COMMAS IN TEXTS OF STUDENTS FROM AGE 11 TO 15-YEARS-OLD: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY

ABSTRACT In this article, we investigate the presence and absence of commas in a longitudinal sample texts genre report written by 11 to 15 years-old students from school countryside São Paulo State. Our hypothesis is that comma used when syntactic boundaries match prosodic ones. The constituents are formed phonological information, according principles defined Prosodic Phonology theoretical approach. characterization conventional non-conventional absences was made identification which they should or could be placed, taking as reference Brazilian Portuguese grammar. results were increases during years schooling, expected. However, rates changed depending on type structure occurrence intonational phrase boundaries. Comma occurred predominantly positions where intonation major boundaries, sentence boundary. turn, systematically does not occur do match.