Writing with the body:Embodied singularity in The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge

Abstract

This article investigates how language policies informed by purist ideologies operate as symbolic technologies of cultural exclusion in contexts marked by diversity. Drawing on a
qualitative and interpretive-analytical approach grounded in critical applied linguistics and glottopolitics (SPOLSKY, 2016; GUESPIN & MARCELLESI, 2021), the study discusses how certain language varieties are promoted as legitimate in the name of national cohesion, while others are silenced or delegitimized. The theoretical framework brings together contributions from authors such as Haugen (1966), Calvet (2007), Pinto (2018), Silva & Alves (2025), and Galli & Lagares
(2024), among others, enabling a critical analysis of four case studies: language planning in Norway and Germany, and two recent Brazilian legislative proposals (Bill No. 211/2021 and
Municipal Law No. 3843/2024). The findings indicate that, although often justified as efforts to valorize the language, such policies tend to reinforce hegemonic norms and produce symbolic exclusions of speakers whose linguistic practices diverge from the standardized variety. The study concludes by emphasizing the need for inclusive language policies that recognize plurality as a core value and a condition for social and cultural justice.