Quando tamanho é documento: por que Johnny escreve mais do que João?

Abstract

A comparative study of compositions written by "Brazilian and American freshmen" showed not only significant differences in the students' treatment of academic and social values but also, strangely enough, a significant difference in the amount of text produced. In one hour and forty-five minutes, American freshmen wrote an average of three pages, whereas their Brazilian counterparts wrote only one page. There is evidence enough to infer that the explanation for such a difference lies in the nature of the statements produced by both groups. In a typical American text, one finds that reports predominate, whereas in a typical Brazilian text, judgments and inferences are more common. In most cases, these differences in quantity correspond to differences in quality.