Introdução ao perfil metafuncional do português brasileiro: contribuições para os estudos multilíngues

Abstract

This thesis explores language and language production from two complementary viewpoints: product-oriented translation studies (Toury, 1995) and systemic-functional theory (Matthiessen & Halliday, 2009). As a general aim, this thesis offers resources for systemicfunctional research involving Brazilian Portuguese, in particular systemic approaches totranslation (Pagano & Vasconcellos, 2005). More specifically, this thesis aims at presenting a systemic-functional description of Brazilian Portuguese grammar in a typological perspective (including the systems of THEME, MOOD and a partial description of TRANSITIVITY) as ameans to contribute for analyses involving Brazilian Portuguese, especially in multilingual environments. Based on the typology of language in the context of culture (cf. Matthiessen et al., 2008) which groups text types in eight socio-semiotic processes, a 1-million-word corpus was collected (125,000 words per process). Elements at clause rank were annotated according to their textual, interpersonal or experiential function. Although the descriptions of THEME, MOOD and TRANSITIVITY are related by the same theoretical guiding principles, specific steps for each individual description were taken.THEME was explored from two complementary perspectives (Martin, 1992), (i) from clause and (ii) from discourse. This complementarity enabled the description to interpret THEME: from above, based on the semantic concept of text, as a function of structural texture in relation to register; from roundabout, describing Theme as an enablingfunction for experiential and interpersonal meanings, symbolizing them as message; from below, understanding group elements operating as Theme at clause rank, as well as its relations to the system of INFORMATION. MOOD was firstly approached from above as a means to understand how it realizes SPEECH FUNCTIONS. In Brazilian Portuguese, Indicative Mood realizes statements and questions, and Imperative Mood realizes commands. From roundabout, Negotiator the crucial element for realizing different MOOD choices, thus for negotiation was described. From below group rank elements and structural configurations realizing the Negotiator were identified. After the trinocular understanding of MOOD, it was possible to move back to discourse and explore interpersonal functions in relation to exchange inBrazilian contexts. PROCESS TYPE: MENTAL was interpreted as the realization of figures of sensing. Semantically, figures of sensing construe our experience of conscious processing (Halliday &Matthiessen, 1999), which, in turn, are realized by mental clauses within grammar. Experiential functions in mental clauses (Senser, Mental Process and [hyper]Phenomenon) were analyzed and described from above, as the realization of mental change; and from below, charactizing them in terms of their realization at lower ranks. A further step in delicacy was taken to analyze mental clauses from roundabout and distinct patterns of subtypes (both in terms of their construal of mental figures and their realization by lower ranks) were identified and described. Based on this description, guided by typological principles, it was possible to move on to a more specific aim of this thesis shed light on the complementarity between productoriented translation studies and systemic-functional theory. This enabled the view of language (Brazilian Portuguese) production within multilingual environments, placing both descriptive and translation analyses as complementarities in the study of language contact. Key-words: systemic-functional description of Brazilian Portuguese; systemic approaches to translation; multilingual studies.