Haiti and Senegal

from francophony to contacts and language policies in Santa Catarina and Florianópolis

Abstract

We present, based on a teaching experience, the context of Haitian and Senegalese immigration in Florianópolis. Through literature review and consultation of official documents, we investigate the migration flows, the composition of the linguistic landscape, the linguistic contacts arising from these flows, and their interface with bilingual language policies in Brazil. It was found that Haitians and Senegalese have more precarious working conditions than immigrants from other regions, lower incomes, and that the lack of proficiency in the Portuguese language can act as an instrument of oppression and silencing. We observed that information about immigrants’ languages is not considered in the research instruments and official data analysis, with little information about their linguistic profiles and repertoires. This same scenario is found in the linguistic policies for teaching Portuguese to immigrants and refugees in Santa Catarina, whose responsibility lies with school units and initiatives of NGOs, civil entities, and universities, which sometimes develop their own teaching materials. Research on translanguage practices in these face-to-face and virtual socialization and teaching spaces can favor the performance and continuing education of teachers. It can also prepare teachers to work with immigrants residing in the Metropolitan Region of Florianópolis.