Abstract

OLIVEIRA, Hélvio Frank de. Narratives of a Portuguese woman living in Brazil: some considerations about her intercultural experiences. Rev. bras. linguist. apl. [online]. 2012, vol.12, n.1, pp. 73-91. ISSN 1984-6398.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1984-63982012000100005.

This case study examines the oral narrative of a Portuguese woman living in Brazil while attending to an undergraduate course of Letters at a Brazilian university. It focuses on the construction of identity(ies), which includes her educational, cultural, and personal aspects considering the Brazilian context. The results showed the lack of language unity between Brazilian and Portuguese people, as well as the complexity of the language-culture system. Regarding this system, she builds up references to the representations made after her contact with other Brazilian speakers. Moreover, this dynamic process somehow moulds the participant’s identity(ies) and subjectivity by emphasizing the differences between cultures. It also offers precious indications to the comprehension of social, cultural and language influences present in intercultural experiences.

Keywords : Narratives; interculturality; identities; Portuguese language; Brazilian language.