Resumo

DIAZ BLANCA, Lourdes  e  VILLALOBOS, Ana Margarita. Infinitive impersonal sentences in the directive horoscopes: Spacing and attenuation strategies. Núcleo [online]. 2005, vol.17, n.22, pp.103-125. ISSN 0798-9784.

Our aim in this article is to: a) determine the level of occurrence of impersonal sentences of infinitive in dire c t i ve horoscopes (written modality), and b) relate the use of such constructions with the strategies of spacing and attenuation of the mandate in these texts. We examined seven magazines destined to horoscope and seven magazines (annexes in newspapers of national or regional circulation) that only contain a section dedicated to horoscope. In these texts we isolated a total of 600 impersonal sentences and of that sample we chose 320 constructed with infinitive. We determined a high incidence of impersonals of infinitive which seems to indicate that these structures are marks of depersonalization through which the presenters (authors or not, astrologers or not) protect their responsibility as well as what they say and how they say it.

Palavras-chave : directive horoscopes; impersonal sentences; infinitives.