A ATUAÇÃO DA ESCOLA NA SUBSTITUIÇÃO DO VÊNETO PELO PORTUGUÊS NAS ZONAS URBANA E RURAL DE ALFREDO CHAVES, ESPÍRITO SANTO

Alfredo Chaves was one of the municipalities of the State of Espirito Santo colonized by Italian immigrants, especially those who came from Veneto and arrived in 1877, bringing their culture and their language. However, the increasing contacts between immigrants and their descendants with Portuguese speakers have led to a significant decrease in the use of Venetian varieties. Thus, this study aims to analyze the influence of schools in the process of replacing Veneto with Portuguese in two communities of Alfredo Chaves (ES): the urban area and Santa Maria de Ibitirui, a rural community. Our data were obtained through interviews with descendants of Italian immigrants, as well as (ex-)school agents who reside in both locations. The analysis, based on the theory of Language Contact, shows that the educational system contributed to the propagation of Vargas' nationalist laws and that Portuguese teaching still contributes to exclude linguistic variation in classrooms, resulting in situations of prejudice against those who speak Portuguese with the influence of the Venetian language. In view of these results, we conclude that a work that supports school agents is necessary, through continuous education, so that cultural and linguistic diversity can be respected and valued by schools. KEYWORDS: Language contact. Italian immigration in Alfredo Chaves. Espirito Santo. Venetian language. Linguistic substitution. Educational system.