DISCOURSE OF INCITING TO ACTION IN THE PREGNANT WOMAN'S NOTEBOOK FROM A SEMIOLINGUISTIC AND PRAGMATIC PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This research analyzed the Ministry of Health's discourse in the eighth version of the Pregnant Women's Handbook, published in 2023, seeking to identify the language used in the discourse, examine the material's communicational purpose, and describe the booklet's importance for pregnant women. This is a descriptive, qualitative bibliographic study, with a documentary analysis approach based on Discourse Analysis, using Semiolinguistic Theory within the field of Linguistics. The results of the analyses revealed that the Pregnant Women's Handbook adopts at least two types of language: verbal and nonverbal. It assumes a primary target audience of pregnant women, but also an allied audience of health workers. This dual discursive direction reveals varied communicational purposes, a fact that impacts the distinct use of language, with a more technical language intended for the health team and a simpler, more accessible language for pregnant women. The analyses also demonstrated that the discourse of the booklet is not merely descriptive or narrative, but rather argumentative, aiming to gain the target audience's support for the promotion of pregnancy health. Based on the discussion of the results, it is concluded that the Pregnant Women's Booklet has a basic communicational purpose that encompasses not only guidance but also health promotion, as well as inclusion and strengthening of the bond between pregnant women and health services. Therefore, it is an important resource for managing a responsible and conscious pregnancy.

Keywords: Pregnant Women's Booklet. Ministry of Health. Discourse Analysis.