From Classroom to Symposium: UFMG Students Present Research on Linguistic Impoliteness at UFOP
A research project developed in the Introduction to Scientific Research course brought five students from UFMG’s Faculty of Letters to the 18th National Languages and Literature Week and the 5th National Symposium on Postgraduate Studies in Language Studies. Hosted by the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP) in Mariana from September 22 to 25, the event offered an opportunity to share their work and learn about research from other institutions.
Under the supervision of Dr. Lucas Willian Oliveira Marciano, a collaborator on the Impolidez Digital project, students Anna Beatriz Bastos, Árika Luise Sant’Ana, Leticia da Silva, Manuella Garcia, and Victória Lemes presented their study, “Eugenics vs. Diversity: Linguistic Impoliteness as a Means of Challenging Eugenic Discourse.”
The study analysed posts on X/Twitter discussing the public response to advertising campaigns by American Eagle, featuring actress Sydney Sweeney, and GAP, featuring the group Katseye. The students investigated the use of taboo words and profanity in these discussions, examining how these linguistic resources were used to challenge discourse interpreted as eugenic.
In the video documenting their experience, Anna Beatriz explains that the analysis identified argumentative and social functions of these expressions in responses to the controversy. The study thus opens up a discussion of the different roles impoliteness can play in digital conflicts, including expressions of dissent.
Lucas Marciano, a postdoctoral researcher at UFMG, GEPTED member, and collaborator on the Impolidez Digital project, highlights the importance of academic events for sharing research conducted at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The students’ presentation illustrates this connection between teaching and research, bringing an investigation initiated in the classroom into dialogue with the wider academic community.
In addition to presenting their work, the students attended other presentations and explored some of the region’s historical and cultural heritage. In their accounts, they highlight the experience’s contribution to their academic development and the pleasure of taking part in the event.
Watch the video below, also shared on UFMG’s Instagram account, to hear the students and their professor, Lucas, discuss the research and their participation in the event.
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