TEXT AND TEXTUALITY: FOUNDATIONS FOR THE STUDY OF THE PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE

Abstract

The study of text and textuality occupies a central position in Text Linguistics research and in the teaching practices of the Portuguese language, as it makes it possible to understand how language is organized to produce meaning in different communicative contexts. The objective of this work is to discuss the concepts of text and textuality, as well as to present the main factors responsible for the construction of textual meaning. To this end, it draws on theoretical contributions from Text Linguistics, especially the reflections of Ingedore Villaça Koch (2002) and Luiz Antônio Marcuschi (2008), in addition to the proposed criteria of textuality presented by Robert-Alain de Beaugrande and Wolfgang Dressler (1981). The study shows that the text should be understood as a communicative unit that goes beyond the simple sum of sentences, involving linguistic, cognitive, social, and cultural factors. Thus, textuality is constituted by elements such as cohesion, coherence, intentionality, acceptability, informativeness, situationality, and intertextuality, which guarantee the production and interpretation of meaning. In the educational context, understanding these principles contributes to improving reading, interpretation, and text production practices in the teaching of the Portuguese language.