This paper discusses the use of the expression en plan as a pragmatic marker, more
specifically as a hedge in Spanish boys' and girls' spontaneous conversation. The reason for
choosing en plan is that its use as a pragmatic marker has been overlooked in the literature,
with the exception of Nord (2006), Stenström (forthcoming) and Martínez & Jørgensen
(2007). I am particularly interested in en plan used as a hedge and the extent to which it
affects the hearer's and/or the speaker's face and whether the usage has anything to do with …