The interjections of Brazilian Portuguese from the perspective of formal semantics and pragmatics

• Grant number: 14/05053-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2014
• End date: May 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Linguistics - Applied Linguistics
• Principal Investigator: Renato Miguel Basso
• Grantee: Ariane Teixeira
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Of all classes of words historically considered, of interjections is certainly one that has received less attention in the grammars . For example , in grammars of the Portuguese them fit the space of a list , prefaced by vague statements as " interjections express feelings and / or emotions ." Beside a more or less closed for inventory interjections sometimes grammars mention the " interjetivas phrases " which , like other types of phrases would in principle be an open class - in contrast to the interjections , which supposedly would be a closed class - whose members are made up of two or more lexical items .The idea that interjections ( and interjetivas phrases ) have the function of " expression of feelings and emotions " is, if not wrong , at least extremely imprecise and serves to isolate a class of words . This misconception that definition is because the interjections do more than relate to the expression of feelings - they can be used as a discursive and argumentative markers .Thus , the idea of expressing feelings is not necessary to define interjections , nor is it enough to do so, simply because we can express feelings and emotions with words of other classes than the class of interjections .Therefore, in addition to a list, which the grammar says about interjections does not serve as a minimum guide on these items . The picture becomes even more complicated when we realize that the interjections , contrary to what certain grammars and manuals make us think , are rather part of the grammar of a language . We can not, for example, consider someone who learned to speak Portuguese or speak if you know not to use and interpret the interjections .Given this situation , this research project has the main objective fill this gap and provide a grammatical description of the interjections of Brazilian Portuguese . To do so , launch the hand tools found in formal semantics and pragmatics of natural languages . The justification for these theories and make use of its conceptual framework is in fact the formal theories spelling out , through a logical-mathematical , metalanguage which is propositional contribution - if there is any - (s) of item ( s ) under research.