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Selected Proceedings of the First Workshop on Spanish Sociolinguistics edited by Lotfi Sayahi ISBN 1-57473-400-8 library binding vii + 133 pages publication date: 2003 published by Cascadilla Proceedings Project, Somerville, MA, USA Table of contents Abstract Anna Marie Trester Bienvenidos a Costa Rica, la tierra de la pura vida: A Study of the Expression "pura vida" in the Spanish of Costa Rica 61-69 (complete pdf) The primary goal of this paper is to isolate and identify the various uses of the phrase "pura vida" in the Spanish of Costa Rica, to determine its status as a discourse marker, and to explore its role within the language. Drawing from the work on discourse markers by Schiffrin (1987), Fraser (1990), and the work of Varela (1999) and Rojas (1989) in Costa Rica, this paper draws parallels between the expression and other markers that have been studied. Using discourse analysis, sociolinguistic theory, and language and identity analysis, the author isolates the specific functions served by this phrase in the Spanish of Costa Rica to understand how the phrase functions both socially and culturally. Although "pura vida" is employed widely in the Spanish-speaking world, it seems that this phrase has come to serve as a unique tool for expressing and marking identity within Costa Rica. Drawing from Eckert and McConnell-Ginet (1995), the paper's analysis illustrates the ways in which this phrase serves to create solidarity among speakers and manage discourse, as well as the important ways in which it may be employed to construct identity. Lastly, the paper explores the cultural circumstances that render such a tool useful and necessary. |