Esta dissertação examina a construção dos exórdios dos diálogos de Cícero e aponta alguns elementos que entram em sua composição. No exórdio, articulam-se os preceitos do gênero, anunciado como sermo e disputatio; introduz-se a continens oratio como uma das formas de interlocução; ressaltam-se a auctoritas entre as características que o romano deseja ver nas personae que circulam nos diálogos, o otium e as feriae Latinae como circunstâncias adequadas, e o ambiente familiar e agradável no campo como cenário decoroso ao gênero. Verifica-se a conversação preliminar como uma espécie de exórdio da conversação, exercendo papel complementar ao exórdio do diálogo. É parte integrante deste trabalho a tradução em português dos exórdios estudados. / This work examines the construction of the prefaces of Cicero’s dialogues and points some elements which are part of its composition. In preface, genre’s precepts are articulated; genre is announced as sermo and disputatio; the continens oratio is introduced as one way of interlocution; auctoritas is pointed up among features which Romans want to see in personae who circulate in the dialogues. Otium and feriae Latinae are adequate circumstances, and pleasant familiar environment in countryside is suitable set to genre. Preliminary conversation is verified as a preface of conversation, performing a complementary role to preface of dialogue. The translation into Portuguese of the referred prefaces is also obtainable.

Esta dissertação examina a construção dos exórdios dos diálogos de Cícero e aponta alguns elementos que entram em sua composição. No exórdio, articulam-se os preceitos do gênero, anunciado como sermo e disputatio; introduz-se a continens oratio como uma das formas de interlocução; ressaltam-se a auctoritas entre as características que o romano deseja ver nas personae que circulam nos diálogos, o otium e as feriae Latinae como circunstâncias adequadas, e o ambiente familiar e agradável no campo como cenário decoroso ao gênero. Verifica-se a conversação preliminar como uma espécie de exórdio da conversação, exercendo papel complementar ao exórdio do diálogo. É parte integrante deste trabalho a tradução em português dos exórdios estudados. / This work examines the construction of the prefaces of Cicero’s dialogues and points some elements which are part of its composition. In preface, genre’s precepts are articulated; genre is announced as sermo and disputatio; the continens oratio is introduced as one way of interlocution; auctoritas is pointed up among features which Romans want to see in personae who circulate in the dialogues. Otium and feriae Latinae are adequate circumstances, and pleasant familiar environment in countryside is suitable set to genre. Preliminary conversation is verified as a preface of conversation, performing a complementary role to preface of dialogue. The translation into Portuguese of the referred prefaces is also obtainable.

The thesis deals with the employment of direct forms of presentation in the genre of hard news. The texts for the analysis were excerpted from the main British broadsheet newspapers. The classification of forms of presentation is based on Semino and Short (2004) and focuses on their deictic and syntactic properties, interpreted in terms of the pragmatic concepts of perspective, faithfulness claims and the role of the reported and reporting speaker. Attention is paid to various direct forms, including direct speech, free direct speech and combined forms, i.e. non-direct forms appearing with a partial direct quote. The thesis draws heavily on the work by White (1998), whose approach to genre is informed by the ideas proposed by the Sydney School and Systemic Functional Linguistics. Hard news is characterised by the orbital generic structure, consisting of the nucleus and a number of specifying satellites (White 1998). The occurrence of direct and combined forms of presentation is explained by their deictic, syntactic and pragmatic properties, the generic role and characteristic features of the nucleus and individual satellites, and the overall function of hard news. The function of hard news and forms of presentation is also discussed in terms of the more general concepts of heteroglossia, dialogue...