A variação linguística e o ensino-aprendizagem da língua portuguesa para alunos ribeirinhos de Borba (AM): um rio barrento e cristalino na práxis docente

Abstract

Since the final decades of the 20th century, there has been a noticeable advancement in research on linguistic variation and change. The disciplines investigating these processes, such as Dialectology and Sociolinguistics, have demonstrated their regularity. This progress is reflected in the official National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) document (Brazil, 2018), issued by the Ministry of Education (MEC), which now recommends considering linguistic diversity in the educational process, particularly in Portuguese Language classes. Regarding education in rural riverside areas, pedagogical practice must recognize and value the different linguistic varieties that students bring to the school context. With this in mind, the general objective of this research was to investigate issues inherent to Portuguese Language classes in the riverside schools Ataliba Ribeiro Sobrinho, Manuel Corrêa, Manuel Lupo Saraiva, and João Ferreira da Fonseca, located in the municipality of Borba (AM), on the banks of the Madeira River, highlighting the importance of this diversity in continuous teacher training. The specific objectives consisted of describing Portuguese Language classes in the four investigated riverside schools, both within and outside the pandemic context, as well as fostering reflective discussions that contribute to the teachers' formative process regarding the development of critical awareness about the different aspects of the language. The study was based on the theoretical-methodological frameworks of Applied Linguistics and Sociolinguistics, drawing major contributions from Bagno (2000; 2007; 2012), Bortoni-Ricardo (2005), Calvet (2002), Coelho et al. (2015), Faraco (2015), and Labov (2008). The research followed a qualitative approach and utilized the case study method, centered in four public schools in the rural riverside zone of Borba (AM), and involved eight riverside Portuguese language teachers as participants. The data collection instruments included a profile questionnaire, an investigative questionnaire, interviews guided by a semi-structured script, and a logbook to record information from a conversation circle held with the participants. The results indicated that the teachers develop their classes based on textual genres, using the textbook as a support. It was also observed that they attribute normative concepts of "right" and "wrong" to the students' productions, which does not favor the valorization of cabocla linguistic varieties. Therefore, highlighting this plurality in continuous training courses, which are still insufficient, is essential for developing the teacher's critical awareness when dealing with linguistic varieties in the classroom.