Portuguese in São Tomé and Príncipe: pluricentrism, coloniality and teaching

• Autor(a) principal: Santiago, Ana Maria
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Balduino, Amanda
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Domínios de Lingu@gem
• Texto Completo: https://seer.ufu.br/index.php/dominiosdelinguagem/article/view/70284
• topic: Português de São Tomé e Príncipe; Pluricentrismo; Ensino; São Tomé and Príncipe Portuguese; Pluricentrism; Teaching

This paper addresses the Portuguese pluricentrism, focusing on the presence of this language in São Tomé and Príncipe (STP). The linguistic norm of Portuguese, endowed with prestige and reinforced by the government and education in STP, is that of Portuguese from Portugal, although the Portuguese of STP (PSTP) has unique characteristics, arising mainly from living with the creole languages ​​and the irregular transmission of Portuguese. By analyzing some historical data, official documents and relevant teaching practices, it is understood that the colonial project of suppression of linguistic identities established in STP was not only central in the construction of the linguistic reality of the archipelago but persists in erasing local linguistic diversity and in the devaluation attributed to the Portuguese varieties from STP, seen negatively by the speakers themselves. These norms considered deviant, which reaffirm the pluricentrism of Portuguese, are ignored in educational legislation and in the manuals used, although students and teachers have difficulties with the target norm. Furthermore, the demand for external help from STP, specifically in the production of didactic material and teacher training, contributes to a scenario of monocentrism and monocentric and mutilating practices.