ABSTRACT
This study addresses the concept of the tradition of foreign language teaching and learning in an attempt to consider the role of the Brazilian Portuguese as a Foreign Language (BPFL) textbook within this tradition. Therefore, based on Bornheim (1987)BORNHEIM, Gerd A. O conceito de tradição. In: BORNHEIM, Gerd A. et al. (Org.). Cultura brasileira: tradição/contradição. Rio de Janeiro: Jorge Zahar, 1987. p. 13-29., but also resorting to Titone (1968)TITONE, Renzo. Teaching Foreign Languages: an historical sketch. Georgetown: Georgetown University Press, 1968., Kelly (1969)KELLY, Louis G. 25 centuries of language teaching. Massachussetts: Newbury, 1969., Leffa (2012)LEFFA, Vilson J. Ensino de línguas: passado, presente e futuro. Revista de Estudos da Linguagem, Belo Horizonte, n. 20, v. 2, p. 389-411, 2012., and Dickey (2012)DICKEY, Eleanor. (Org.). The Colloquia of the Hermeneumata Pseudodositheana: Colloquia Monacensia-Einsidlensia. Leidense-Stephani, & Stephani. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012., we present our concept of the tradition of foreign language teaching and learning. Thereafter, according to Foucault (1971)FOUCAULT, Michel. A ordem do discurso. 9. ed. Trans. L. F. A. Sampaio. São Paulo: Loyola, 1971., we analyze a BPFL textbook published in 1966 and another in 2011, focusing on activities proposed by the textbooks. Lastly, our reflection suggests that both textbooks, as an element of this tradition, turn teachers and students into domesticated subjects of the foreign language pedagogy discourse, and they do not favor language teaching practices, but rather the mechanical repetition of grammatical exercises.
KEYWORDS:
Foucault; Foreign language pedagogy; Textbook; Brazilian Portuguese
