Variation in the use of the definite article before possessive pronouns in the Maputo norm

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31513/linguistica.2026.v22n1a71961

Abstract

The article describes the constraints that influence variation in the use of the definite article before a possessive in the urban norm of Portuguese in Mozambique, a variety marked by issues of contact between Portuguese and Bantu Indigenous languages. The data were collected from 18 surveys in the MOÇAMBIQUE-Port sample (Vieira; Pissurno, 2016). The theoretical and methodological framework of the Theory of Variation and Change (Weinreich; Labov; Herzog, 1968; Labov, 2008) aids in shaping the research hypothesis and defining the methodological procedures. Constraints that could affect the use of the definite article before a possessive in the speech community of Maputo were controlled. Statistical analysis was carried out with the support of the tools available in Rbrul. The results indicate that constraints related to education, the type of phrase, the semantic characterization of possession, and the individual’s age group are the factors that act to inhibit the use of definite articles before possessives in the community. The variables controlling the status of Portuguese acquisition and the languages of communication spoken by the informants were not selected as relevant for inhibiting the occurrence of the definite article, but they reveal signs that contact influences the grammar of the speech community.
Keywords: Definite article. Possessive pronoun. Variation. Portuguese in Mozambique. Language contact.

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Author Biography

Danielle Kely Gomes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)

Professora Associada do Departamento de Letras Vernáculas da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, onde atua na Graduação, no Programa de Mestrado Profissional em Letras (PROFLETRAS) e no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras Vernáculas (PPGLEV). É Doutora e Mestre em Letras Vernáculas pela Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (2012 e 2006, respectivamente), Bacharel e Licenciada em Português/Literaturas pela Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (2003/2004). Foi professora da Educação Básica entre 2005 e 2013, atuando nas Secretarias Municipal e Estadual de Educação do RJ. Dedica-se a pesquisas em teorias fonológicas, nas interfaces aquisição da linguagem/aprendizagem da escrita, contato linguístico e análises contrastivas entre variedades do Português.

capa v.22 n.1

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Published

2026-04-30

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 1 (2026): Contributions of Sociolinguistics in the 21st Century: Theory, Interfaces, and Applications – A Tribute to Anthony Julius Naro

Section

Artigos: Variação e mudança em dados de produção

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