Costa, Ana Luísa2018-02-222018-02-222014-121647-0346http://hdl.handle.net/10400.26/21425The analysis of epistolary discourse produced by less skilled writers provides textual data to distinguish private writing from public writing. Further, it contributes to the discussion on the divide between the private and the public sphere in the Early Modern Ages (the corpus that was searched includes familiar letters written between 1601 and 1833). The contrast between the linguistic choices in formulaic parts and in free compositional sequences brings some light into a strong genre awareness, dominating even in the most spontaneous piece of writing. Self- -textual references and references to other letters appear as specific cohesion strategies in private letters.porjournal article