Intercultural Teaching of Portuguese as a Foreign Language through Songs: Representations of French Learners

Author(s)

Adriana Célia Alves

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Araraquara. 2019-07-26.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Ciências e Letras. Araraquara
• Defense date: 2019-05-31
• Advisor: Nildiceia Aparecida Rocha

Abstract

In the first decade of the 21st century, global political and economic factors contributed to the search for learning Portuguese as a foreign language (PLE) in Brazil and abroad (MEYER, 2015). In the last 25 years, in the language schools of São Paulo, there was a hundred per cent increase in the number of students seeking to learn Portuguese. And there are Portuguese as a foreign language courses offered also in Brazilian and foreign universities (ALMEIDA FILHO, 2011). Therefore, language policies, the training of professionals and the production of materials are being considered for the expansion of PLE. Thus, this work, inserted in the field of Applied Linguistics, aims to discuss and contribute to teaching and learning of Portuguese as a foreign language, based on the interrelationship between language and culture, promoting didactic-methodological actions with Brazilian songs. The specific objectives were: to identify the cultural microspheres (PAIVA, 2009) recurrent in the Teletandem interactions and in the reflective diaries, which guided the elaboration of didactic tasks; to verify the intercultural representations of PFL learners, francophone, in a course taught at a French university; and to investigate the potentialities of the didactic tasks proposed with songs, observing their contributions in the teaching of PFL, from the intercultural perspective. Twelve interactions and 120 reflective diaries were analyzed, and under an interpretive analysis, we deduced the following cultural microspheres: A) Characteristics of the countries: Brazil and France; B) Daily life: housing, means of transportation, university functioning, climate, vacations and cooking C) Social inequalities: violence and poverty, penitentiary system and prejudice; D) Celebrations: typical festivities and holidays. From the microspheres verified, we developed a PFL course, according to intercultural education, the intercultural communicative approach (BIZARRO e BRAGA; 2004; VIANA, 2003; SANTOS, 2004), literomusical literacy (COELHO DE SOUZA, 2014) and the concept of tasks (SCARAMUCCI, 1996). The course was offered at a French university for intermediate level learners. Six classes were taught, recorded and transcribed. In an interpretative analysis of the classes, we found the most recurrent intercultural representations (AUGER, 2003), which are: ethnological representations , related to the characteristics of the Brazilian people, such as joy and miscegenation, and topographical, related representations to the global perception of the country, such as vegetation, climate, inequalities, economic and environmental problems, violence, famous people mentioned, soccer and carnival. In this course, through the analysis of the intercultural representations, it was also possible to perceive the didactic potentialities of the tasks proposed with Brazilian songs, thus recording the contributions of these in the teaching of PFL from the intercultural perspective. We consider, therefore, that music can contribute to reflections above identity/otherness, discussions about stereotypes and prejudices, historical and social issues. There were also exchanges, approximations and intercultural recognition and the motivation to learn PLE (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/13089-5 - PORTUGUESE AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: APPROACH COMUNICATIVA INTERCULTURAL THROUGH the MUSIC.
• Grantee: Adriana Celia Alves
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate