Literacies, linguistic ideologies and sociolinguistic (in)security in the digital age: an autoethnographic analysis of a Capixaba Family

Abstract

This study investigates the presence and configuration of graphocentrism in a family microculture on the southern coast of Espírito Santo, composed of different generations. Based on the New Literacy Studies and on sociolinguistic and Beliefs and Attitudes approaches, the study seeks to describe how the symbolic capital is constituted associated with language use in the subjects’ everyday lives, considering their linguistic beliefs and the effects of these beliefs in the insertion (or not) in literacy events mediated by digital technologies. The research has a qualitative approach, of an autoethnographic nature, using the author’s memories and observations of relatives (grandfather, parents, parents-in-law and husband) as a data source. This investigation aims to answer the following questions: how is this family microculture configured - more graphocentric or less graphocentric? Which literacy events - associated with the oral, written, and technological practices - are more reoccurring in this microculture? How does the linguistic configuration of this family indicate beliefs/perceptions and sociolinguistic (in)security? The results show that the investigated microculture displays a hybrid configuration of literacies, in which the traditional graphocentrism coexists with oral and digital practices. It is observed that a high regard for standardized and schooled forms of expression exists, associated with social prestige, along with an emotional appreciation of “simpler” linguistic variations, associated with a sense of belonging and comfort. This tension highlights the linguistic ideologies that regulate prestige and stigma, affecting the sociolinguistic (in)security of the subjects and revealing how symbolic structures can impact the confidence in language use and participation in different literacy events.