The construction of meaning in the text: theoretical and discursive perspectives on coherence and cohesion

Abstract

This article discusses the theoretical, curricular, and pedagogical foundations of textual coherence and cohesion in Portuguese language teaching, understanding them as constitutive dimensions of meaning-making and discursive interaction. Grounded in the principles of Text Linguistics and Discourse Studies, it draws on authors such as Koch (2014), Beaugrande and Dressler (1981), Halliday and Hasan (1976), Marcuschi (2008), Antunes (2010), Dolz and Schneuwly (2004), and Rojo (2009), articulating their contributions with the analysis of Brazilian curricular guidelines, PCNs, BNCC, and RECAL. The study argues that coherence and cohesion, traditionally treated as formal linguistic categories, must be understood as cognitive, linguistic, and social practices that enable meaning construction and authorship. The teaching proposals section presents methodological pathways based on didactic sequences, rewriting workshops, and the integration of reading and writing, emphasizing the teacher’s role as a critical mediator in the text production process. It concludes that the teaching of coherence and cohesion must transcend technicist approaches and adopt an emancipatory perspective, fostering linguistic education that forms autonomous, reflective subjects capable of participating ethically in contemporary discursive spaces.