Resumo

ERLICH, Frances. The interpersonal relation with the audience: The case of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez' discourse. Rev. signos [online]. 2005, vol.38, n.59, pp.287-302. ISSN 0718-0934.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-09342005000300002.

The purpose of this article is to present evidence of the linguistic resources deployed by the Venezuelan president when he addresses his audience through his radio and television weekly program "Aló Presidente". Within the framework of Critical Discourse Analysis, my starting point is the assumption that these mechanisms contribute to reflect and to reproduce the polarization which has characterized Venezuelan political dialogue in recent years. In fact, during this program the president introduces topics that enable him to establish clear distinctions between his interlocutors. Extracts of these productions are analyzed qualitatively in order to identify references or designations of the different groups that he addresses. The research yields evidence of how the president maintains a relationship of proximity or solidarity with some of his interlocutors and one of exclusion or depreciation with others. It is concluded that the pragmatic function of the identified linguistic marks in this particular communicative situation plays an important role in developing a polarized dialogue and thus hinders the possibilities of overcoming the socio-political conflict

Palavras-chave : Interlocutive relations; political discourse; polarization.