Análise morfossintática da categoria gênero na Libras (Morphosyntactic Analysis of the Gender Category in Libras)

Lucinea da Silva  Santana; Adriana Stella Cardoso Lessa-de-Oliveira

doi:10.22481/el.v23i1.18305

Authors

Lucinea da Silva Santana Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB/Brasil) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3038-4271
Adriana Stella Cardoso Lessa-de-Oliveira Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB/Brasil) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1524-8386

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22481/el.v23i1.18305

Keywords:

Morphosyntax; Gender category; Sign language; Libras.

Abstract

Morphological processes, such as the grammatical category of gender in spoken languages, are already well defined, as they have been studied since the early stages of linguistic inquiry. In the Brazilian Sign Language (Libras), however, despite some significant preliminary contributions, the scarcity of in-depth analyses makes it imperative to conduct a systematic investigation on the subject. This study aims to examine how this category is expressed in Libras, whether through morphological processes or not. Specific tests were conducted, recorded, and transcribed using the Brazilian Sign Language Writing System (SEL) and Portuguese glosses. The data collection involved nine informants, all fluent in Libras – six Deaf and three hearing participants. The analysis revealed that nominal signs show no morphological marking associated with a semantic root that could be identified as an inflectional marker indicating masculine or feminine gender. There are, however, some cases of heteronymy and composition involving the lexical signs MAN/WOMAN and MALE/FEMALE.

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Author Biographies

Lucinea da Silva Santana, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB/Brasil)

Doctor and Master in Linguistics from the State University of Southwest Bahia. She holds a degree in Letters from the State University of Southwest Bahia (2003), with specializations in Portuguese Language, Clinical and Institutional Psychopedagogy, Higher Education Methodology, and Special and Inclusive Education. She is currently a teacher at the State Center for Professional Education in Information Technologies Régis Pacheco, working in Specialized Educational Assistance (AEE). She is a member of the Research Group on Grammatical Structures and Language Acquisition, conducting research in language acquisition and linguistic studies of Brazilian Sign Language (Libras).

Adriana Stella Cardoso Lessa-de-Oliveira, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB/Brasil)

She holds a Doctorate in Linguistics from the State University of Campinas and has a Master's degree in Linguistics from the same university. She is currently a Full Professor in the Department of Linguistic and Literary Studies at the State University of Southwest Bahia (UESB), working in both undergraduate programs and the Graduate Program in Linguistics at this university. She conducts research in the field of Linguistics, with an emphasis on Generative Syntax and Language Acquisition, focusing mainly on the following topics: Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) syntax; syntax of relative clauses in Brazilian Portuguese (BP); syntax and acquisition of interrogatives in BP; acquisition of relative clauses in BP; and acquisition of literacy in both Libras and BP by deaf individuals. She has developed research that led to a technological product: the Libras Writing System (SEL).

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