Metáfora cognitivo-discursiva e argumentação nos textos sobre a covid-19 no ambiente digital

Abstract

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 left deep marks on society and will be remembered by all those who experienced moments of pain, loss, and challenges. By proposing this research on cognitive-discursive metaphor and argumentation in texts related to COVID-19 in the digital environment, the aim is to understand, at least in part, how this phenomenon affects human language. Based on the hypothesis that individuals, in general, use cognitive and argumentative mechanisms to share and defend worldviews and beliefs, this research primarily aims to analyze conceptual metaphors employed as argumentative strategies to refer to COVID-19 in news headlines published on websites between the years 2020 and 2021. More specifically, it aims to identify metaphorical occurrences in these headlines and highlight constructions that contribute to argumentativity in the digital environment. To achieve these objectives, we rely on the theoretical assumptions of Lakoff and Johnson (2002) on Conceptual Metaphor Theory and the theories of Amossy (2018) regarding Argumentation in Discourse. In addition to these authors, the studies of Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca (2005), Sontag (1984, 2007), Vereza (2007; 2013; 2020), Abreu (2009; 2010), Ferrari (2014) and Sperandio (2021) also support this research. This study is characterized by a qualitative and descriptive approach, as it seeks to explain and describe phenomena, through characteristics or patterns observed in each context, in this case in texts about COVID-19, in the digital environment. Regarding the objective, it is explanatory research of a bibliographic nature, whose corpus consists of headlines from news websites and blogs found through the Google search tool. These headlines construct their argumentation through the metaphors COVID-19 IS WAR, COVID-19 IS A NATURAL PHENOMENON, and COVID-19 IS A MONSTER. Based on the analyses, it was possible to observe how, in each headline, the speaker builds their argument before an audience using conceptual metaphors, verbal mechanisms, and argumentative schemes.