Sistema ortográfico da língua Mẽbêngôkre: perspectivas técnicas e de política linguística

Abstract

This study analyzes the process of establishing the orthography of the Mẽbêngôkre language, particularly with regard to its use in the Mẽbêngôkre school context. The central issue discussed involves orthographic divergences identified in different materials, including teaching materials and school texts, evidenced, for example, by the different spellings of the word “mex” and “mej” (beautiful/good). These and other disagreements arise from the use of different orthographic proposals. In the orthographic system proposed by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), the word is written with “x”, whereas in the system proposed by the Associação Floresta Protegida (AFP) it is written with “j”. In this context, the study investigates elements that should form the basis for the development of an orthographic system, such as technical-scientific principles, highlighting the linguistic-pedagogical aspect, as well as non-linguistic variables that emphasize speakers’ attitudes toward their language (BERRY, 1968 apud MORI, 1997). This qualitative research is based on a bibliographic review and on the analysis of experiences that discuss the unification and standardization of orthographic systems in other Indigenous languages, such as Guarani Mbya (BENITES, 2020) and Nheengatu (D’ANGELIS, 2023). The study also problematizes the role of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Mẽbêngôkre teachers in the process of establishing an orthographic system, the difficulties related to the production of didactic-pedagogical materials and teacher education, as well as the relevance of community participation in this process. Therefore, the orthography of the Mẽbêngôkre language, beyond its technical dimension, constitutes an instrument of cultural identity and resistance, relating to issues of language policy.