The scientific dissemination of grammatical studies of Indigenous languages and their contribution to metalinguistic awareness

Abstract

The main goal of this paper is to show how the scientific dissemination of grammatical studies of indigenous languages ​​can contribute to the development of metalinguistic awareness of Portuguese speakers in their native language. We base our text on two theoretical backgrounds: first, we will contextualize the study of indigenous languages ​​by bringing grammatical data from four languages: Makuxi (Karib), Kaingang (Macro-Jê), Ticuna (isolated) and Karitiana (Tupi). In these studies, we will discuss aspects related to their phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. Later, we will present discussions on the scientific dissemination of Linguistics in the Brazilian context. By combining these two areas of knowledge, we will propose that we, as linguists, should include the goal of developing metalinguistic awareness in the scientific dissemination strategies of our field. Our strategy for this is to adopt indigenous languages ​​as tools for popularizing our studies. Before concluding the article, we present a proposal of an exercise and a post on social media as an illustration to be part of an agenda that is concerned with the popularization of linguistics and the training of communicators throughout the country. Thus, we argue that a work like this, which aims to disseminate grammatical studies of indigenous languages ​​for the development of metalinguistic awareness of Portuguese speakers in their mother tongue, can contribute to the scientific literacy of the population, for the educational context, especially in relation to writing.