A variação linguística como objeto de estudo e ensino: uma análise de livros didáticos de língua portuguesa

Abstract

This study is linked to the project “Language Studies, Beliefs about Linguistic Variation and Teaching: reflections on teaching practices” and its main objective is to analyze the approach to linguistic variation in Portuguese Language Textbooks for the Final Years of Elementary School from a collection approved by the National Book and Teaching Material Program (NBTMP), four-year period 2024-2027. Theoretically, this research is based on studies in the area of Sociolinguistics, given that the phenomenon of linguistic variation is an object of study and analysis within the scope of Portuguese Language teaching. Thus, the assumptions of Variationist Theory and Educational Sociolinguistics serve as the basis for a discussion on the conceptual aspects present in the textbooks analyzed, as well as for a reflection on the place of linguistic variation in the Portuguese Language curricular component, as guided by the Common Curriculum National Base (CCNB). This is a qualitative study, of the document analysis type, which analyzed three books (6th, 7th and 9th) from the “Português: Linguagens” collection. The analysis of the selected materials revealed that linguistic variation is present in a distinct way in the books in the “Português: languages” collection. The 6th grade textbook presents a more in-depth conceptual discussion on the phenomenon of linguistic variation, while the 7th and 9th grade textbooks emphasize some linguistic variation analysis activities. The research results demonstrate that in the textbooks analyzed there are concepts that introduce a discussion about linguistic variation, varieties, standard norms, among others. However, issues relating to socially discredited linguistic varieties have been little explored. We also note that the sections that are intended exclusively for the study of linguistic variation, especially in the 7th and 9th year books, even though the titles (Linguistic Analysis) of both materials focus on reflection on linguistic variation. The practical activities of the materials did little to direct the work of the Portuguese language teacher towards critical reflection in the classroom with students on the social, cultural and historical aspects that relate to the existence of numerous linguistic varieties in the Portuguese spoken in Brazil, as well as about the need to combat the forms of manifestation of linguistic prejudice that are still present at school and in the social context of students.