Students who speak local varieties (i.e., dialects) of English that differ from the codified variety promoted in school are at a disadvantage. Research illustrates that differences in sound systems, grammar, vocabulary, and usage can negatively affect literacy development and achievement in math and science, and lead to misunderstandings and changes in teacher attitudes toward students. Moreover, the use of inappropriate assessment tools may result in unnecessary pathologization and inappropriate pedagogical approaches. Since many Indigenous children may speak local varieties, it is reasonable to assume that the same issues that hinder school success for speakers of other varieties affect many Indigenous students in Canada in similar ways. However, to date, research concerning Indigenous Englishes in Canada is scant. Similarly, virtually no empirical evidence has been gathered on use in Canadian schools. By extension, the trajectory of use of features as children progress through grades remains unknown. The goal of this research was to begin to address the crucial necessity of learning more about Indigenous English varieties, in order that appropriate language assessment and pedagogical practices can be implemented. The research, conducted in a remote community in Northern British Columbia, Canada, concentrates on differences in grammar used by a group of First Nations school-aged children. I analyzed oral narrative language samples of Kindergarteners, and oral and written narrative language samples of students in Kindergarten to Grade 5, over a three-year period. Results reveal the presence of at least 23 distinct grammatical features, many of which may have been influenced by the structure of the ancestral language. At school entry, students used grammatical features at high rates, regardless of whether or not they later required speech-language pathology or special education services. As children progressed through the grades, the rate at which they produced features appeared to follow a curvilinear trajectory, declining until grades 3 and 4 and then gradually rising again in middle school. A preference for using shorter sentences with less use of subordination and embedding of clauses also appears to be a feature of this variety. Most of the features the children used in their speech, they also used in their writing. Children had the most difficulty switching to standard English forms of verb tense, and so verb tense may require more direct instruction. While my results may not be directly generalizable to other First Nations communities, it is anticipated that educators will use them as a guide in their practice and instruction, so they can cease confusing features of a local variety with errors requiring “correction”, avoid unnecessary pathologization, and adjust expectations regarding the rate at which children can be expected to acquire the codified standard language model. It is also hoped that this study will contribute to the preservation and celebration of the unique ways of speaking English that have evolved in northern communities. / Graduate / 2021-09-16

Studies in Genre Analysis have been developed with the aim of exploring the typification of genres of the work environment and interpreting their funtions according to the discursive communities in which they operate. Some examples are studies carried out by Bazerman (2005) and Devitt (1991) on documents from professional contexts. In that regard, Bazerman (2005) discusses notions such as genre, genre sets, genre systems and activity systems. Language practices in professional contexts have also been the object of investigations among Brazilian research teams, for instance LAEL at PUC/SP and PUC/RJ, in efforts to understand how the participants of a communicative event interact and how their lexicogrammatical choices construe meaning. In that sense, the present study approaches the system of genres adopted in the selective process for hiring a salesperson, conducted by a cooperative company in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. This system of genres comprises several texts: Want Ad, Presentation Letter, Curriculum Vitae and Interview. The objective of this study is to investigate the system of genres for job application from the perspective of language as social practice with a focus on practices circumsbribed to the work sphere. This way, the struture of the texts within this system of genres is analyzed using the framework of Systemic-Functional Linguistics (Halliday, 1994; 2004 and Halliday & Hasan, 1989). The texts are analyzed in their organizational patterns and clauses are classified considering the type of processes, according to the System of Transitivity. Besides, the communicative purposes as welll as the characterization of the participants in the activities system are identified. Contrary to initial expectations, the interview was pointed out in the results as the most relevant genre in evaluating the applicants. Overall, the results offer an understanding of the interaction as characterized by specific aims in a particular professional sphere and can be valid for language educators, mainly those who work with Portuguese as mother tongue for instrumental purposes with a focus on professional genres. / Estudos em Análise de Gênero têm sido desenvolvidos a fim de explorar a tipificação de gêneros do contexto do trabalho e interpretar suas funções de acordo com as comunidades discursivas em que operam. Alguns exemplos são os estudos desenvolvidos por Bazerman (2005) e Devitt (1991) sobre documentos de contextos profissionais. Em vista disso, Bazerman (2005) discute noções sobre gênero, conjunto de gêneros, sistema de gêneros e sistema de atividades. A linguagem voltada a contextos profissionais também tem sido objeto de análise para grupos de pesquisa brasileiros, por exemplo, o do LAEL da PUC/SP e o da PUC/RJ, no sentido de compreender como os participantes de um evento comunicativo interagem e como suas escolhas léxico-gramaticais constroem significado. Assim, o tema do presente estudo diz respeito ao sistema de gêneros de um processo seletivo para contratação de vendedor autônomo, realizado em uma empresa cooperativa do interior do Rio Grande do Sul. Esse sistema de gêneros acomoda vários textos: Anúncio de Emprego, Carta de Apresentação, Curriculum Vitae e Entrevista Pessoal. O objetivo deste estudo é investigar o sistema de gêneros da seleção a emprego a partir da perspectiva de linguagem como prática social, com ênfase nas práticas relacionadas às esferas do trabalho. Desse modo, a estrutura dos exemplares desse sistema de gêneros é descrita a partir de propostas da Lingüística Sistêmico-Funcional (Halliday, 1994; 2004 e Halliday e Hasan, 1989). São identificados os padrões de organização dos textos e classificados os processos das orações, conforme o Sistema de Transitividade. E, são identificados os propósitos comunicativos e o perfil dos participantes desse sistema de atividades. Na avaliação dos candidatos, contrariando a expectativa inicial, os resultados destacam a relevância maior para a Entrevista Pessoal. Enfim, a discussão aponta à compreensão de como se dá a interação, caracterizada por propósitos específicos em uma situação profissional e pode ser válida para os profissionais da linguagem, principalmente, àqueles que trabalham com o ensino instrumental da língua materna, voltado aos gêneros do contexto empresarial.