Where has onde gone? A perception study on the multifunctionality of the connector onde

Abstract

This study investigates how speakers of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) evaluate different uses of the connector onde, especially in contexts in which the standard norm would prescribe the use of the canonical form em que. The analysis is grounded in functionalist assumptions, particularly the view that grammar emerges from use, is sensitive to communicative pressures, and is organized gradually. This perspective makes it possible to observe the functional expansion of linguistic forms in real contexts of interaction, as discussed in previous studies on onde (Silva, 2008 as cited Corrêa, 2025). These assumptions are articulated with the perspective of Variationist Sociolinguistics (Weinreich, Labov, and Herzog, 2006), especially regarding the role of social evaluation in processes of linguistic change. The study is based on the hypothesis that a positive, or non-negative, evaluation of the use of onde as a relative pronoun may increase its frequency of use, favor its generalization, and, consequently, drive its functional expansion within the linguistic system. To test this hypothesis, an evaluation experiment was conducted with 46 participants, who judged sentences containing canonical and non-canonical uses of onde. The results indicate that speakers tend to assign positive evaluations to non-canonical uses of the connector, suggesting a weakening of normative control over these constructions. These findings reinforce the idea that speakers’ favorable evaluation acts as a relevant factor in advancing the grammaticalization process of onde.