Challenges for education in a bilingual context (German/ Portuguese) of a minority language

Abstract

In this paper we intend to present and discuss the sociolinguistically complex scenario of the Itajaí Valley, SC, a former area of German immigration, and the challenges imposed on education in the light of the linguistic and cultural diversity of the region. The excerpts of the data analyzed here were generated as part of a more comprehensive ethnographic study (Erickson, 1984) conducted in a rural elementary school. Relying primarily on the theoretical support of the studies of bilingualism as a social phenomenon, the objective of the study is (a) to describe and analyze the sociolinguistic scenario of the survey, characterized as complex due to the coexistence of hegemonic languages and local varieties, which are usually stigmatized; (b) to discuss the use of languages in the school environment and how they are treated by the social actors who interact in it. The data point to the important role of the heritage language as a symbol of the ethno-linguistic identity of the group in the study. They even point that the linguistic tensions and conflicts in the society affect the school and the subjects that live in that context. The results also point to the social implications of bilingualism in teacher education. We expect to give visibility to the group studied in order to contribute to the recognition of the right of bilingual children to the formal teaching of the language and culture of their ethnic group, as proclaimed by the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights (1996). 

Key words: social bilingualism, minority languages, schooling.