LINGUISTIC VARIATION AS AN IDENTITY PROCESS: LINGUISTIC ASPECTS IN THE WRITING MANUAL OF THE PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC

Abstract

Variationist Sociolinguistics is a science that observes the language in use, especially the linguistic variations and the factors that motivate these variations, among them, the linguistic identity of the communities of practice. The professional sphere is a field where diverse communities of practice are constituted, which share interests, values, beliefs and conventions. One of them is the official sphere, in which there are conventions that must be strictly respected by the community, by this way, this article deals with the linguistic prescriptions of the Presidency of the Republic Official Manual (2008), as a document that not only demarcates, but also contributes to the linguistic identity of the community. The theoretical-methodological framework selected for the analysis of the corpus is supported by the concepts erected by Bortoni-Ricardo, Eckert, Labov and Soares. This research showed that the analyzed document presents a predilection for the use of the cultured norm and standardization of style and form, not opening space for changes and, from the sociolinguistic point of view, stylizing the molds of its community, information that, in many cases, is of public interest.

Keywords: community of practice; linguistic identity; sociolinguistics.