Towards a semio-pragmalinguistic perspective on the interpretation of a public good poster for HIV/AIDS prevention

Abstract

The current problem of infection by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has been the subject of analysis in various social, psychological and ethical investigations, derived from the dimensions of HIV/AIDS that transcend the sphere of health to become a problem of a socio-cultural nature that affects attitudes of family, community and social coexistence. Such is the case of public good campaigns as strategies developed to inform about different specific aspects of the disease and to promote changes in the sexual behavior of individuals in order to minimize the rates of spread. Although there are various studies related to the subject, the few theoretical and methodological contributions on the discourses generated by these campaigns from a linguistic perspective should be highlighted (BRETÓN, 2007; GUERRA, 2009; GÓMEZ, 2014; LERMEN, MORA, NEVES, AZIZE, 2020), as verbal and visual languages are the most elementary means of communication in all preventive actions that make it possible to have an effective impact on social sectors. Verbal language has the function of anchoring meaning, as it communicates a single meaning and is less ambiguous. The iconic component implies multiple interpretations, provoked by the questioning of its meaning, which is why it is characterized by being polysemic. This article examines the application of some issues of pragmalinguistics as an aspect of pragmatics, with the aim of analyzing a promotional text for the prevention of illness, following the theoretical references about semiotics (PEIRCE, 1986; LOTMAN, 1979). For this purpose, the analysis of a poster of the public good campaigns developed in Cuba to prevent HIV/AIDS is presented from a semio-pragmalinguistic perspective. The contribution is a cut of the academic research already concluded for the graduation of Bachelor of Arts at the Universidad de Oriente, Santiago de Cuba. The methodology used is the literature review with a qualitative and exploratory approach (HERNÁNDEZ, FERNÁNDEZ, BAPTISTA, 2014). The results indicate the relevance of the semio-pragmalinguistic analysis for the interpretation of the public good poster for HIV/AIDS prevention.