods and categories. Next, it addresses the specific uses that are developed in parliamentary discourse, while considering the communicative dynamics characteristic of this genre. Hence, the study describes ¡¿Qué le vamos a hacer!? as a protypical conformation marker, as well as an ironic sequence or an assertive reinforcement when it is used in a peripherics way. Likewise, the analysis takes into account the consequences that different uses of this kind of utterance have for politicians’ self-image. Finally, it points out that ¡¿Qué le vamos a hacer!? favors a reading of the findings whereby such uses with a conventionalized meaning must be reinterpreted in terms of other (highly context-dependent) pragmatic consequences.