30091 - Portuguese and Brazilian Language (LM)

Learning outcomes

The student has an in-depth knowledge of linguistic and discursive aspects of the Portuguese and Brazilian language, from both a synchronic and diachronic perspective, including its applications to textual analysis and translation. Through practical exercises, his communicative competences in all skills, active and passive, progress towards level C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference, which enables him to effectively interpret the socio-linguistic and cultural codes of the subjects involved in a communicative relationship.

Course contents

The course of "Portuguese and Brazilian Language" has two parts:
1. - Formal lectures given by the professor (60 hours);
2. - A language learning course (36 hours) given by the tutor.

1. LINGUISTIC COURSE CONTENTS

In the wake of an educational path that, far from focusing exclusively on linguistic theory, has always sought, in recent years, to reinterpret the notion of the Portuguese language, in its multifaceted and complex manifestations, from a broader perspective, capable of addressing the various issues inherent in the different (mostly postcolonial) societies of which it is now an integral part in terms of history and identity, the course presented here aims to focus on the complex and controversial relationship between the Portuguese language and citizenship policies. In particular, through a broad interdisciplinary approach (from grammar to language teaching and sociolinguistics), which starts from the linguistic rights enshrined, more or less explicitly, in the various constitutional charters of Portuguese-speaking countries, the course aims to delve into the concrete teaching and pedagogical practices adopted by some national states of the CPLP (Comunidade dos Países de Língua Oficial Portuguesa) to try to guarantee, not only formally, that full and active citizenship of which language is an essential element, also and above all from the point of view of education and linguistic competence, as well as from the more obvious and immediate point of view of a tool for free expression.

To this end, rather than merely examining the official language policies of inclusion/exclusion of alloglot minorities within individual Portuguese-speaking countries or resulting from new migratory flows, this course will take a much more interesting approach, seeking instead to investigate the hidden implications that lie, for example, beneath the seemingly neutral and reassuring label of 'Portuguese language' . Suffice it to think not only of the different grammatical models proposed by Portuguese L2 textbooks or the equally distinct assessment criteria adopted in language certification tests (CAPLE and Celpe-Bras), but also of the sometimes intrinsically discriminatory methods of teaching Portuguese, especially towards those national varieties which, although clearly in the majority in their countries – think of the case of Brazil – continue to be overlooked by the abstractly normative monocentrism of a school system that is often, unfortunately, still very little “cidadã”, i.e. incapable of truly educating citizens.

2. LANGUAGE CLASSES CONTENTS (Esercitazioni linguistiche)

The grammatical contents that will be addressed during the course will, in summary, be as follows:

Revisão: tempos do Indicativo;- Revisão: tempos do Subjuntivo;- Revisão do imperativo;- Infinitivo pessoal.- Contrastes entre Indicativos ou Subjuntivos;- Conjunções;- Regências;- Transitividade verbal;- Pronomes oblíquos;- Colocação pronominal;- Pronomes relativos;- Regras especiais de concordância verbal e nominal.

Readings/Bibliography

The final exam will cover some of the following course readings, which will be made available to students at the beginning of the Linguistics course:

Edoardo Guimarães-Eni Pulcinelli Orlandi (orgs.), Língua e Cidadania. O Português no Brasil, Campinas, Pontes Editores, 1996;

Marilda C. Cavalcanti, “Estudos sobre educação bilingüe e escolarização em contextos de minorias lingüísticas no Brasil” in DELTA v. 15 (1999), pp. 385-417;

Beth Marcuschi-Maria da Graça Costa Val (orgs.), Livros Didáticos de Língua Portuguesa. Letramento e Cidadania, Belo Horizonte, Autêntica, 2007;

Maria B. F. De Oliveira, “Política linguística, cidadania e ensino de língua portuguesa” in Linguagens & Cidadania, v. 19 (2017);

Priscila de Pinho Valente, “Português como língua de acolhimento para acesso a direitos humanos: políticas linguísticas e reflexões a partir da análise de materiais didáticos para migrantes” in Muiraquitã, v. 7, n. 2 (2019), pp. 10-22, pp. 287-306;

Renata Anunciação-Helena Camargo, “O Exame Celpe-Bras como política gatekeeping para a naturalização no Brasil” in Muiraquitã, v. 7, n. 2 (2019), pp. 10-22;

Roberto Mulinacci, "Língua portuguesa e cidadania no Brasil uma agenda para o século XXI" in Revista Linguí∫tica v. 20, n. 2 (2024), pp. 309-333.

If necessary, further bibliographic references will be given during the lessons.

LANGUAGE CLASSES (Esercitazioni linguistiche):

  The reference texts will be communicated at the beginning of the course.

Teaching methods

The linguistics course consists of lectures, with readings and individual study by students.

The Language Exercises course, on the other hand, consists of practical Portuguese language lessons that require active participation by students.

Assessment methods

The full exam consists of two components:

Linguistics course:

Assessment will consist of an oral exam in Portuguese, which students can take also before passing the test of the practical language classes. The exam in Portuguese and Brazilian Language will assess students' knowledge of the content of the course, and their abilities to elaborate information critically, describing the most important topics and approaches in this field.

The candidate's ability to illustrate at length and in a pertinent manner the topics dealt with during the course, relating or comparing them and demonstrating the ability to master them with theoretical competence and terminological appropriateness will be assessed with marks of excellence.

A mnemonic knowledge of the subject, together with a limited ability to analyse and, above all, articulated in a correct but not always appropriate language, will lead to discrete evaluations.

Formative deficiencies and/or inappropriate language will lead to grades that do not exceed a pass.

Formative deficiencies, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the materials offered during the course will only lead to negative marks.

The final mark will also test linguistic skills with particular reference to fluency, clarity and students' capacity to use correct morphosyntactic constructions and lexis. The final grade for this component of the exam accounts for 70%.

Language classes (Esercitazioni linguistiche):

This component of the exam consists of two parts, a written and an oral test, based on the contents of the language classes. These two parts assess the students' capacity to understand and use the Portuguese language at the C2 level of the Common European Framework for Languages. Students have to pass the written test with a minimum grade of at least 18/30, before taking the oral exam. The final grade for this component accounts for 30% and is the mean of the scores obtained in the two parts, written and oral.

There are no prerequisites requirements between the course exam and the language practice exam. The exams for the two courses can therefore be taken in different sessions and in any order.

For the practical language exame, however, prerequisites are strictly enforced, to the extent that the oral exam can only be taken after passing the written exam.

Finally, please note that each exam session includes at least two exam dates for the linguistics module, one for the written part of the practical exercises and two for the oral part.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations, which, updated after each individual lesson, will be made available to students on the Virtual Platform (https://virtuale.unibo.it/my/).

Students with SLDs or temporary or permanent disabilities: we suggest that you contact the relevant university office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) and your professor immediately to work together to find the most effective strategies for attending classes and/or preparing for exams.

Any requests for accommodations must be made at least 15 days before the date of the exam, by sending an email to the lecturer and copying (Cc) the email address disabilita@unibo.it (in case of disability) or dsa@unibo.it (for students with Specific Learning Difficulties).

Office hours

See the website of Roberto Mulinacci