Vozes na colônia: um estudo discursivo do dicionário geral de língua

Abstract

As a genre, the dictionary relates to other texts of authority which constitute reference to the construction of various kinds of genres. It also conveys a pedagogical discourse since people consulting it share the lexicographer s knowledge through the definitions provided by the dictionary. More than that, the dictionary is in itself a multiple genre because it encloses different subgenres like entries and the opening texts (preface, introduction and key to entries). Just like a colony, congregating other texts, the dictionary can also be defined by its formal characteristics like the alphabetical order and the organization in entries. The dictionary is multiple in its own nature and, as such, subject to the dialogism of the enunciation. It is pervaded by many voices and enunciators, not only the authors themselves, but also those of other reference texts, technical or from other languages. They are put together by the lexicographer, figure of the discourse who generates the statements, embedded in the expectation of neutrality that unbiased description demands. Our great interest here is to observe in practical terms the boundaries between the apparent unbiased discourse that should be part of the dictionary, and the gaps through which other voices, part of this colony, arise. In order to achieve this goal and find these gaps, we are going to consider Ducrot s studies of polyphony, the notion of ethos from Maingueneau and Charaudeau and also the modalization that Castilho and Castilho (2002) listed on their study on adverbs in Gramática do português falado, volume II. Through the inverse research based on the modalization terms of Castilho e Castilho in the Dicionário Aurélio da lingua portuguesa (DALP, 2010) and in the Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa (DHLP, 2009), we tried to depart from the definition of the entries, identifying the enunciators who show themselves and those who are less explicit; those who assure and those who negate; those who deny and those who affirm an enunciation. Through these occurrences, we can reach propositions which are posed and presupposed and we can explore different aspects of enunciation, unveiling some of the voices which are part of this colony