University of Macau Linguistics Seminar
Title:
“Conversation table as an environment for (re)signification of subjectivity and
identities in Portuguese as a Foreign Language”
Speakers: Ricardo Moutinho & Denise Pacheco (University of Macau, Dep. of Portuguese)
Date:
Time:
Venue:
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
17.00
HG01
Abstract
Language socialization models typically state that foreign language learners must receive a lot
of input before taking upon themselves a more ‘active’ role during the classes. It means that
students will learn to participate like ‘ideal’ speakers with time, showing their opinions, taking
part on discussions and asking questions in the target language. However, after one or two years
of teaching/learning process, many instructors may have a frustrating experience when they
realize that the situation has not changed that much. Students speak only when asked (or obliged)
to and usually provide minimal responses. From that moment, teachers may think that the input
provided by them was not satisfactory or that the students did not make much progress during
the course. Nevertheless, the participation patterns of any student have much more contributing
factors than just linguistic ones.
In this seminar, we will discuss some data from the project Conversation Table in Portuguese,
developed at the University of Macau. The activity provided the Chinese students of Portuguese
as a Foreign Language the opportunity to communicate in the target language in a less
hierarchical environment compared to what usually happens inside the classroom, where the
teacher, most of times, has the central role. The project motivated the students to show some of
their identities in the foreign language that were ‘hidden’ during the classes. The data will be
analyzed according to the theoretical concepts of Applied Linguistics (Almeida Filho 1999;
Biggs & Watkins 2001; Widdowson, 1978) and Discourse Analysis (Coracini 2003, 1995;
Revuz 1998; Silva 2000).
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