Abstract
This paperexploresan intersection betweenthree main topics: (i) sociolinguistic variation, (ii) variation acquisition and processingaccording toa psycholinguistic approachand (iii) mother-tongue teaching/learning when the two previous factors are taken into account. Nonstandard linguistic varieties coexist in society with a standardized variety that could be defined as the ‘language of education’. The distance between standard forms and the variety acquired by children at home is quite variable and could have an impact on how and when the formal register becomes (or not) part of the range of linguistic speaker’s options.In order to address these issues, we provide experimental results regarding the comprehension and production of two linguistic aspects that show a high variation in Brazilian Portuguese– verbal agreement and anaphoric forms in direct object position – as a function of formal education exposure; we also articulate these results with the concepts of core grammar and marked periphery (Kato, 2005) for a more theoretical discussion.
Highlights
Abstract his paper explores an intersection between three main topics: (i) sociolinguistic variation, (ii) variation acquisition and processing according to a psycholinguistic approach and (iii) mother-tongue teaching/learning when the two previous factors are taken into account
An important issue related to this fact is that, depending on the speciic social group, while for some children the standard variety is quite close to that they acquired at home, for many others there may be a much greater distance between what is spontaneously acquired in their everyday life and the variety taught at school. he diferences between standard and non-standard varieties can include diferent levels of grammar, including phonology, morphosyntax and vocabulary, among others
Several research questions arise from the picture previously outlined: Are standard and non-standard varieties processed in a similar way by the speakers in terms of perception and comprehension? To what extent do the diferences between linguistic varieties have an impact on the mother-tongue teachinglearning process? How does the acquisition/learning process of the standard variety occur in the school context? How can the linguistic knowledge of a literate or educated speaker be described, and how does she/he develop this knowledge (Kato, 2005)?
Summary
[A language is a dialect with an army and navy] (quotation attributed to Max Weinreich). In a context of variation such as that characterizing BP, it is of great interest to investigate how linguistic variation is processed in order to provide relevant information about the factors interacting with variation, so that the aim of providing access to the formal register of the language may be properly carried out by school. In this paper, this tension between natural grammar and formal registers of BP is considered from both a perspective of language acquisition in the earliest years and for the acquisition of a marked periphery in the late years of schooling.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
