Arcoíris del adiós : Epitafios, imágenes y rituales en el discurso fúnebre

Abstract

The epitaphs, images and rites of death are part of the funeral discourse and pain represented in many elements of the social and cultural memory of Colombians. This book assumes the study of funeral language from a perspective of linguistics, anthropology, literature and semiotics, as it opens with renewed I am interested in the examination of the discourses of death and mourning in a country that needs it. It is curious to see how there is a significant discursive production about death but there is also a kind of taboo and power around it that confines it to the field of contingency. That is why the study presented in this book aims to be an opportunity for the discourse funeral gain more visibility and transcend the aura of taboo. All of this poses challenges in the studies of linguistics, literature, communication and culture. In principle, the problem posed was summarized in two questions: what is the language of tombstones like? What are the characteristics of funeral language? However, these questions do not exhaust the research carried out. The study presented on the language of tombstones and epitaphs, as well as the rites and images linked to the funeral speech, hopes to provide useful elements in cultural practice to understand how grief is expressed in Colombian society, in addition to generating more concrete guidelines on how to address and understand pain and the communication of grief in a society that is increasingly sick in its emotions, since the drama of death is increasingly everyday and associated with violence, which in turn has been transforming the way of representation and way of assuming the emotions associated with death.