The agreed decision genre and the recontextualization of social actors

Abstract

The present work aims to show how social actors are recontextualized in agreed decisions. Twenty four collective judgments of varied nature were analyzed based on Halliday and Matthiessen (2004), van Leeuwen (1997) and Bortoluzzi (2008), in search for recurrent genre characteristics relating to recontextualization. The data obtained evince a pattern of inclusion of social actors. Those actors who participate in the forensic context are generally included by means of personalization and by appointment, and are, most of the times, activated. Those who do not take part in the forensic environment are included by means of impersonation and genericization, and can be either active or passive. The personation of the social actors that take part in the forensic environment is due to the fact that such actors are responsible for all actions and decisions that come to a collective sentence.