Taking language seriously: the teaching of Portuguese based on texts

Abstract

One of the main ingredients for effective first language teaching is that teachers possess the theoretical categories and practical procedures in order to work well with language in use. This paper argues that future teachers, during their initial formation level at universities, must become familiar with categories, theoretical and procedural issues. The discussion points the role linguistic sciences must play in this scenario. In order to do so, three main questions are addressed: (i) What is supposed to be taught in regular education?; (ii) What is supposed to be taught in courses at universities concerning language?; (iii) How can linguistic sciences guide first language teaching? The first two questions are answered by analyzing the official national documents proposed by the Ministry of Education and the last question, by an examination on how a functional approach can contribute to first language education, since it is a theory that allows the analysis of texts, and, thus, penetrates in the life of the language.