Uma análise discursivo-funcional dos processos referenciais encapsuladores em artigos de opinião

Abstract

his paper is a theoretical perspective ofour masters’degree researchtitled “The discursive functions of thereferential encapsulation processesin opinion piece”.Herewe propose a critical approach to the referential encapsulation processes, as well as to investigate the way these processes are used as a cohesive and multifunctional recourse, whichis linked to the construction of the coherence in the opinion piece genre. For that, we consider the referentiation theory by Mondada and Dubois (2003). Based on a sociocognitive-discursiveview, we define the approaches proposed by Francis (2003), Conte (2003) and Consten, Knees and Schwarz-Friesel (2007) to the referential encapsulation processes and we indicate the gaps in these works, which are guided by formal criteria in order to define these processes, its functions and its limits in the text. Thus, we expose how the referential encapsulation processes do not only condense a cotextportion, but also guarantee the informational flow, structure the text and contribute to the argumentation in a perspective that transcends a formal approach to referentiation.