THE DIFFERENT WRITING OF THE VARIABLE DIPHTHONGS IN THE INITIAL WRITTEN TEXTS

Abstract

This paper presents a discussion in which certain mistakes regarding the writing of the variable diphthongs ‘ai’, ‘ei’ and ‘ou’ are interpreted as being related to aspects of the children’s linguistic knowledge about these vowel groups. Data for this analysis were collected in approximately 950 texts written by Brazilian first and second graders in two schools in Pelotas, RS. The analysis of the spelling which contains the vowel sequence under investigation reveals the complexity of the acquisition of variable diphthongs. Besides, taking into consideration the correct forms and semivowel deletion or insertion, the analysis of the spelling chosen by the children enables the researcher to see the hypotheses they have constructed since they are usually based on what the children have already learned about the phonological structure of the language.