Expressões linguísticas modalizadoras deônticas em função argumentativa: um exercício de análise retórico-funcional

Abstract

The goal of this research is to comprehend the actuation of the deontic linguistic expression in the construction of the argumentative speech, which is understood as a movement which the starting point is the audience agreement concerning the premises which the one who argues bases the theses he defends and draws conclusions authorized by argumentative techniques. Assuming that the linguistic uses are adjusted to the speakers´ communicative intention ,the deontics modal linguistic expressions vary according to the different goals along the argumentative movement. Aiming the understanding of the persuasive effects of these variation, two theoretic-methodological perspectives were discussed in the research: the New Rhetoric and the Linguistics of functional base. While the understructure of the functional Linguistics, as a grammar theory, gives us support to the description and linguistic analysis of the category of the modality in use, the New Rhetoric understructure gives us support to the understanding of the linguistic expressions of the modality concerning the construction of the argumentative speech. The corpus for this work is made of twenty nine typed registers of talks given by Federal Representatives during sessions at Câmara dos Deputados (House of Representatives) throughout 2007 and early 2008. All talks were about the need of national security policies able to stop the increase of violence in Brazil. The research reveals the preference for the subjective use of deontic modal expressions ,in which it is observed the dilution of the speaker´s commitment with his desire for the actions recommended by him. By restoring deontic logic which source presents itself like him, the speaker, in accord with all men and women taken as normal who compose the country public opinion, the one who gives the talk bases his recommendation on what is taken as normal. There underlies the authority of the argumentative strategy of the “massive number”. The research also unveiled the preference for direct non-indication of the deontic targets, as a way to avoid confrontation with personal meaning. The predilection for the indirect indication of targets was observed in 319 occurrences out of 464 modal expressions contained in this corpus. When considered the speaker´s behavior in relation to deontic targets, the research confirmed the option for the inclusion. When the speaker put himself among those who bear the need to do something or to prevent something negative to happen, he increases the listeners´ adhesion to his recommendations by showing himself willing to act. Instead of restoring obligations and prohibitions, he presents himself as the one convoking partners to action.