Impersonal expressions in Texas Spanish

Impersonal expressions in Spanish are expressed in various forms, including use of impersonal se or with the indefinite uno and a third-person verb conjugation. Other forms of expression are becoming more frequent in both monolingual and bilingual contexts (Hurtado 2015; Guirado 2011; Morales 1995). The current study analyzes the forms of impersonal expression in three generations of eighteen total Spanish speakers in Texas. The pragmatic functions of first-person plural and second-person singular forms are analyzed based on their use for generalization, focalized generalization, speaker concealment, or inclusive defocalization (Pulido Astorga and Rivadeneira Valenzuela 2017). Results demonstrate the wide usage of various reference impersonals, signaling deictic extension (Fernández 2008). Furthermore, complementary distribution of forms across discursive function was identified, demonstrating the need for a comprehensive consideration at the discourse-pragmatic level for all reference impersonal forms. This study represents an initial step in the pragmatic consideration of impersonal expressions in US Spanish.