Language awareness and didactics of multilingualism in Portuguese-Hunsruckisch contact contexts

Hunsruckisch is one of the most widely spoken immigration languages in Brazil, having already become official in two Brazilian cities (Antônio Carlos, in Santa Catarina, and Santa Maria do Herval, in Rio Grande do Sul). In general, therefore, some actions in the field of linguistic policies and linguistic rights have been taken, in order to promote the respect towards the linguistic and cultural diversity of the contact regions Hunsruckisch-Portuguese. Among these actions are some research projects that investigate both the language practices and the attitudes present in these regions, seeking to collaborate in maintaining the language and the identity that were inherited from the immigrants. Thus, the present article brings some results of a research carried out in two schools of different Hunsruckisch speaking communities, whose purpose was to use linguistic awareness to arouse sensibility and respect to different varieties. The aim of this work was to identify ways that contribute to the development of positive attitudes towards the linguistic diversity (including, in this case, minority languages), thinking the foundations for a didactics of multilingualism, that use local languages and culture in order to rich other languages of interest. --- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22409/gragoata.2017n42a898