MÁXIMAS CONVERSACIONAIS DIRECIONADAS AO TRABALHO DE FACE EM DEPOIMENTOS DA CPI DA COVID-19

Abstract

This study analyzes, from the perspective of spoken language, the linguistic strategies employed in the testimonies of the Covid-19 Parliamentary Inquiry (CPI), focusing on the statements by former Health Ministers Luiz Henrique Mandetta, Marcelo Queiroga, and Eduardo Pazuello. The theoretical framework encompasses Pragmatics, based on authors such as Grice (1975), Searle (1994), Fiorin (2021), Yule (1996), Pinto (2012); Conversation Analysis, according to Marcuschi (2001), Clark (2001), Cleyman and Heritage (2021), Koch (2006); and theories on Face-Work and Politeness, grounded in Goffman (1967), Brown and Levinson (1987), Kerbrat-Orecchioni (2006), Fávero, Andrade, and Aquino (2000), among other authors deemed relevant for the research. Additionally, the theoretical framework explores the specificities of a Parliamentary Inquiry and its role in the Brazilian legal system. The corpus consists of transcriptions of videos available on the TV Senado YouTube channel, following the guidelines established by Preti (2009). The general aim of this study is to analyze the use of conversational maxims in relation to face-work procedures in the selected testimonies. To achieve this, the specific objectives include: discussing the use of linguistic strategies aimed at reducing the problematic nature of topics addressed in the testimonies of the former Health Ministers; investigating the underlying intentions of the interlocutors and the effects of meaning produced in the CPI interactions; and analyzing the discursive dynamics emerging from the adherence to or violation of conversational maxims. After transcribing the testimonies, the research adopted the empirical inductive method, based on the characteristics of spoken language and the inherent variability of spontaneous interaction in real contexts (Galembeck, 1999). This qualitative study describes and interprets the spoken discourse of witnesses and senators, identifying meaning patterns within the selected theoretical framework. The results of the analyses reveal that the selected hearings are characterized by conversational strategies that reflect attempts to preserve both the positive and negative face of the interlocutors, as well as frequent violations of conversational maxims. An often ineffective communicative dynamic is also observed, resulting from inquisitorial interactions between senators and witnesses. Therefore, the results contribute to the fields of Pragmatics and Conversation Analysis by offering a deeper understanding of the conversational strategies used in highly conflicting institutional contexts. Keywords: Conversational Maxims; CPI; Covid-19.