Multifuncionalidade do item TIPO na fala de Natal/RN: funções morfossintáticas versus funções interacionais

Abstract

In the light of North American functionalism, this thesis aims to obtain synchronic evidence of the grammaticalization path that TIPO isfollowing in the speech of Natal/RN. Therefore, I described and analyzed morphosyntactic and interactional functions performed by this item in correlation to social and linguistic/textual factors.This research dialogues with variationist sociolinguistics, making use this theory proposals concerning linguistic change with regard to social and stylistic explanations. Data come from FalaNatal Database, which is composed of 48 interviews stratified by age (8 to 12 years, 15 to 21 years, 24 to 45 years old, over 50 years old), sex (female, male) and educational level (elementary I, elementary II and high school). I identify 13 functions performed by TIPO. Four of them were classified as morphosyntactic: comparison, exemplification, explanation and conclusion. In these functions TIPO perform textual roles, connecting clauses with a greater degree of obligation in the structure. The other nine functions are interactional in nature. They are: elaboration marking, re-elaboration marking, informational imprecision marking, factual introduction, emphasis marking, approximate delimitation, direct quote introduction, sequencing marking and clarification request. In these functions TIPO performs more interpersonal roles, expressing attitudes of the speaker towards the listener. I organized the functions of TIPO in a continuum of (inter)subjectification from more subjective meanings to more intersubjective ones. This continnum seems to uncover the stages of the trajectory of grammaticalization followed by TIPO. Besides, older morphosyntactic functions and more recent interactional functions were quantitatively contrasted with regard to age, gender, sentence scope and textual sequence. The results showed a distinct behavior of the morphosyntactic and interactional functions of TIPO as for these factors.