La construcción de la evidencia en el reporte de violación a los derechos humanos: el rol de la modalidad

Claudia Castro

doi:10.14198/dissoc.16.4.4

Authors

Claudia Castro Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7003-5282

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14198/dissoc.16.4.4

Keywords:

Human rights violations, Modality, Discourse of History, Appraisal

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the role of modality in the report of human rights violations during Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile (1973-1990), as they are informed in the Rettig Report (1991). In particular, we address how authors use modal resources to present the evidence that supports their research and results. From the theoretical framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics, modality resources are analyzed considering type of modality (modalization and modulation), orientation (objective or subjective) and realization (congruent or metaphoric). The analysis also considers the interpersonal positionings and evaluations presented in the text according to the APPRAISAL system. The results show the fundamental role modality meanings have in presenting and validating the Commission’s results, along with the use of external sources and the account of circumstances surrounding the reported events. These resources operate in the complex context of the Report’s publication, as the first official document regarding the systematic human rights violations in Chile.

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