O discurso citado como argumentação na construção linguístico-discursiva de decisões judiciais

Abstract

The relationship between Language and Law is inseparable since Law relies on Language to manifest socially. This study focuses on how legal professionals use language rhetorically during judicial proceedings. It highlights the use of reported speech in judicial decisions, both explicitly and implicitly, and investigates how this mechanism supports judicial reasoning through the central question: how is reported speech used to justify and lend authority to judicial decisions? The research aligns with the Language, Education, and Work line of the PPGL/UTFPR, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue between Law and Linguistics. Its objectives include analyzing the use of reported speech in judicial decisions, understanding how reasoning and argumentation are structured in legal discourse, reflecting on the role of reported speech in persuasion, and identifying the convincing effects reported speech produces in judicial reasoning. The study is significant for understanding how language operates in the legal domain and enhancing legal professionals' technical expertise. Employing bibliographic and documentary research with an inductive-deductive, qualitative, and descriptive approach, the corpus comprises three judicial decisions: one sentence and two appellate decisions. The analysis draws on theoretical frameworks by Bakhtin (2016), Volóchinov (2021), Aristóteles (2005) and Perelman (1996), revealing that reported speech serves as a linguistic mechanism to impart authority, contextualization, and credibility within argumentative activities, depending on its application.