Keywords
appraisal theory
evaluative encoding
security/insecurity
graduation
narrative subjectivity
How to Cite
Abstract
This article analyzes the systems of Attitude (Affect and Graduation), as proposed in Appraisal Theory (Martin y White, 2005), in personal narratives related to life-risk episodes. The corpus consists of eight stories told by university women in Querétaro, Mexico, in which 173 evaluative utterances were identified. The analysis considers polarity, type of encoding (inscribed or evoked), and emotional triggers. The results show that the security/insecurity category is the most frequent, with a predominance of negative emotions associated with fear and vulnerability. These emotions are primarily constructed through evoked evaluations, modulated by force or focus graduation. The study concludes that the speakers use language as a resource to emotionally manage and shape risk situations, revealing specific forms of subjective positioning in contexts of vulnerability.
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