Questão de Languages, Codes and their Technologies #019e354a
A Língua da Tabatinga, falada na cidade de Bom Despacho, Minas Gerais, foi por muito tempo estigmatizada devido à sua origem e à própria classe social de seus falantes, pois, segundo uma pesquisadora, era falada por “meninos pobres vindos da Tabatinga ou de Cruz de Monte — ruas da periferia da cidade cujos habitantes sempre foram tidos por marginais”. Conhecida por antigos como a “língua dos engraxates”, pois muitos trabalhadores desse ofício conversavam nessa língua enquanto lustravam sapatos na praça da matriz, a Língua da Tabatinga era utilizada por negros escravizados como uma espécie de “língua secreta”, um código para trocarem informações de como conseguir alimentos, ou para planejar fugas de seus senhores sem risco de serem descobertos por eles.
De acordo com um documento do Iphan (2011), os falantes da língua apresentam uma forte consciência de sua relação com a descendência africana e da importância de preservar a “fala que os identifica na região”. Essa mudança de compreensão tangencia aspectos de pertencimento, pois, à medida que o falante da Língua da Tabatinga se identifica com a origem afro-brasileira, ele passa a ver essa língua como um legado recebido e tem o cuidado de transmiti-la para outras gerações. A concentração de falantes dessa língua está na faixa entre 21 e 60 anos de idade.
The Tabatinga language has been preserved because the
Its record transitioned from oral to written form.
The social class of its users gained prestige.
Its initial function has remained the same over the years.
A sense of linguistic identity has become consolidated.
The age profile of its speakers has become homogeneous.
Explicação Oficial / Explicações da Comunidade
Analysis of the Preservation of the Tabatinga Language
The correct answer is option A. D) A sense of linguistic identity has been consolidated.
1. Changing Perceptions as a Key to Preservation
The text describes a fundamental transition in how the speakers themselves perceive the Tabatinga Language. Initially, it was a stigmatized language, associated with marginality. What guarantees its preservation today is not its original function or the social status of its speakers, but a new awareness of what it represents.
The text highlights the following points that support this conclusion:
- Awareness of Origin: The speakers developed a "strong awareness of their relationship with their African ancestry". * Identity Function: Language came to be seen as the "speech that identifies them in the region". * Sense of Belonging: This new understanding is linked to "aspects of belonging". * Cultural Legacy: As speakers identify with their Afro-Brazilian origins, they begin to see the language as a "legacy received". * Conscious Transmission: This appreciation generates the "care to pass it on to other generations".
These elements, together, form a strong sense of linguistic identityIt is because language has become a pillar of the group's identity that there is a conscious effort to preserve it.
2. Evaluation of Other Alternatives
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A) Its record transitioned from oral to written form: Incorrect. The text never mentions the creation of a writing system for the language. The preservation described is through oral transmission between generations.
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B) The social class of its users gained prestige: Incorrect. The text describes the humble and stigmatized origins of the speakers, but it does not claim that they gained social prestige. The change was internal (in self-perception), not external (in social status).
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C) Its initial function has remained the same over the years: Incorrect. The initial function was to be a "secret language" for planning escapes and obtaining food. The current function is to affirm cultural identity, which is completely different.
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E) The age profile of its speakers has become homogeneous: Incorrect. The information that the concentration of speakers is between 21 and 60 years old is a demographic fact, not a... cause of preservation. Furthermore, this age range is quite broad and not homogeneous.
3. Conclusion
The Tabatinga language survives not because of external factors, but because of an internal reinterpretation. Its speakers have stopped seeing it as a stigma and have begun to see it as a symbol of their heritage and identity, which has consolidated a feeling that motivates them to keep it alive.