Marcadores prosódicos gráficos e organização prosódico-discursiva da escrita de jovens com e sem trissomia do cromossomo 21

Abstract

This study analyzes the use of graphic prosodic markers (GPMs) in written texts produced by young people with trisomy 21 (T21) and by peers with typical development, in light of the relationships among prosody, punctuation, and meaning construction. The study aimed to examine the frequency, diversity, and discursive-prosodic functions of GPMs, as well as to identify alternative text-organizing strategies employed by the participants. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining quantitative and qualitative procedures. The corpus consisted of eight written texts produced by participants aged 17 to 22 years, divided into two groups: four participants with T21 (G1) and four with typical development (G2). Seven conventional graphic prosodic markers were analyzed: the period, comma, colon, dash, exclamation mark, question mark, and ellipsis. The results revealed a lower frequency and diversity of GPMs in G1. However, the qualitative analysis showed that participants with T21 employed alternative graphic-visual strategies to segment information, organize the text, and guide the reading process. These findings reinforce the understanding that GPMs extend beyond their strictly normative function, serving as resources for discursive organization and the graphic representation of prosody. It is concluded that the appropriation of GPMs is a heterogeneous process, strongly associated with individuals' literacy experiences, highlighting the need for inclusive pedagogical practices that consider the discursive-prosodic function of punctuation in meaning construction.