A TRANSITIVIDADE VERBAL SOB A ÓTICA FUNCIONAL

Abstract

Abstract: Transitivity doesn’t imply a dichotomy (transitive x intransitive), because it is a gradient phenomenon, which concerns the grammar of the sentence as a whole and not just the verb. therefore, this work has the general objective of investigating how Functional Linguistics (FL) contributes to the teaching of verbal transitivity in a reflexive way about language, based on the proposal of Hopper and Thompson (1980). To develop this proposal, we made a comparison between the traditional and functionalist approaches regarding the treatment of verbal transitivity. A question guided this research: how can Functional Linguistics contribute to a grammatical study that awakens the student's communicative competence, aiming at reflecting on the language and offering a social gain? We start from the understanding that verbal transitivity is connected to linguistic choices motivated by the transference situation between an agent and a patient. That way, depending on the set of characteristics of these participants, the sentence can be more or less transitive. We used Cunha and Souza (2011), Cunha, Costa and Cesario (2015), Neves (2013), and Faraco (2008), among others, as theoretical support.

Keywords: Functionalism. Verbal transitivity.