A modalização no elogio e na crítica: um estudo de cartas de leitores da Revista Veja

Abstract

This study focuses on some important points related to the letter to the editor, among them, the communicative purpose and the modeling which structures this sort of text. The communicative purpose of these letters is analyzed from a Bakhtnian conception of the discourse genders, as well as the theory about modeling made by Vion and Queler analyzing the involvement level in accordance to Chafe. Based on this, twenty letters to the editor published in Veja magazine are hereby analyzed. The texts were divided by modelings, which indicate the communicative purpose of each letter. Within this analysis, it is possible to recognize the most remarkable purposes of the letters to the editor: the compliments and the critics. Moreover, it is realized that the most remarkable purposes are characterized by the thematic content. The research revealed that the letters to the editor link the gender conception to the readdressing of specificities and observation of certain marks under what the text is produced on a view of its own communicative purpose. The letters of compliment cause satisfaction, acceptance of the readers/writers’ articles. On the other hand, the criticizing letters reveal non-satisfaction and suggestions. The study in this field contributes to researches about gender, in view of their dynamicity and variability.