Causalidade e explicação em português: contribuição ao ensino produtivo da língua

Abstract

This study presents an assessment of causal and explicative syntactic structures and their respective correspondence with the narrative and argumentative modes of text organization, evidencing the frequency of such constructions in the following textual genres: news, chronicle, editorial and students writing in college entrance exams (vestibular). For data gathering, we have analyzed 400 (four hundred) texts, 100 (one hundred) of each aforementioned genres. A comparison is made with connectives which, according to traditional educational practices, represent ways of expressing cause (restrict sense) and explanation, and thus we rethink aspects of Portuguese language description and teaching, with the purpose of improving proficiency in written discourse. The principal findings are: a) the existence of three groups of explicative connectives: those which are solely causal, those which are solely explicative and those that comprise both functions; b) the correlation among the three verb moods and explanation, and, in the case of causality, the correlation only with Indicative and Subjunctive verb moods; c) the relationship between causality (in the strict sense) and narration, and between explanation and argumentation; d) the relationship between factuality and causal structures, and between the act of speech called Justification and explicative sentences, expressing not only orders, requests, invitations, opinions and questions. We conclude that the study of casual and explicative connectives should stimulate the reconstruction of knowledge and the analysis of verbal elements (available in the language), which are responsible for the construction of meanings. In addition, the teaching of Portuguese language should focus on a productive approach, more functional, not essentially based on classifications and contents, so that grammar, with the contribution of discourse studies, may foster the improvement of skills and competences in text writing. We do not propose, with this study, that traditional school teaching should be disregarded. On the contrary, this is only another approach, in this case, intradisciplinary, with the purpose of constructing a didactic-pedagogical practice for Portuguese language as mother tongue