Causality: analysis of enunciations produced in a real estate agents’ meeting

Abstract

This paper aims at analyzing causality, how it is expressed, and the different
meanings of ‘because’ and its discursive functions in conversational turns observed during a real estate meeting. The research produced the following results: (a) many clauses introduced by ´subordinate conjunctions’ are not subordinate at all; on the other hand, the cause-effect relation is not always signalled by traditionally accepted means. In addition, it can be implicit, in which case the hearer must deduce the link through contextual information; (b) there are three types of causality: content, epistemic and speech act; and (c) the causal construction involves other discursive functions: within the dialogic perspective of language, it often emerges after rhetorical relations of contrast and negation, or, more generically, after propositions that are distinct from shared expectations. We based our study mainly on Jordan (1998), Sweetser (1990) and Ford (1994; 2000), who studied these issues in English, to compare them with Portuguese.