Resignification and the invention of words as a form of representation of knowledge in prisons

Abstract

Language reflects perspectives and experiences from the context in which we are inserted, and this allows social interaction between people. The language investigation, in the scope of this research, is related to the use of words, in the context of prisons, as a specific way of representing knowledge in that context. Aspects related to the daily life of prisons can be found in the language, such as: security procedures, discipline and projects under development, in addition to the life stories of the people inserted there. The domains of the present study is the Male Penitentiary of Florianópolis/SC. In this sense, the subjects of this research are people deprived of liberty, and the object of study is the language used by them. The main objective is to investigate the possible forms of knowledge representation, from the perspective of language games, of prison’s population. With regards to methodological procedures, the research is characterized as descriptive, bibliographical and qualitative - which considers a relationship between the real world and the subject. Regarding the results, twentysix people deprived of liberty were interviewed, and 460 terms used in the daily language at the Penitentiary were
retrieved. From the collected terms, twelve categories were listed for the grouping and conceptual accommodation of each term. It was noticed that the creation of this language, composed of invented or resignified terms, goes beyond the socialization processes, it also refers to protection, resistance and survival within prison environments. This being said, the language games involved in the communicabilities instituted in prisons, are evident and the rules well defined.