OS GÊNEROS DO DISCURSO NAS VISÕES DE ARISTÓTELES E BAKHTIN

Abstract

This article examines the concept of speech genres from two contrasting theoretical frameworks: Aristotle’s classical rhetoric and Mikhail Bakhtin’s twentieth-century philosophy of language. For Aristotle, speech genres constitute an argumentative classification rooted in the persuasive aims of rhetoric and are divided into three species—deliberative, forensic, and demonstrative—each defined by its pragmatic purpose. In contrast, Bakhtin conceives speech genres as relatively stable types of utterances shaped by three inseparable components: thematic content, style, and compositional structure, all derived from concrete historical and ideological conditions of human communication. Through the analysis of real discursive excerpts, the study demonstrates that the term “speech genre” carries distinct meanings in Aristotelian and Bakhtinian traditions, thus requiring careful interdisciplinary use. The paper concludes that while Aristotle seeks to systematize persuasive strategies, Bakhtin emphasizes the utterance as a dialogic unit of verbal interaction.