Relações retóricas em textos: a contribuição do aspecto = Rhetorical relations in texts: the contribution of aspect

Abstract

This paper aims at investigating how the rhetorical relations are inferred in a literary text and what is the role of aspect in the process of inference. With respect to the first point, it will be argued that the analysis of the text requires the consideration of two levels of representation as far as rhetorical relations are concerned: the rhetorical relations at a macro-structural level and the rhetorical relations at a micro-structural level. Regarding the second point, the claim is that the integration of the aspectual characteristics of the situations in the postulates on rhetorical relations can greatly improve the process of inference and contribute to a better understanding of the rhetorical relations. The adopted theoretical framework is the Segmented Discourse Representation Theory (Asher and Lascarides, 2003).