HYPERCORRECTION IN TEXTS PRODUCED BY A YOUTH AND ADULT EDUCATION CLASS AT A PUBLIC SCHOOL IN MACEIÓ

Abstract

 This article analyzes occurrences of hypercorrection in written productions by students enrolled in Youth and Adult Education (EJA) at a public school located in Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil. The aim is to understand hypercorrection as a sociolinguistic phenomenon resulting from learners’ attempts to adjust their writing to the standard language norm, even without fully mastering this linguistic variety. The study is characterized as bibliographic and documentary research, with a qualitative approach, grounded in the theoretical assumptions of Variationist Sociolinguistics and content analysis. Methodologically, it is supported by the contributions of Maria Cecília de Souza Minayo regarding qualitative research and Laurence Bardin concerning content analysis. The corpus consisted of fourteen written texts produced by EJA students. The analyses revealed recurring instances of orthographic hypercorrection and word segmentation phenomena, demonstrating the influence of oral language in the process of writing acquisition. The results highlight the need for pedagogical practices that take linguistic variation into account, promoting a more reflective, contextualized, and inclusive approach to writing instruction.