Literacies and diversity: the issue of the konkani alphabets and linguistic diversity in Goa

• Grant number: 12/01186-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: April 14, 2012
• End date: July 13, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Linguistics - Applied Linguistics
• Principal Investigator: Lynn Mario Trindade Menezes de Souza
• Grantee: Lynn Mario Trindade Menezes de Souza
• Host Investigator: Alito Siqueira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Goa University, India

Abstract

This project focuses on the literacy practices of Konkani and its co-existence with the other languages used in Goa, India, given that there is a conflict between at least two different scripts for the same language, each of which has serious socio-cultural and identity implications. Though it is the official language of the state of Goa, Konkani has social variants which indicate caste, religion and geographic origin. The project departs from the theories of literacies (Street1984, Barton 1994, Cope e Kalantzis 2000) and those of superdiversity (Vertovic 2006, Blommaert 2010, Pennycook 2010) seeking for confirmation of the applicability and relevance of these theories in the context of Goa. (AU)