The negotiation of images in court statements and in electoral debate

Abstract

This work exposes the face work is inherent in language. Thus, the notion of face has central importance. Goffman defines the face as a positive social value that the subject claims. This notion is fundamental to linguistic studies, because it affects all levels of discourse. That is, all language resources can help in the face work. Thus, the interlocutors can preserve or attack the images involved in the interaction. Based on this notion, we propose the study of two genres – the testimony and the electoral debate. We will study the electoral debate that occurred in 2012 between the candidates for mayor of São Paulo, Fernando Haddad and José Serra, and two testimonials related to a complaint of a victim against his boyfriend, testimonials recorded in the police stations specialized in serving women. The studies of these genres show that, in situations of strained communication, language is not a mere instrument of communication. In fact, the language allows interlocutors – a victim of aggression or a candidate – build appropriate images to communicative purposes.