“Balbúrdia”: polysemy whilst interpreting of conflict between social voices

Abstract

This article aims to analyse the polysemy as an interpreting of conflicts between social voices, and it is based on the dialogical theory of discourse and on the enunciation theory of Benveniste. To do so, it is verified the way polysemy marks the confrontation between social voices: a) as an oppressive designation given by dominant groups to the oppressed people and as a strategy of revaluation of the oppressive words by oppressed groups and b) as a critical designation of the dominated groups to their oppressors and as an attempt of the dominant group to revaluate/neutralize the critical dominations given to it by the oppressed groups. Then, it is observed a contemporary example of the mentioned phenomenon: the word revaluation of “balbúrdia”, in 2019, used by Brazilian university students, in response to a polemic statement of Abraham Weintraub, Minister of Education of the current management. It is found that the social contradictions do not enclose in one or other statement, they should be observed through the dialogue stablished between different social voices.