LINGUISTIC VARIATION IN THE ENEM EXAM (2013–2024): AN ANALYSIS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF EDUCATIONAL SOCIOLINGUISTICS
Linguistic Variation; Educational Sociolinguistics; ENEM; Document Analysis.
This research focuses on how the topic of linguistic variation has been addressed in the questions of the Languages, Codes, and their Technologies test of the Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (ENEM) between the years 2013 and 2024, from the perspective of Educational Sociolinguistics (Bortoni-Ricardo, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2025; Bagno, 2003, 2015). The ENEM, created by the Ministry of Education (MEC), is an assessment that has a significant impact on access to free higher education in Brazil. Given this, the main objective of this study is to analyze, from the perspective of Sociolinguistic Theory, how linguistic variation was addressed in the Portuguese Language questions of the ENEM, especially regarding the treatment given to the linguistic varieties employed in the guiding texts. Among the specific objectives are: (i) To identify and classify the questions in the Language, Codes, and their Technologies test that address linguistic variation, directly or indirectly, in the period from 2013 to 2024; (ii) To analyze how linguistic variation is represented in the question stems, the guiding texts, and the alternatives of the selected questions, verifying whether there is valorization, stigmatization, or neutrality in relation to the different linguistic varieties; (iii) To verify whether the questions addressing linguistic variation are contextualized in real-life situations of language use, considering the Brazilian sociocultural diversity; (iv) To compare the approach to linguistic variation in the different ENEM editions throughout the analyzed period, identifying possible changes or continuities. The methodology employed in the study adopted documentary analysis and is characterized by the systematic interpretation of written documents, whether public or private, aiming to extract relevant information for the research problem (Cellard, 2008). Regarding data analysis, the main findings of the research were that the exam includes an annual average of three questions on the topic; and that the ENEM has demonstrated a valuing approach to linguistic varieties in its guiding texts; but it shows a scarcity of using authentic examples in detriment to adapted texts, when comparing the 2024 edition to previous years.