A problemática das variações sociolingüísticas no ensino do português como língua estrangeira (PLE)

Abstract

The study of Portuguese as a Second Language presents a number of difficulties due to significant differences in grammatical structure as a function of formality of usage. The structure of Standard Portuguese often fails to represent the day-to-day reality of Brazilian speakers and to insist on traditional language use is, to a certain, degree, a point of confusion for the student. Here a proposal is made for the establishment of a two-tier system for teaching the language, distinguishing explicitly between FORMAL and INFORMAL usage. The paper shows examples where this stratification clarifies what otherwise could appear to be grammatical chaos for the student who has contact with authentic language outside the classroom: the imperative (venha/ vem); the direct object pronouns (vejo-o/vejo ele); so-called “mixture” of forms of address (Eu te amo. Você é a luz da minha vida...) and others.