Aquisição de verbos da língua portuguesa, no primeiro ciclo de escolaridade, por crianças bilingues luso-alemãs e crianças monolingues alemãs

Tese de Doutoramento em Ciências da Linguagem (área de especialização em Linguística Aplicada).

Heritage speaker competence differences, language change and input type: inflected infinitives in Heritage Brazilian Portuguese

It has been argued that colloquial dialects of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) have undergone significant linguistic change resulting in the loss of inflected infinitives (e.g., Pires, 2002, 2006). Since BP adults, at least educated ones, have complete knowledge of inflected infinitives, the implicit claim is that they are transmitted via formal education in the standard dialect. In the present article, I test one of the latent predictions of such claims; namely, the fact that heritage speakers of BP who lack formal education in the standard dialect should never develop native-like knowledge of inflected infinitives. In doing so, I highlight two significant implications (a) that heritage speaker grammars are a good source for testing dialectal variation and language change proposals and (b) incomplete acquisition and/or attrition are not the only sources of heritage language competence differences. Employing the syntactic and semantic tests of Rothman and Iverson (2007), I compare heritage speakers' knowledge to Rothman and Iverson's advanced adult L2 learners and educated native controls. Unlike the latter groups, the data for heritage speakers indicate that they do not have target knowledge of inflected infinitives, lending support to Pires' claims, suggesting that literacy plays a significant role in the acquisition of this grammatical property in BP.

Comparing heritage speakers and late L2-learners of European Portuguese: verb movement, VP ellipsis and adverb placement

This study compares the performance of Portuguese-German heritage children and adult L2 speakers of European Portuguese whose L1 is German with respect to two aspects of grammar, adverb placement and VP-ellipsis, which depend on a core syntactic property of the language, verb movement. The results show that both groups have acquired V-to-I and adverb placement, showing no influence of a V2 grammar. Performance in the VP-ellipsis task is more complex: heritage children produce VP-ellipsis at the level of controls, as opposed to L2 speakers; however, both L2 and heritage speakers show that crosslinguistic influence may produce a preference for pronoun substitution over VP-ellipsis in a task asking for redundancy resolution. Nevertheless, given that overall results show that heritage children perform at the level of L1 children, we take our results to support approaches to heritage bilingualism which suggest the development of an intact grammar in childhood.

Preposition Stranding in Heritage Speakers of Brazilian Portuguese

Influential bodies of work in language acquisition studies single out heritage bilingualism as a discrete acquisition process within the bilingualism continuum. In regards to the acquisition of WH-/QU- interrogatives containing prepositional phrases (PP), the present study examined whether heritage speakers (HS) of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) produce preposition stranding (P-stranding) constructions in their heritage language, in contrast to monolingual and adult speakers of BP, where prepositions are pied-piped to form the interrogative. Participants were HS of BP born in the USA and in Brazil, monolinguals, and late bilingual adults. The experiment consisted of an elicited production task and a grammaticality judgment task, both carried out in BP and then in English. Results showed that HS born in the USA use P-stranding in QU- interrogatives productively and systematically, in contrast to the other three groups. Moreover, no evidence of protracted acquisition was found in this group. No signs of attrition were detected among bilinguals.

Why all counter-evidence to the critical period hypothesis in second language acquisition is not equal or problematic

That adult and child language acquisitions differ in route and outcome is observable. Notwithstanding, there is controversy as to what this observation means for the Critical Period Hypothesis’ (CPH) application to adult second language acquisition (SLA). As most versions of the CPH applied to SLA claim that differences result from maturational effects on in-born linguistic mechanisms, the CPH has many implications that are amendable to empirical investigation. To date, there is no shortage of literature claiming that the CPH applies or does not apply to normal adult SLA. Herein, I provide an epistemological discussion on the conceptual usefulness of the CPH in SLA (cf. Singleton 2005) coupled with a review of Long's (2005) evaluation of much available relevant research. Crucially, I review studies that Long did not consider and conclude differently that there is no critical/sensitive period for L2 syntactic and semantic acquisition.

Reading the world through words: cultural themes in heritage Chinese language textbooks

This paper explores the social and cultural knowledge embedded in the textbooks for language and literacy education in a Chinese heritage language school, the Zhonguo School, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It examines how Chinese language arts textbooks introduce the child reader to cultural knowledge considered legitimate and valued in China as well as in Chinese diasporan communities. Furthermore, it looks at the construction of cultural knowledge in Chinese language textbooks in relation to the mainstream ideology to which immigrant children are exposed in and out of mainstream school classrooms. It looks at how the power relationship between legitimate cultural knowledge in majority and minority contexts is established and to what extent it affects language minority students' literacy practices in mainstream school and heritage language school contexts. Data sources are the Chinese textbooks used from kindergarten to Grade 5 in a Chinese heritage language school.

Courses in the language and culture of origin and their impact on youth development in cultural transition: A study among immigrant and dual heritage youth in Switzerland

Elena Makarova traces how the concept of intercultural education in German-speaking European countries promotes the inclusion of courses in the Language and Culture of Origin (LCO) for immigrant youth in the school curriculum of host countries. Such courses are assumed to have positive effects on the development of immigrant youth in the host country. Particularly, it has been suggested that participation in LCO courses increases the self-esteem of immigrant youth, facilitates the development of their bicultural identity and improves their integration in the host society. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the nature of the effects of LCO course attendance on the acculturation of immigrant youth and their cultural identity. Accordingly, the aim of the study detailed in the chapter is to examine the impact of immigrant youth’s attitudes towards LCO courses and of their attendance of such courses on their acculturation and cultural identity.

Taboo Language and Illness Online: The Use of Specific Emoticons and Graphic Signs to Talk about HIV/AIDS in South Africa

South Africa is one of the countries most affected by HIV/AIDS: According to 2014 UNAIDS data 6.8 million South Africans live with HIV/AIDS, which means a 18.9% prevalence rate among adults (15-49 years old). Despite this strong presence of HIV/AIDS in South African society it remains relatively stigmatized and is not openly talked about. The silence about HIV/AIDS maintained in everyday conversations and the superstitions associated with this illness have led to the creation of a taboo language. This study aims at shedding light on how South African users resort to specific emoticons and graphic signs to talk about HIV/AIDS online. For this purpose 368 Facebook status updates and comments concerning HIV/AIDS and its side effects were analysed. All participants, aged 14-48, lived at the moment of data collection in Cape Town, in the Cape Flats area. The online conversations investigated are mainly in English mixed with Afrikaans and/or Xhosa. The emoticons and graphic signs in most cases display a graphic depiction of the physical (and mental) effects of the illness. These linguistic and semiotic practices employed on Facebook provide insight into how Capetonian users, on the one hand, express solidarity and sympathy with people suffering from HIV/AIDS. On the other hand, the emoticons and graphic signs are used to label and position people affected by HIV/AIDS. Thus, in the South African context social network sites have become an important space and means for communicating HIV/AIDS issues.

European student mobility and intercultural learning at a portuguese university

The purpose of this study is to understand, impact and evaluate the development of intercultural communicative competencies among European credit-seeking exchange students and other sojourners through purposeful intercultural pedagogy. This pedagogy encompasses intentional intercultural- educational approaches which aim to support and enhance sojourners’ intercultural learning throughout the study abroad cycle (pre-departure, in-country and reentry phases). To test and validate these pedagogies a 20-hour intervention was designed and implemented among two cohorts of 31 sojourners during the in-country phase of their sojourn in Portugal. The process to develop and validate the intercultural intervention was driven by a mixed-methods methodology which combined quantitative and qualitative data to triangulate, complement and expand research results from a pragmatic stance. The mixed methods research design adopted is multi-phased and encompasses a multi-case study and an evaluative component. The multi-case component is embodied by sojourner cohorts: (1) the primary case study involves 19 incoming students at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) as participants in the European exchange program Campus Europae; (2) the second case study comprises three incoming Erasmus students and nine highly skilled immigrants at the same university. All 31 sojourners attended two intermediate Portuguese as Foreign Language classrooms where the intervention was employed. Data collection was extensive and involved collecting, analyzing and mixing quantitative and qualitative strands across four research phases. These phases refer to the: (1) development, (2) implementation and (3) evaluation of the intervention, as well as to (4) a stakeholder analysis of the external value of the intervention and of the Campus Europae program. Data collection instruments included pre and posttest questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Results confirm the intercultural effectiveness of the intervention and the positive impact upon research participants’ intercultural gains. This impact was, however, greater in case study 2. Among explanatory variables, three stand out: (1) participant meaning-making abilities, (2) host language proficiency and related variables, and (3) type of sojourn or exchange programs. Implications for further research highlight the need to systematize purposeful intercultural pedagogy in sojourner populations in general, and in European credit student mobility in particular. In the latter case, these pedagogies should be part of the design and delivery of credit-bearing exchange programs in pre- departure, in-country and re-entry phases. Implications for practice point to the urge to improve intercultural practices in: macro (higher education institutions), mezzo (exchange programs) and micro (sojourner language classrooms) contexts where this research took place, and wider social scenarios they represent.

Biliteracy effects on phonological awareness, oral language proficiency and reading skills in Taiwanese Mandarin-English bilingual children

The present study examined the effect of learning to read a heritage language on Taiwanese Mandarin-English bilingual children’s Chinese and English phonological awareness, Chinese and English oral language proficiency, and English reading skills. Participants were 40 Taiwanese Mandarin-English bilingual children and 20 English monolingual children in the U.S. Based on their performance on a Chinese character reading test, the bilingual participants were divided into two groups: the Chinese Beginning Reader and Chinese Nonreader groups. A single child categorized as a Chinese Advanced Reader also participated. Children received phonological awareness tasks, produced oral narrative samples from a wordless picture book, and took standardized English reading subtests. The bilingual participants received measures in both English and Chinese, whereas English monolingual children received only English measures. Additional demographic information was collected from a language background survey filled out by parents. Results of two MANOVAs indicated that the Chinese Beginning Reader group outperformed the Chinese Nonreader and English Monolingual groups on some phonological awareness measures and the English nonword reading test. In an oral narrative production task in English, the English Monolingual group produced a greater total number of words (TNW) and more different words (NDW) than the Chinese Nonreader group. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine whether bilingual children’s Chinese character reading ability would still account for a unique amount of variance in certain outcome variables, independent of nonverbal IQ and other potential demographic or performance variables and to clarify the direction of causality for bilingual children’s performance in the three domains. These results suggested that learning to read in a heritage language directly or indirectly enhances bilingual children’s ability in phonological awareness and certain English reading skills. It also appears that greater oral language proficiency in Chinese promotes early reading in the heritage language. Advanced heritage reading may produce even larger gains. Practical implications of learning a heritage language in the U.S. are discussed.

Português língua de herança em contexto plurilingue na Finlândia : aspetos de aquisição/aprendizagem da competência pragmática e expressão da delicadeza

Os fluxos migratórios das últimas décadas têm contribuído para que as comunidades de falantes de português se estabeleçam um pouco por todo o mundo, nomeadamente, nos países escandinavos. Um desses países de acolhimento, a Finlândia, tem desenvolvido esforços para a integração dos imigrantes que aí se estabelecem, designadamente, através da promoção de políticas de língua, que visam o ensino da língua de herança aos alunos em idade escolar. Tem sido neste contexto que as pequenas comunidades lusófonas, a viverem no país, têm podido facultar aos filhos, imigrantes de primeira e segunda gerações, acesso ao ensino formal da sua língua de herança, o português. Os sujeitos da nossa amostra fazem parte de uma dessas pequenas comunidades e residem em Tampere, na Finlândia, onde frequentam escolas cuja língua de ensino é o finlandês. O presente trabalho pretende, por um lado, dar conta da realidade sociocultural daqueles alunos de Português Língua Não-Materna, e, por outro, visa refletir sobre a aquisição/ aprendizagem da competência pragmática por parte destes sujeitos, falantes de herança, através da realização que fazem de atos ilocutórios diretivos – de pedido e de ordem –, bem como, sobre o grau de formalização das expressões de delicadeza que fazem. Por conseguinte, elaborámos uma Ficha Sociolinguística para recolha de dados referentes ao contexto familiar, sociocultural e linguístico dos alunos. Posteriormente, elaborámos e aplicámos um teste linguístico, de Tarefas de Elicitação do Discurso, com vista à recolha de dados para a construção de um corpus linguístico que nos permitisse desenvolver o presente estudo. A aplicação do teste linguístico e consequente tratamento dos dados recolhidos revelaram que as escolhas pragmáticas dos sujeitos são condicionadas pelo contexto sociocultural e linguístico em que estão imersos. Constatámos, igualmente, que a generalidade dos alunos recorre a duas estratégias de mitigação do discurso, pelo uso de duas expressões de delicadeza: a fórmula «se faz favor»/«por favor» e o verbo modal «poder».

Impact of Childhood Cancer on Parents` Relationships: An Integrative Review

Purpose: The diagnosis of cancer and the treatment decisions associated with it may cause uncertainty, stress, and anxiety among parents. Emotional tensions can affect parents` relationships during the trajectory of the child`s cancer illness. We conducted an integrative review to examine the evidence related to the effects of childhood cancer on parents` relationships. Methods: An integrative literature search of studies published between 1997 and 2009 was conducted in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Psychology Information (PsycINFO), PubMed, Scopus, CUIDEN, and Latin American and Caribbean Health Science Literature (LILACS). The key words used were neoplasms, child, marriage, spouses, family relations, and nursing. Articles were reviewed if the (a) topic addressed parents` relationships during childhood cancer; (b) participants were mothers, fathers, or both; (c) design was either qualitative or quantitative; (d) language was English, Portuguese, or Spanish; (e) date of publication was between January 1997 and October 2009; and (f) abstract was available. Results: Fourteen articles met the search criteria and were reviewed using Cooper`s framework for integrative reviews. Four themes emerged: (a) changes in the parents` relationship during the trajectory of the child`s illness; (b) difficulty in communication between couples; (c) gender differences in parental stress and coping; and (d) role changes. Conclusions and Implications: Findings revealed positive and negative changes in parents` relationships, communication, stress, and roles. Nurses need to assess the impact of cancer diagnosis and treatments on parent relationships, offer support and encouragement, and allow expression of feelings. Future research is needed to develop and test interventions that increase parents` potentials and strengthen relationships during the challenging trajectory of their children`s cancer and treatment. Clinical Relevance: The multiple sources of stress and uncertainty associated with a child`s cancer diagnosis and treatment affect parents` relationships. Difficulties in communication appear frequently in parents` relationship. Our findings may guide healthcare professionals in identifying parents at risk for developing conflicts, communication problems, and lack of alignment between parents that could interfere with providing optimal care for their child with cancer. Healthcare professionals may promote dialogue and encourage parents to express their feelings, seek mutual support, and establish a partnership in dealing with the child`s illness.

As relações sons e letras e letras e sons em livros didáticos de alfabetização (PNLD 2010) : limitações e desafios ao encontro de uma abordagem discursiva de linguagem

Este estudo teve como foco inicial de investigação o modo como livros didáticos de alfabetização propõem o estudo das relações entre sons e letras e letras e sons, e como essa dimensão se articula (ou não) a uma concepção de alfabetização que toma o texto como unidade de ensino. Caracteriza-se como uma pesquisa de cunho documental, trazendo para estudo produções acadêmico-científicas acerca da temática de investigação, tendências teóricas no estudo da alfabetização, o processo histórico da política de avaliação de livros didáticos no Brasil, o Guia de livros didáticos – PNLD 2010 – letramento e alfabetização – língua portuguesa – 2009 e duas coleções de livros didáticos de alfabetização, quais sejam: A Escola é Nossa – Letramento e Alfabetização Linguística; e Porta Aberta – Letramento e Alfabetização Linguística, avaliadas e selecionadas pelo Programa Nacional do Livro Didático (PNLD), na edição de 2009, para o ano letivo de 2010. Assume a hipótese de que a proposta de trabalho com as relações sons e letras e letras e sons trazida pelos livros didáticos de alfabetização, no contexto do letramento, por não tomar o texto como unidade de ensino, acaba por criar obstáculos para a própria compreensão dessas relações pelos estudantes. Toma como princípios teóricos e metodológicos a abordagem bakhtiniana de linguagem, bem como a concepção de alfabetização que baliza este estudo (GONTIJO; SCHWARTZ, 2009). Conclui que, ao não trazer os textos (gêneros discursivos) como enunciados, indiferentes à alternância dos sujeitos do discurso, os livros analisados, não obstante as poucas diferenças existentes entre um e outro, que se referem mais especificamente a informações que tangem à linguística, vão ao encontro de uma concepção de linguagem como um sistema de normas que devem ser anteriormente internalizadas pelo estudante para que este possa proceder à leitura e à escrita. Tratam, pois, a língua materna como uma língua estrangeira ou morta, como se esta fosse estática, permanecendo imune à evolução histórica. O estudo corroborou a hipótese de investigação, uma vez que, desconsiderando e/ou desconhecendo o aspecto dialógico do enunciado, os livros analisados minimizam a possibilidade da instauração de uma abordagem discursiva de linguagem, o que incide no tratamento das relações sons e letras e letras e sons que acabam por apresentarem-se dicotomizadas do texto e seu contexto discursivo e, dessa forma, sua reflexão e sistematização pelos estudantes distancia-se de um estudo dessas relações no bojo dos aspectos sócio-históricos, ideológicos, linguísticos, estilísticos, dentre outros que perpassam seu ensino. Logo, por não propiciarem um tratamento discursivo da linguagem, pouco contribuem para um tratamento “linguístico” adequado, acabando por criar obstáculos para a compreensão dessas relações pelos estudantes. Entende que conhecimentos linguísticos, principalmente referentes às variedades linguísticas e dialetais, tornam-se importantes quando da abordagem dessas relações, entretanto, estes por si sós não garantem sua apropriação. Ressalta o necessário conhecimento por parte dos professores (e autores) acerca da abordagem linguística tomada pelo livro didático de alfabetização e o resgate da autoria docente diante do ensino da língua materna, instaurando um processo autoral-dialógico da produção de conhecimentos junto aos estudantes.