Brazil is multilingual and we can prove it

linguistic scenes on the border

Abstract

This study seeks to reflect on Brazil's multilingual reality, which contrasts with an imaginary and linguistic policies that tend towards monolingualism. In order to illustrate the diversity of languages that circulate — and resist — in the country, the aim is to present a linguistic scene at a soccer match in the city of Cândido Godói, located on the northwestern border of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. In theoretical terms, Oliveira's (2000) study portrays the main political-linguistic interventions towards the hegemony of the Portuguese language and the attempts to erase other languages throughout Brazil's history. Sturza (2010) studies provide support for understanding border languages and their ability to move and blend, crossing linguistic barriers and reflecting on social dynamics. Methodologically, this study is configured as an ethnography, since it examines the linguistic behavior of the subjects in a soccer match in which Portuguese, German, Spanish and Portunhol come into play. As a result, it becomes clear that although Portuguese is a central language in Brazil, it shares and competes for space with other languages which, in many situations, are essential in constructing the meanings and values of social groups.