From boy lixo to boy clt
the conceptualization of the man in the contemporary Brazilian Portuguese [boy X] construction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.13102/cl.v26iEspecial.12323Keywords:
[boy + x] construction, Frame semantics, Construction grammar, Cognitive Linguistics, Digital discourseAbstract
The present article investigates the [boy X] construction in contemporary Brazilian Portuguese, based on a corpus of occurrences extracted from interactions on Instagram. The analysis draws on Frame Semantics (Fillmore, 1982, 1985) and Construction Grammar (Goldberg, 2006; Croft, 2001; Pinheiro, 2025), theoretical frameworks that conceive meaning as usage-based and grounded in encyclopedic and cultural knowledge. The study describes the [boy X] pattern as a partially filled construction in which boy functions as an evaluative nucleus and as a categorial marker of masculinity, while the slot X projects ironic, humorous, and critical meanings about types of masculinity. From the coding of 66 occurrences collected on the social network, eight superframes were identified, which organize the specific frames activated in each instance. The results indicate that the construction’s meaning is non-compositional, emerging from the activation of cultural frames that reflect moral and affective evaluations of contemporary manhood.
Keywords: [boy + X] construction. Frame Semantics. Construction Grammar. Cognitive Linguistics. Digital discourse.
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