O funcionamento sintático e semântico-discursivo da relativização no português brasileiro: usos na modalidade escrita

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to study relativization in Brazilian Porruguese. Relativization is understood as a phenomenon that envolves the use of relative pronouns in their immediate context—the adjective clauses being the starting point for any analysis of linguistic iteins that assume this function. The corpus organized for this study consists of 200 essays, produced for the selective processes of two Brazilian educational institutions, one public and the other private. This work is based on the functional theory, which considera language in the context in which it is used as au expression of the users' communicative competency. The general objective motivating this study is to describe the syntactic and semantic-discursive functions of the relative pronouns in the essays; to examine the types of rhetorical relationships that the adjective clauses maintain with their nuclear or matrix sentences; to analyze how the relative pronouns function in light of grammaticalization principies; and to identify the prototypical behavior of the pronouns and the adjective clauses. The research related to the levei of integration between the adjective clauses and their matrix or nuclear sentences is based on Hopper and Traugouth (1993) and on Oliveira (2001a; 2001b). This study counts on Rhetorical Structure Theory (MANN; THOMPSON, 1987a; 1987b, 1988; MATH1ESSEN; THOMPSON, 1987) for its analysis of the rhetorical relationships established between clauses connected by relative pronouns. For the functional analysis of pronouns, this study is supported by the concepts of grammaticalization (GIVÓN, 1995; HOPPER, 1987; HOPPER; TRAUGOUTH, 1993) and of retroactive-propeller sequenciation (TAVARES, 2003). The data analysis reveals innovative uses of relative pronouns which do not necessarily breai( from grammatical norms. Different leveis of sentence integration were identified, putting forward the proposal of a continuum attempting to include ali the leveis of integration between adjective clauses and relative pronouns. The different uses of relative pronouns were recognized as syntactic or semantic-discursive strategies, which led to the identification of at least 11 (eleven) relativization strategies. Also identified were different types of rhetorical relationships between adjective clauses and their matrix or nuclear sentences. This study understands that relative sentences exercise a fundamental role in the articulation of ideas, in the argumentation and the presentation of a point of view with regards to a stated theme. Finally, it recognizes that relative pronouns are characterized as a class of linguistic itens in process of grammaticalization. assuming new semantic and pragmatic functions depending on the context in which they are inserted.