A formação de professores de Português como Língua Adicional na República Argentina: um percurso histórico.

Abstract

This thesis has the objective of discussing the language policies related to the training of teachers in Portuguese as an Additional Language (PLA) in the Argentine Republic from the beginning of the 20th century until today. Taking into consideration the works of authors such as Calvet (2002; 2007), Varela (2007; 2014), Hamel (2008; 2013) and Johnson (2013), we focus specifically on official legislation documents of the Argentinian State referring to Portuguese and to the teacher training in the field, investigating, among other aspects, the bonds of (non) implemented language policies with circumstantial elements. Moreover, from the studies of Arnoux (2010; 2011), Arnoux & Del Valle (2010), Bein (2012) and Arnoux & Bein (2015), we analyze the connections between the language policies of the Argentinean State regarding Portuguese and the representations about this language. For the production of registers in this work, we have conducted a documental study (SALVADOR, 1986; MINAYO, 1994; LIMA E MIOTO, 2007; GIL, 2008), by which we use different texts of the official Argentinean legislation, namely: the Argentinean Law 12.766 (ARGENTINA, 1942), the Brazilian Decree 3.548 (BRASIL, 2000), the Argentinean Laws 25.129 and 21.181 (ARGENTINA, 1999a; 1999b), the Declaration project (idem, 2006a), a number of draft bills (ARGENTINA, 2006b, 2006c, 2007a, 2007b, 2007c) and the National Law 26.468 (idem, 2009). We have also conducted a documental study that highlights that the implementation of these laws has been take place in a discontinuous and dilated manner. Our analyses indicate that, according to the historic moment, given the ongoing representations in the legal documents, the role of Portuguese in the Argentinean context is legitimated or not as this language assumes lower of higher prestige in its relation of constant tension with other additional languages. We note that, starting from the 1942 Law, teaching Portuguese has been optional to students in their last high school year, and throughout the 20th century there was no other legislation of national renown. The bilateral agreements subsequent to the consolidation of Mercosur have contributed somewhat to the implementation of an language policies to Portuguese, as they constitute the ground texts of the bills (2006-2007) that preceded the 2009 Law. Furthermore, the Argentinean State enacted the Law 26.468, with national renown, establishing as mandatory to offer Portuguese courses on high schools, and mandatory as well in elementary schools in regions that border Brazil. Despite the fact that taking a Portuguese course is optional for students, we have noticed that recent legal provisions in some provinces determine it as compulsory both in elementary and high school (MISIONES, 2009; CHACO, 2011). Finally, we conclude that, in spite of the valorization of Portuguese in different historical moments – recently as a consequence of the integration processes in the Southern Cone – the language policies for Portuguese tends to be discontinuous in Argentina and it is frequently proposed without envisioning effective ways of implementing it.