A organização das construções de por exemplo em português: uma abordagem à luz da teoria da estrutura retórica

Abstract

In previous researches about the por exemplo construction (por exemplo = for example) under the scope of clause combining, we have detected, in most occurrences, a general/specific semantic relationship with an argumentative purpose. Inspired by the results and the new questions which have arisen, we initiated, in the present study, an investigation of textual organization, based on the Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST), a descriptive theory developed by functionalists from the West Coast of the United States, which seeks to explain the coherence of a text from the standpoint of its rhetorical relations (or relational propositions) which emerge from the contiguity of its spans. With such theoretical approach, we aimed to find new subsidies to explain the organization of the por exemplo construction and to describe the relations which emerge from the parts of the text where they appear, as a way to understand the argumentative intentions of the producer. In order to do so, we used, as Oral Corpus, the interviews from Lusophonic Corpus wich presented, at least, one occurrence of such construction. The aforementioned corpus encompasses the variations of the Portuguese Language spoken in countries which hold this language as official: Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Green Cape, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe and East Timor. Among the 47 interviews analyzed, 122 occurrences of the por exemplo construction were found. The Written Corpus was composed of 34 blogs, taken from blogblog (available through the website of Globo TV), which had at least one occurrence, with a total of 35 occurrences. The totality of both por exemplo constructions found in both corpora was 157 occurrences. The analysis and reflexions carried out have allowed us to conclude that a big part of the constructions is organized so that it can exhibit a general/specific semantic relation, in which we find, in unit A, the most general piece of information, which is then specified in Unit B, corroborating the studies carried out by Costa (2008). Then, it was possible to notice that, among all the rhetorical relations listed by the RST, that of elaboration had the same aspects of the general-specific semantic one. This understanding made it possible to assign an equivalence between such relations, indicating that these constructions are more prototypical, be it in relation to those that do not show a general-specific relation as well as those which show two rhetorical relations in the same construction. In the constructions which are said to be more or less prototypical, from the standpoint of the subprinciples of the Iconicity, the form and the function were considered to be harmonic, corroborating the initial intentions of the producer, and allowing for the organization toward an argumentative purpose. Therefore, it is possible to say that the organization of the por exemplo constructions is due to the argumentative purpose which will make the producer select one or another strategy (general-specific relationship, rhetorical relationship of elaboration, other rhetorical relationships, focalization) so that interlocutor agrees with a given point-of-view.