The BURDEN OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE US EMBASSY SALVATIONIST DISCOURSE THROUGH THE LENSES OF THE APPRAISAL SYSTEM

Abstract

the main objective of this study is the generation of understandings about the salvationist discourse produced by the US Embassy in Brazil in their Instagram account regarding the English language. Through lenses that relate the salvationist discourse to the imperialistic political practice, this research’s theoretical framework is based on three main pillars: a discussion about the classic and contemporary notions of imperialism (LENIN, 2008), a reflection concerning the concept of salvationism (VAUGEOIS, 2007) and a historical review of the imperialistic pathway followed by the USA (HOPKINS, 2018). The selected data are analyzed with support of the analytical toolkit of the Appraisal System (MARTIN; WHITE, 2005). As a branch of the Systemic-Functional Linguistics (HALLIDAY, 1994), the Appraisal System categorizes and maps the appraisal elements available in language. The analyses highlight the rhetoric resources and strategies employed in the process of discursive construction of the imperialistic salvationism regarding the English language, pointing out the key role performed by the evaluative elements in this enterprise.