Abstract

This paper presents a systemic functional study of tag questions in a conversational corpus of Chilean Spanish. We describe interpersonal and textual functioning of the tags and propose a continuum of meanings according to their linearization in the clause. The final location of turn presents exclusively interpersonal meanings as part of the speech functions assertion, question, offer and order. On the other hand, the internal location of movement presents interpersonal and textual values. The internal location of movement brings eminently cohesive values, related to textual metafunction, as part of the structures Theme/ Rheme and Given/New. The interpersonal/textual continuum implies a dual metafunctional functioning of the tag question resource in oral discourse.