Transferência conceitual em tarefas escritas de falantes de português e de inglês como LM e LE

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the phenomenon of Conceptual Transfer by speakers of Portuguese and English as first language (L1) and foreign language (FL), within the framework of Cognitive Linguistics and contemporary studies on Bilingualism. Assuming that linguistic systems in the bilingual mind do not operate independently (Cook, 2016), the study examines how conceptual categories from one language influence thought organization in another. Grounded in discussions of cross-linguistic influence (Odlin, 1989) and particularly in the conceptual transfer framework developed by Jarvis and Pavlenko (2010, 2014), the research explores how languages shape conceptual domains and semantic categorization, also drawing on debates related to a weak version of linguistic relativity (Sapir, 2008; Pederson, 2007). The main objective is to identify and analyze traces of Conceptual Transfer in written tasks in Portuguese and English produced by Brazilian learners of English and foreign learners of Portuguese. The analysis focuses on both lexical and grammatical concepts, specifically within the domains of object, emotions, person, gender, number, time, space, and motion, as discussed by Pavlenko (2014). The research adopts a quantitative approach, based on statistical analyses. Data were collected through multiple-choice tasks, open-ended questions, proficiency tests, and a background questionnaire. Statistical analysis and cognitive-based interpretation were conducted based on models of conceptual domains, cognitive frameworks, and theories of linguistic and conceptual transfer. The findings reveal that Conceptual Transfer is a frequent and systematic phenomenon in bilingual written production, occurring both from L1 to FL and from FL to L1. A higher incidence of transfer was found in the domains of time, motion, gender, and number, reflecting typological and conceptual differences between Portuguese and English. The results also indicate that transfer should not be viewed solely as negative interference, but rather as a cognitive strategy that supports meaning construction in bilingual contexts. The study concludes that Conceptual Transfer is a central feature of bilingual cognition, demonstrating that languages shape, reorganize, and expand speakers’ conceptual systems. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between language and thought and provides theoretical and methodological insights for future studies in Psycholinguistics and Second Language Acquisition.