https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/5502 Sat, 12 Sep 2026 10:07:49 GMT 2026-09-12T10:07:49Z https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/50040 Title: Da fraseologia à metáfora em corpus de jornalismo especializado: o caso da alimentação em O Joio e o Trigo Abstract: This doctoral thesis aims to analyze and interpret the discursive functioning of phraseological and metaphorical units related to the field of food in the independent digital-native news outlet O Joio e o Trigo, investigating how these units contribute to the construction of critical frames concerning the contemporary food system. With this objective in mind, the analysis is theoretically and methodologically grounded in the articulation between Corpus Linguistics, Phraseology, and Metaphor Theory, conceiving language as social practice and metaphor as a central resource in meaning-making processes and symbolic disputes within journalistic discourse. From a phraseological perspective, we adopt the typology proposed by Corpas Pastor (1996); with regard to metaphor, we primarily draw on the cognitive approach developed by Lakoff and Johnson (2002), as well as Pamies Bertrán’s (2002) contributions to the analysis of iconic models and archimetaphors, in dialogue with discursive and corpus-based approaches to metaphor. The research is classified as documentary and qualitative-interpretive in nature, combining quantitative and qualitative procedures typical of Corpus Linguistics. The study corpus, named CorJT, consists of journalistic texts published on the O Joio e o Trigo website, totaling over 1.3 million words. The analysis was carried out through the extraction and observation of recurring lexical and phraseological patterns, using tools available in Sketch Engine, followed by contextual interpretation of the units in their cotexts and discursive contexts of use. In order to understand the functioning of specialized food journalism and its role in struggles over meaning in the public sphere, we engage with studies on independent journalism, framing, and discursive hegemony, considering the explicit editorial positioning of the analyzed outlet. The findings reveal that phraseological units related to the field of food constitute a relatively stable repertoire in the discourse of O Joio e o Trigo, playing a central role in the construction of evaluations, hierarchizations, and explanations of the food system. We observe that such units are often linked to processes of metaphorization, especially through the iconic models of [CONFLICT], [FOOD], [LANDSCAPE], and [OBJECT], which are distributed across various archimetaphors. These, in turn, attribute agency to specific social actors and naturalize critical diagnoses on issues such as public health, state regulation, and food injustice. The analysis further shows that, even when they do not display an explicit metaphorical character, phraseological units contribute to the stabilization of interpretive frames and to the legitimation of particular readings of contemporary food practices. Thus, metaphor does not function as an isolated or ornamental resource, but rather in articulation with a specialized lexicon that lends technical, scientific, and political density to journalistic discourse. Considering that texts produce social and causal effects (Fairclough, 2003), the results of this research indicate that the discourse of O Joio e o Trigo, by mobilizing specific phraseological combinations and recurring metaphors, actively participates in symbolic struggles around food, challenging hegemonic discourses and contributing to the construction of critical frames concerning the Brazilian food system. Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/50040 2026-02-27T00:00:00Z https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/49807 Title: Um mergulho nas crenças das mães: navegando nas experiências da inclusão escolar de crianças com deficiência Abstract: The relationship between family and school has been characterized by encounters, disagreements, and other challenges in the developmental processes of children with disabilities. In this context, analyzing the constitution of this relationship from the perspective of the beliefs of mothers of children with disabilities occupies a central place in this research. This occurs once the way mothers interpret their experiences of motherhood –such as feelings of shock, fear, sadness, stigmas, and prejudices present in society – influences how they construct coping strategies. These strategies include seeking information about disability and relying on formal and informal support networks. These elements can favor the process of acceptance, hope, and redefining their expectations regarding the development of their children. In this sense, this research investigated the beliefs of two mothers of children with disabilities about their children’s schooling process. This allowed for an understanding not only of the challenges experienced in daily caregiving but also of the meanings attributed to motherhood, educational practices, and the condition of disability itself, offering insights for the formulation of policies and psychosocial interventions more sensitive to the needs of these families. Thus, the research objectives were to understand the beliefs of mothers of children with disabilities regarding their children’s learning and inclusion in school, and how these beliefs are/have been (re)elaborated in the face of the school inclusion movement for these children; to analyze and discuss the relationship between these mothers’ beliefs and their children’s school experiences; to problematize school inclusion from the perspective of mothers’ beliefs; and finally, to build subsidies for actions that enable inclusive practices that consider the effective participation of families, specifically mothers. At the end of this research, it is possible to say that I believe the mothers’ beliefs are re-signified as they take the lead and provoke the school (in partnership with the institution or not) to rethink its pedagogical practices, inviting the school team to make new arrangements, as well as reviewing their beliefs about the inclusion movement. Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/49807 2026-05-27T00:00:00Z https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/49665 Title: Usando sinais para negociar significados em um mundo ouvinte: “Autoetnonarrativa” de um surdo até chegar ao magistério superior sob a perspectiva teórica da linguística sistêmico-funcional e do constructo sociológico de expertise Abstract: This doctoral thesis aims to tap into how a Deaf individual constructs and negotiates meanings in a predominantly hearing world by drawing on both Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and the sociological construct of expertise. Using autoethnonarrative as a research method, the author – a Deaf individual – reflectively and critically reconstructs his trajectory, from childhood to his current professional experience as a professor, in order to analyze the linguistic and social challenges faced by Deaf people in academia. The study demonstrates that Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) constitutes a complete semiotic system through which the Deaf community constructs and expresses their worldview, but in a semiogenetic temporality that is distinct from that of Portuguese, especially in specialized/academic contexts. The analysis highlights that knowledge is not detached from language, and that every linguistic choice is socially situate, i.e., language is, above all, a social practice of meaning-making. From a theoretical perspective, the research expands the scope of SFL by applying it to a visuospatial language, in which an additional spatial axis complements the paradigmatic and syntagmatic axes already established in SFL for audiovocal languages. On a methodological level, it demonstrates that a personal narrative can generate rigorous and socially relevant knowledge if grounded on a consistent theoretical framework. On a social level, the study reaffirms the importance of bilingual education (Libras–Portuguese) for both Deaf and hearing individuals, as well as the epistemic inclusion of Deaf people in higher education and research. It also advocates for the recognition of Libras as a legitimate language of academic and scientific production. In challenging the knowledge asymmetry between research outputs in Libras and in Portuguese within academia, this thesis is written in academic Portuguese while simultaneously attempting to resist the hegemony of that language. To this end, it provides pioneering reflections on the development of speech – whether in an audiovocal or a visuospatial language – as a ubiquitous form of expertise, inherent to individuals socialized in different semiotic and cultural systems, and essential to the development of specialized forms of expertise, such as those found in academic environments. Ultimately, this thesis reaffirms that assuring a legitimate space for the Deaf community and its language means both broadening the horizons of knowledge itself and promoting the semiogenic development of Brazilian Sign Language. Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/49665 2025-10-29T00:00:00Z https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/49192 Title: Investigação do léxico, das estruturas fraseo morfológicas na escrita de pessoas surdas por diferentes gêneros textuais: uma análise a partir da Linguística de Corpus Abstract: This thesis presents a study on the writing of deaf individuals from the perspective of Corpus Linguistics (CL). Its general objective is to analyze texts produced during a Brazilian Portuguese (BP) course offered as an additional language, in order to identify recurring lexical, grammatical, and morphosyntactic patterns, as well as to characterize the levels of Interlanguage (IL) and the encapsulation processes present in these productions. As specific objectives, the study includes the development of a specialized corpus composed of written productions in BP created by deaf individuals, with the aim of supporting linguistic analyses grounded in CL. It also involves the systematic identification and description of predominant (a)typical lexico-grammatical features in these productions, considering the frequency and distribution of grammatical classes such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives, in order to map patterns of lexical choice and possible lexical restrictions. Additionally, the study investigates the use of infinitive verb forms, syntactic inversions in sentence order, and nominal derivation processes through affixation, seeking to understand how these aspects may reveal patterns characteristic of the participants’ writing, possibly influenced by Brazilian Sign Language (Libras). The defended thesis argues that the writing of deaf individuals in BP should be recognized as a legitimate form of expression in an additional language, respecting its particularities. In analyzing linguistic patterns, the study seeks to understand these productions as manifestations of IL, valuing the visual and gestural experiences of Libras, while also considering encapsulation as a process inherent to deaf textual constructions rather than as a deviation from the norm. The theoretical framework encompasses the historical trajectory of deaf education and the development of written BP as an additional language. It addresses the linguistic systems of BP and Libras, considering phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic levels. The study incorporates theories from Chomskyan linguistics as well as contributions from Vygotsky, Bakhtin, Quadros, and Pizzio, which support the understanding of linguistic learning processes among deaf individuals. The concept of IL is discussed based on Schlatter, Garcez, Leffa, Irala, and Furlanetto. The approach to textual genres is grounded in Bakhtin, Cristóvão, and Dolz. Online teaching-learning contexts and the foundations of CL are also addressed, with emphasis on phraseology and lexicology. The methodology follows the principles of CL, employing the WordSmith Tools software to conduct quantitative analyses through the WordList and Concord tools, which enable the identification of the frequency of the linguistic phenomena under analysis. Results revealed a high frequency of infinitive verbs, which function as morphosyntactic strategies for simplification and verbal organization in IL. In addition, syntactic inversions were identified as reflecting transfer from Libras, particularly from the topic–comment pattern. It was also found that nominalizations through derivation signal morphological development in BP and indicate progression in IL levels. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that such elements configure a distinctive bilingual grammar marked both by the influence of Libras and by the advancement of written BP. In this sense, these phenomena should not be interpreted as deviations but rather as legitimate linguistic strategies of IL, constituting complex, autonomous, and systematic forms of written BP produced by deaf participants who use it as an additional language. Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/49192 2026-02-26T00:00:00Z