Performativity and the claims of scientificity of modern linguistics

This paper discusses the claim of the situatedness of research in both theoretical and applied linguistics and some of its implications and argues that it is linked to the performativity of all assertions, including scientific ones. More importantly, I argue that it is the regressive infinity of performativity that makes inevitable the passage from presumably 'dispassionate' research to militancy.

O papel da interação no processo de ensino-aprendizagem de português para alunos surdos em uma escola inclusiva

In this article, it is discussed the role of interaction in the process of teaching and learning Portuguese of deaf students at an inclusive school. In the context where the research took place, the hearing teacher does not understand sign language, and there are, in her classroom, hearing students and four deaf students, being three of them sign language users. As the communication between the hearing teacher and the deaf students occurred in different codes - Portuguese and Brazilian sign language - and having a social-interactional approach of language (MOITA LOPES, 1986; FREIRE, 1999), we observed if the interaction among the subjects enabled the deaf students to understand what was being taught. The results showed that the fact of having four deaf students in the same classroom allowed them to work in a cooperative way. Besides, the sign language became more visible in this institution. On the other hand, the interaction between the teacher and her deaf students revealed to be of little significance to the learning process of this small group.

A língua inglesa no ensino fundamentl I público: diálogos com Bakhtin por uma formação plurilíngue

This article aims at discussing the contributions of the Bakhtinian Circle theories to foreign language teaching and learning (HALL et al., 2005), as far as the first years of formal education in Brazil are concerned. Up to the present moment, foreign languages, including English, are not officially part of the National Curriculum of the first five schooling years. Due to the importance of English in a globalized world and despite all the controversial socio-educational impacts of such an influence, there has been an increase in the interest in this discipline at the beginning years of Brazilian public education (ROCHA, 2006), which has been happening at an irregular pace and without official parameters. Therefore, the relevance of this work lies on the possible guidelines it may offer to support a more effective, situated and meaningful teaching-learning process in that context. Standing for a pluralistic approach to language education, we take the bakhtinian speech genres as organizers of the educational process. We strongly believe that through a dialogic, pluralistic and trans/intercultural teaching (MAHER, 2007), whose main objective is the development of multi (COPE e KALANTZIS, 2000) and critical (COMBER, 2006) literacies, the hybridization of genres and cultures, as well as the creation of third spaces (KOSTOGRIZ, 2005; KUMARAVADIVELU, 2008) can happen. From this perspective, foreign language teaching and learning play a transformative role in society and English is seen as a boundary object (STAR e GRIESEMER, 1989), in and by which diversity, pluralism and polyphony can naturally find their way.

As dimensões da linguagem em livros didáticos de inglês para o Ensino Fundamental I

This article aims at discussing and articulating views of language under sociocultural, dialogic and discourse perspectives, in order to present a theoretical framework as far as the analysis of textbooks of English as a foreign language for the Brazilian Ensino Fundamental I is concerned. Due to the limited number of studies in this field, to the still considerably structural approach of the English language teaching and learning in our country nowadays and to the important mediation role textbooks play in language education, we believe our work can contribute positively to the construction of critical and multiple literacies, which, in turn, can support an active and transformative educacional process in the present times.

Tradução & aprendizado de língua estrangeira: o ponto de vista do aluno

This paper reports some exemplary data related to a research project on the role of translation in foreign language teaching-learning. The data were collected through a questionnaire administered to 47 Brazilian ESL learners. Specifically, the points of the analysis are: how the translation process is conceived by the students; why and when the translation is used by the learners in classroom situations; mother tongue/foreign language relationships in this specific context, among other aspects. The findings reveal that translation, when used a mediating resource for foreign language teaching-learning, can promote target language management.