O estudo do tópico discursivo e a manifestação do racismo nas tirinhas do Armandinho: uma análise da relação entre linguagem e sociedade pela abordagem funcionalista

Abstract

The present work develops a study on the discursive topic, present in the comic strip textual genre, adopting a qualitative and descriptive approach to data analysis. The general objective is to describe the strategies used to construct the discursive topics in the Armandinho strips, based on functionalist theoretical assumptions. As specific objectives, the work aims to: (i) understand the notion of discursive topic; (ii) categorize the discursive topics present in the analyzed corpus and (iii) analyze how racism manifests itself, using the functionalist approach, taking the character Camilo as a motivator of discourse on topics linked to race. For the theoretical framework, we are guided by authors such as Halliday (1964), Dik (1989), Cunha (2011), Koch (2001, 2006, 2009), Jubran (1991, 1992, 2006, 2007), Marcuschi (1996, 2006, 2008), Bortolo (2002), Ramos (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013), Lins (2008), Almeida (2021), among others. The choice of corpus is justified by the fact that the comic strip genre presents accessible, easy-to-read narratives, which mostly present comical and provocative endings and, mainly, because they are endowed with social criticism. Considering that the discursive topic establishes the informational focus of the text and occupies a privileged position in the discursive organization, we seek to demonstrate how the topical organization is presented in the selected strips. From the study and analyzes undertaken, it was possible to observe that the identification of the discursive topic in the strips and the analysis of the relationship between language and society in this genre occur not only in the analysis of verbal semiosis, but also in the set of semiosis that constitute such textual genre. Furthermore, in topical organization, strategies such as repetition, paraphrase and inference, among others, are used, which guarantee topical centering, progression and unity of the text. In view of the study of the discursive topic, present in the strips, the possibility of studying language as an instrument of social interaction was confirmed, seeking to awaken in the reader the need for reflection on themes linked to race, in addition to prejudiced and discriminatory problems, related to racism. The present work demonstrated that the analysis of the comic strip genre, in a functionalist approach, has a close relationship with social issues, which allowed us, when studying the discursive topic, to address socio-political-cultural themes, showing that the topical organization is related to linguistic and extralinguistic knowledge of the reader.