ABSTRACT:
We propose, in this text, to discuss some aspects of the legitimation processes of oral language as an object of school knowledge and, especially, as an object of teaching the Portuguese language subject in the Brazilian school. Therefore, we initially present a brief overview of the statute that oral language acquires in the historical constitution course of this subject. Subsequently, we try to qualify the ways in which this statute reconfigures itself in the process of producing the textual genre oral debate by young high school students from a public school located in Belém, (Pará, Brazil), in 2006. The description and analysis of oral and written texts produced by students in this process allow us to problematize the challenges that the oral language approach poses to effective teaching practices, considering the curricular purpose of promoting the student’s formation as a critical citizen and active participant in today’s Brazilian social life.
Keywords:
Portuguese language teaching; Textual genre; Legitimation; Oral language