Libras: translingual practice in the act of signs prodution by deaf female students in an academic setting

Abstract

This essay discusses the process of translanguage interaction in the act of signs by two deaf, bilingual students who use Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS) and also Portuguese, one orally and the other non-orally. The aim is to understand the linguistic specificities of the deaf and the complex translanguage situations in the academic environment. Translanguage practices are discussed and supported through observations made during professional practice as a LIBRAS interpreter. To build the theoretical framework, we will use Canagarajah's (2013-2017) concept of translanguage, Ladd's (2013) and Perlin's (2005) conception of deafness. Furthermore, for a discursive view of language, understanding its connection with power relations and how this influences identity construction, we will use Tomaz Silva's approach (2009). The text adopts a qualitative approach and employs observation techniques to uncover the process of translanguage. In the act of signs, there is a search for various semiotic repertoires that incorporate the speech of deaf people, and through the diversity of multimodal resources, together with signs, the meanings of signs are constructed and structured in linguistic environments.