The semantic relation of elaboration and the argumentative orientation of discourse
Keywords:
Elaboration, NP, Argumentation.Abstract
In this paper, we analyze the semantic relation of elaboration in both spoken and written contemporary Brazilian Portuguese. We limit the focus of our analysis to elaboration of NPs, in order to identify the type of elaborated NP and the types of text in which elaboration is placed. The most relevant differences relate to this kind of elaborated NP under consideration
are, in the written discourse, which is dominated by labels with high semantic content, such as metalinguistic and indexical labels, related primarily to verbs of mental state: in spoken discourse, NPs with low semantic content prevail, for example generics and the “-phors” (cataphors), which are associated, predominantly, with relational verbs. Despite these differences, the elaborative segment in each type performs a similar role in the following ways: as an important strategy for the specification and identification of referents and moreover, in the organization of discourse.