Variação discursiva entre as perífrases Só Que e Sendo Que em notícias e reportagens

Abstract

This research, grounded in the theoretical-methodological framework of variationist sociolinguistics, analyzes the discourse variation between the conjunctional periphrases SÓ QUE and SENDO QUE in the codification of opposition by counterexpectation. r this purpose, 500 tokens of each periphrasis were extracted from Corpus do Português. The following factor groups were quantitatively controlled: (i) semantic-pragmatic functions: differentiation marking, marking of dissatisfaction with conditions, marking of unexpected or undesirable events, marking of refutation, and marking of counter-argumentation; (ii) discursive genres: news and report; (iii) position of periphrasis: beginning of period and beginning of clause; (iv) discourse type: authorial and quotation; and (v) topic: football, celebrity, politics, security, economy, entertainment, sport, health, etc. After encoding the variants according to the factor groups, statistical analyses were conducted using GoldVarb X software. The findings indicate that the semantic-pragmatic functions of marking difference, non-satisfaction of conditions, and unexpected or undesired events favored the use of SÓ QUE. In contrast, the marking of rectification and counter-argumentation favored the use of SENDO QUE. Additionally, the news genre, characterized by a blend of formal and informal registers, showed a preference for SÓ QUE, while reports, which typically exhibit a higher degree of formality, favored SENDO QUE. Informal reported speech demonstrated a tendency towards SÓ QUE, whereas formal non-reported speech showed a preference for SENDO QUE. Furthermore, simpler subjects were associated with the use of SÓ QUE, while more complex subjects favored SENDO QUE. It was also observed that SENDO QUE appeared more frequently at the beginning of clauses, whereas SÓ QUE was more commonly used at the beginning of periods, a position often linked to informality in coordinating conjunctions. These findings suggest that stylistic considerations play a significant role in the selection between the conjunctional periphrasis SÓ QUE and SENDO QUE when encoding oppositional relations through counter-expectation in journalistic texts.