Uses of the preposition “em” by Italian speakers in learning Brazilian Portuguese: a linguistic-ecosystemic perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31513/linguistica.2024.v20n2a64049Abstract
This paper presents a research project within the framework of the “Epistemes e tradições linguísticas e literárias para o ensino de português brasileiro em contexto italiano” project, linked to the research group “UFG-CNPq — Rede de estudos da língua portuguesa ao redor do mundo”, e ao projeto “REDE/Itália — O português brasileiro em contexto italiano: aspectos sociais, políticos e linguísticos”. The general objective of REDE/Itália is to provide support for the teaching of Brazilian Portuguese as an additional language in the Italian institutions involved, as well as to promote integration between researchers from PPGLL-UFG and Italian universities. Considering this context, the specific objective of this study is to analyze the uses of the preposition “em” by Italian speakers as their native language in learning Brazilian Portuguese as an additional language. To verify how prepositions are being used to encompass meanings beyond the prototypical, we selected 5 exemplificative texts taken from a corpus of 20 texts produced by Italian students learning Brazilian Portuguese at the Centro Cultural Brasil-Itália (CCBI) in Rome. The theoretical framework is based on Linguística Ecossistêmica (LE), focusing on the Ecologia das Relações Espaciais (ERE), as developed by Couto (2017). Regarding the results, we identified that out of twenty-seven instances of the use of “em”, nineteen presented a prototypical use, while eight denoted non-prototypical uses. This higher frequency of the prototypical use of “em” suggests that students avoid exploring less conventional uses of the preposition as a safer communication strategy while developing proficiency in the target language.
Keywords: REDE/Itália Project. Brazilian Portuguese. Preposition “em”. Linguística Ecossistêmica. Ecologia das Relações Espaciais.
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