Paper short abstract:

This paper has as its main objective to present a sociolinguistic study on the variation of the imperative in its indicative and subjunctive forms, through the analysis of tests produced by Angolan teachers from Escola de Formação de Professores Ferraz Bomboco, in Huambo.

Paper long abstract:

This paper has as its main objective to present a sociolinguistic study on the variation of the imperative in its indicative and subjunctive forms, through the analysis of tests produced by Angolan teachers from Escola de Formação de Professores Ferraz Bomboco, in Huambo.

We aim this way at showing the treatment forms that occur in the mode imperative, based on research that was conducted for the study of brazilian portuguese (SCHERRE et al., 1996-2007). Our hypothesis is that the imperative in it subjunctive form is more frequently present in written texts of a non-dialogic nature, which is the case of school tests, since they are controlled and addressed to adult students, hence delivered in a more formal context. As a theoretical and methodological support, we followed a sociolinguistic and Labovian perspective (SILVA & OSÓRIO, 2008), as to observe and understand language use through (extra)-linguistic factors that might impact the variation of the imperative in its indicative and subjunctive forms. As a methodological tool, we used the statistic program Goldvarb X for the quantitative analysis of data. The results show that the imperative in its subjunctive form is often present in the Portuguese Language and Entrepreneurship tests, with relative values of .311 and .328, and with derivative value in its indicative form.