Semântica na sala de aula: acarretamento no gênero outdoor

Abstract

The general objective of this research is to investigate the occurrence of entailment in the discourse genre billboard and, when identified, to analyze how this phenomenon develops and how it can be applied to the teaching and learning of linguistic analysis. To achieve this objective, the study is based on three complementary theoretical frameworks: Bakhtin's (2003) theory of discourse genres, Cançado's (2012) studies on entailment in Semantics, and the guidelines of the Brazilian National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) (Brazil, 2018) for Portuguese language teaching. Based on these foundations, the specific objectives were: (a) to conduct a literature review in the field of Semantics in order to define the concept of entailment; (b) to examine entailment as a linguistic phenomenon in the literature; (c) to collect examples of the discourse genre billboard; (d) to study and reflect on the entailment relations found in these utterances; (e) to discuss the concepts of discourse genres and linguistic analysis; and (f) to reflect on how this topic can be explored in the classroom in accordance with the guidelines of the BNCC. Regarding the methodology, data were generated through extensive online documentary research conducted using Google to search for billboard images containing semantic entailment relations. This search resulted in the selection of three billboards. The analytical procedures were based on the concept of entailment, understood not merely as a simple semantic relation, but as a tool that reveals how textual coherence and argumentative strength are constructed. One of the billboards contained the following sentences: (01) Greet people from a distance and (02) Avoid handshakes, hugs, and kisses. The analysis showed that sentence (01) entails sentence (02), but not the other way around. Sentence (01) provides a general guideline for behavior, whereas sentence (02) specifies how this behavior should be carried out. Applying the contradiction test, affirming (01) while denying (02) results in: (03) Greet people from a distance, but do not avoid handshakes, hugs, and kisses. This statement is contradictory because greeting people from a distance necessarily presupposes the absence of physical contact. Therefore, the entailment relation is confirmed. This relationship shows that the first sentence functions as a general principle, while the second provides a practical explanation of the expected behavior, reinforcing the persuasive effect of the campaign. Analyzing this relation reveals the semantic mechanism through which the text functions and persuades its audience.The results showed that this and the other billboards analyzed contain both one-way and two-way entailment relations, demonstrating how meanings are logically and persuasively organized within the genre and highlighting the explanatory potential of this semantic phenomenon. The findings also indicate that entailment can be incorporated into the teaching of linguistic analysis by taking the text as the central object of reflection in authentic communicative situations, in accordance with the BNCC. Thus, this research contributes examples of entailment in the billboard genre that may support both students' learning and teaching practice, offering new possibilities for language education.