AS PAISAGENS LINGUÍSTICAS NA ÁREA COMERCIAL NA FRONTEIRA BRASIL-BOLÍVIA

Abstract

This qualitative study investigates the visual presence of languages along the Brazil–Bolivia border, in Corumbá (Brazil), Puerto Quijarro and Arroyo Concepción (Bolivia), focusing on how Portuguese, Bolivian Spanish and Indigenous languages are manifested in the commercial areas of these municipalities, understood here through the concept of Linguistic Landscape (Landry & Bourhis, 1997; Shohamy, 2006; Spolsky, 2009; Berger & Elsenbach, 2017). The study aims to map and document the languages circulating in commercial spaces, to understand the (in)visibility of languages, linguistic hierarchies and power relations, as well as to develop a multimedia resource capable of presenting the Linguistic Landscape as a potential tool for tourism and cultural valorization. The methodology involved observation, systematic photographic documentation and interpretive analysis of signs, storefronts, banners and other written records collected in different commercial zones between 2024 and 2025, allowing for the mapping and interpretation of the linguistic choices made by establishments to attract and serve different publics. The analysis revealed the predominance of Portuguese and Bolivian Spanish, while minority languages such as Guató, Bésiro, Zamuco and Aymara appear in a restricted manner or are entirely absent, highlighting processes of minoritization and exclusion. The Linguistic Landscape was also observed to function as a tool of social inclusion and exclusion, as evidenced, for example, in establishments that reproduce stereotypes about Bolivian customers or prioritize Brazilian clients in their communication and payment practices. It is concluded that the Linguistic Landscape at the border not only reflects linguistic diversity, but also materializes cultural and social representations, reinforcing hierarchies among languages and identities, while simultaneously revealing dynamics of circulation, belonging and cross-border interaction.