Causal Relations Signaled by the Connector porque [because]: Articulating functional-cognitive, and Interactional-discursive Perspectives

Abstract In this work, we study how the connector porque [because] acts in signaling causality in the last presidential debate of the 2018 Brazilian presidential campaign. The objective was to verify if the connector is characterized by multifunctionality, not only signaling a cause-and-effect relationship but introducing arguments to justify speech acts and support opinions, beliefs, and judgments expressed in the sentence to which it is connected. Understanding these roles required articulating two distinct but complementary theoretical perspectives: the cognitive-functional and the discursive-interactional. Analyzing the 89 occurrences of the connector, we show that the agonizing nature of the debate genre makes the majority of occurrences of causal sentences with porque allowing the performance of a wide range of speech acts and to supporting (explaining or justifying) beliefs or judgments expressed in the main constituent.

摘要 本研究聚焦2018年巴西总统竞选最后一场总统辩论，考察连词porque（对应英文because）在其中如何发挥因果标记功能。本研究旨在验证该连词是否具备多功能性特征：其不仅可标记因果关系，还可引入论据以佐证其所连接语句中表达的言语行为，并支撑相关观点、信念与判断。要明晰该连词的这些功能，需结合两种既相互独立又互为补充的理论视角：认知功能主义视角与话语互动视角。通过分析该连词的89处使用实例，本研究发现，辩论体裁所固有的激烈对抗特质，使得绝大多数带有porque的因果语句能够用于实施多样言语行为，并为主句中表达的信念或判断提供支撑（即对其进行解释或佐证）。