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Brazilian Sign Language

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Brazilian Sign Language ( Portuguese : Língua Brasileira de Sinais [ˈlĩɡwɐ bɾaziˈlejɾɐ dʒi siˈnajs] ) is the sign language used by deaf communities of Brazil . It is commonly known in short as Libras ( pronounced [ˈlibɾɐs] ).

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52-525: Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) is a well-established language and legally recognized. Several dictionaries, instructional videos, and a number of articles on the linguistic nuances of the language have been published. It is a natural language of Brazil, but it exhibits influences of French Sign Language , therefore sharing similarities with other sign languages across Europe and the Americas. Additionally, Libras has regional dialects across Brazil, reflecting

104-415: A chain of five signs ("interior-understand-possible-adjective-not"), the deaf natural language would simply say "understand-impossible". LSF was not invented by the abbé, but his major contributions to the deaf community were to recognize that the deaf did not need oral language to be able to think, and to indirectly accelerate the natural growth of the language by virtue of putting so many deaf students under

156-598: A formal apology was made by the board at the 21st International Congress on Education of the Deaf in Vancouver, BC , Canada , acknowledging the detrimental effects of such a ban as an act of discrimination and violation of both human and constitutional rights. In the 1870s, Alexander Graham Bell and Edward Miner Gallaudet , both prominent US figures in deaf education, had been debating the effectiveness of oral-only education versus an education that utilises sign language as

208-576: A master's degree in linguistics. The dissertation "A escrita de expressões não manuais gramaticais em sentenças da Libras pelo Sistema signwriting" by João Paulo Ampessan states that "the data indicate the need for [non-manual expressions] usage in writing sign language". In September 2017, new Libras accessibility requirements took effect in Brazil mandating availability of Brazilian Sign Language for films shown in Brazilian movie theaters . Sign language

260-492: A means of visual communication, culminating in the 1880 Milan Conference that passed eight resolutions on deaf education. The Second International Congress on Education of the Deaf was an international meeting of deaf educators from at least seven countries. There were large delegations from Italy (87) and France (56), eight delegates from the UK, five Americans, three Swedes and 1 representative each of Belgium and Germany. The Congress

312-625: A number of regional locations in Brasilia , Sao Paulo , Belo Horizonte , Fortaleza , Curitiba , Manaus , Caxias do Sul and Porto Alegre , further amplifying its reach and impact across Brazil. William Stoke proposed that sign language exhibits small units of speech, akin to the phonemes found in spoken languages. In Brazilian Sign Language (Libras), these units are organized according to five parameters studied within phonology. These parameters encompass handshape , location, movement, palm orientation, and non-manual markers . Handshape refers to

364-507: A representation of eleven deaf members alongside three hearing individuals. FENEIS is known as a nonprofit institution dedicated to advocating for the educational, cultural, and social rights of the deaf community. Through its proactive efforts, FENEIS has significantly advanced the legal and societal standing of deaf individuals. Notably, its impact extends beyond advocacy, encompassing direct engagement in educational initiatives, cultural promotion, and social services. Additionally, FENEIS has

416-406: A sign, involving the hands, arms, or body. Palm orientation delineates the various directions the palm may face while producing a sign. Lastly, non-manual markers entail facial expressions that can accentuate or alter the meaning of a sign. Much like phonemes in spoken language, these parameters play a pivotal role in sign meaning. Any alteration in these parameters can result in a significant shift in

468-557: A single roof. From this time French Sign Language flourished until the late 19th century when a schism developed between the manualist and oralist schools of thought. In 1880 the Milan International Congress of Teachers for the Deaf-Mute convened and decided that the oralist tradition would be preferred. In due time the use of sign language was treated as a barrier to learning to talk and thus forbidden from

520-438: A teacher from England) supported the use of sign language. 1. The convention, considering the incontestable superiority of articulation over signs in restoring the deaf-mute to society and giving him a fuller knowledge of language, declares that the oral method should be preferred to that of signs in education and the instruction of deaf-mutes. 2. The convention, considering that the simultaneous use of articulation and signs has

572-415: A vote to pave the way for a new federation. The idea for a new federation was proposed by deaf individuals and was named The National Federation of Deaf Education and Integration ( Portuguese : Federação Nacional de Educação e Integração dos Surdos ) ( FENEIS ). Initially overseen by hearing individuals, FENEIS gradually transitioned to a more inclusive leadership structure. By 1998, the organization boasted

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624-512: A wide range of concepts and contexts. Just like spoken language, Libras, used within the deaf community in Brazil, exhibits regional and generational variations in its signs. Different signs may denote places, objects, and concepts, and these signs may evolve over time with new generations. These changes underscore the dynamic nature of language. Professor Rimar Segala from the Federal University of Sao Carlos notes that this "variation

676-608: Is commonly known as the " Milan Conference " or " Milan Congress ". This Congress was preceded by the First International Congress in Paris in 1878. Joseph Marius Magnat, a Swiss former oralist, received a significant donation to organize the more well-known Second Congress two years hence. After deliberations from 6 to 11 September 1880, the Milan Conference declared that oral education (oralism)

728-838: Is displayed to moviegoers on a second screen device. Sign language is stored as a Sign Language Video track in the Digital Cinema Package (DCP), synchronized with the rest of the film. Sign Language Video tracks have no audio and are encoded as a VP9 -compressed video encoded in PCM audio stored in Sound Track 15 of the DCP. Wittmann (1991) posits that Brazilian Sign Language is a language isolate (a 'prototype' sign language), though one developed through stimulus diffusion from an existing sign language, likely Portuguese Sign Language and/or French Sign Language . ^b Denotes

780-714: Is evidence of the vitality of the language." For example, in Sao Paulo, the sign for beer involves a twist with the fist, whereas in Minas Gerais, beer is represented by touching the side of the face with the pointer and middle fingers. Ronice Müller de Quadros and her colleagues developed the Libras SignBank , a valuable resource enabling users to access hundreds of Libras signs. It facilitates searches for signs based on Portuguese equivalents, handshapes, associated word categories, phonology, or syntax. Additionally,

832-402: Is frequently, though mistakenly, attributed to the work of Charles Michel de l'Épée (l'abbé de l'Épée). In fact, he is said to have discovered the already existing language by total accident; having ducked into a nearby house to escape the rain, he fell upon a pair of deaf twin sisters and was struck by the richness and complexity of the language that they used to communicate among themselves and

884-525: Is structured. A strong sign language law was passed by the National Congress of Brazil on April 24, 2002. This law formally acknowledged Libras as a language and mandated governmental support and promotion of its usage. Additionally, it stipulated that public institutions and healthcare services must provide appropriate services for deaf individuals. In addition to being recognized nationally since 2002, Libras has also gained official status at

936-578: Is used both to distinguish signs of LSF and to incorporate French words while signing. ^b Denotes the number (if known) of languages within the family. No further information is given on these languages. Second International Congress on Education of the Deaf The Second International Congress on Education of the Deaf was an international conference of deaf educators held in Milan , Italy in 1880. It

988-517: The Milan Conference of 1880 , where a resolution against the use of sign language in education was passed, favoring oralism . Oralism gained prominence in Brazil from 1911 onwards, and the INES superintendent, Ana Rímoli de Faria Doria, endorsed oralism in the institute by separating older deaf individual from younger ones to discourage sign language use. Despite the imposition of oralism and

1040-545: The Société Générale du Crédit Mobilier ). The Society was a strong proponent of oralism and sought to have this ratified by an international conference. They secured this outcome by carefully selecting who was invited to the Milan Conference, inviting the delegates to see the self-declared oralist success in a local school, and by encouraging negative reactions to those giving speeches supporting sign language and cheering those supporting oralism . The Milan Conference

1092-653: The 1880 resolutions in practical and moral terms in deciding that the 1880 resolutions had no longer any appropriate standing. As explained by Richard G. Brill: "At the International Congress in Hamburg in 1980, [however,] the Milan resolutions were challenged head-on in major professional addresses at the opening of the congresses. It was recognized and accepted that resolutions concerning methodology were not appropriate at such international congresses because of

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1144-588: The Gallaudets and others permitting and encouraging high school students in deaf institutes to use sign language and maintaining Gallaudet College (now Gallaudet University) as an institution of higher education that permitted the full usage of sign language . In August 1880, one month before the Milan Conference, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was formed in the US and was dedicated from

1196-528: The Hearing Impaired ( Portuguese : Federação Nacional de Educação e Integração do Deficiente Auditivo ) (FENEIDA) was founded in Rio de Janeiro in 1977 by hearing individuals with an interest in the deaf community. FENEIDA later had an increased participation from deaf individuals, marking a pivotal shift towards advocating for their rights within the organization. In 1987, FENEIDA was dissolved through

1248-751: The SignBank enables users to explore regional variations of signs, offering a deeper understanding of the linguistic diversity within Libras. Sutton SignWriting is the dominant writing system in Brazil. A master's in linguistics dissertation titled "A arte de escrever em Libras" by Gabriela Otaviani Barbosa found that SignWriting is used in 18 Federal Universities and in 12 public schools in Brazil. Historical efforts were commonly transcribed using Portuguese words, written in upper case, to stand for each equivalent Libras morpheme. Transcription of Libras signs using SignWriting has been in place since at least 1997 with

1300-757: The SignNet Project in Porto Alegre and Fernando Capovilla's dictionaries in São Paulo. The University of Santa Catarina at Florianopolis (UFSC) has required courses in SignWriting as the preferred form of LIBRAS transcription. SignWriting is cited as being useful in the pedagogy of young children. The Federal University of Santa Catarina has accepted a dissertation written in Brazilian Sign Language using Sutton SignWriting for

1352-491: The age of 12 he acquired measles which resulted in him becoming deaf. Undeterred by his condition, Huet continued his education, mastering Spanish and enrolling in the National Institute for the Deaf in Paris. In 1855, he relocated to Brazil with his wife, where his encounter with the deaf community led him to play a pivotal role in the development of Libras. Huet aided in the creation of the first public school for

1404-412: The ban on sign language in schools, many deaf individuals in Brazil continued to resist and advocate for the recognition of their language and culture. It wasn't until 2002 that Libras gained legal recognition as a means of communication and expression, thanks to a law passed by Congress, marking a significant victory for the deaf community in Brazil. The National Federation of Education and Integration of

1456-616: The classroom. This situation remained unchanged in France until the late 1970s, when the deaf community began to militate for greater recognition of sign language and for a bilingual education system. In 1991 the National Assembly passed the Fabius law, officially authorising the use of LSF for the education of deaf children. A law was passed in 2005 fully recognising LSF as a language in its own right. The French manual alphabet

1508-429: The continent and that popularised the idea that the deaf could be educated, especially by gesture. The methodical signs he created were a mixture of sign language words he had learned with some grammatical terms he invented. The resulting combination, an artificial language, was over-complicated and completely unusable by his students. For example, where his system would elaborately construct the word "unintelligible" with

1560-446: The deaf Parisian community. The abbé set himself to learning the language, now known as Old French Sign Language , and eventually he established a free school for the deaf. At this school, he developed a system he called "methodical signs", to teach his students how to read and write. The abbé was eventually able to make public demonstrations (1771–1774) of his system, demonstrations that attracted educators and celebrities from all over

1612-481: The deaf and dumb by speech has peculiar requirements; considering also that the experienced of teachers of deaf-mutes is almost unanimous, declares 8. Considering that the application of the Pure Oral method in institutions where it is not yet in active operation, should be to avoid the certainty of failure prudent, gradual, progressive, recommends The American and British delegations were the only ones who opposed

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1664-478: The deaf and dumb may be educated. 4. Considering that the teaching of the speaking deaf by the Pure Oral method should resemble as much as possible that of those who hear and speak, declares 5. Considering the want of books sufficiently elementary to help the gradual and progressive development of language, recommends that the teachers of the Oral system should apply themselves to the publication of special works on

1716-565: The deaf in Brazil, located in Rio de Janeiro and due to his contact with deaf individuals in Brazil he became a key person in the development of Libras. The first public school for the deaf was established in Rio de Janeiro in 1857 and marked a significant milestone. Initially named the Imperial Institute of the Deaf-Mute ( Portuguese : Imperial Instituto de Surdos-Mudos /ĩ.pe.ɾiˈaɫ is.tiˈtu.tu dʒi ˈsuɾ.du ˈmu.du/ ) due to people at

1768-403: The disadvantage of injuring articulation and lip-reading and the precision of ideas, declares that the pure oral method should be preferred. 3. Considering that a great number of the deaf and dumb are not receiving the benefit of instruction, and that this condition is owing to the impotence of families and of institutions , recommends that governments should take the necessary steps that all

1820-505: The diverse sociocultural differences in the country. Libras is not merely a form of gesturing within the Portuguese language used to communicate; rather, it stands as a distinct language in its own right. Brazilian sign language is a visual-spatial language that combines gestures, facial expression and body language. Its classification as a language stems primarily from its unique grammatical organization which diverges from how Portuguese

1872-572: The municipal and state levels in various regions, including Belo Horizonte , Curitiba , Ouro Preto , Salvador , Rondonia , and Mato Grosso . In Rio de Janeiro , the teaching of Libras was made official in the curriculum of the municipal school system. Recognizing the importance of Libras, April 24 has been designated as the National Day of Brazilian Sign Language (Libras). Educational approaches have shifted from oralism to Total Communication and bilingualism . Brazilian Sign Language

1924-752: The number (if known) of languages within the family. No further information is given on these languages. French Sign Language French Sign Language ( French : langue des signes française , LSF ) is the sign language of the deaf in France and French-speaking parts of Switzerland . According to Ethnologue , it has 100,000 native signers. French Sign Language is related and partially ancestral to Dutch Sign Language (NGT), Flemish Sign Language (VGT), Belgian-French Sign Language (LSFB), Irish Sign Language (ISL), American Sign Language (ASL), Quebec (also known as French Canadian) Sign Language (LSQ), Brazilian Sign Language (LSB or Libras) and Russian Sign Language (RSL). French Sign Language

1976-521: The oral method, such as "Considering the incontestable superiority of speech over signs in restoring the deaf-mute to society, and in giving him a more perfect knowledge of language,/Declares –/That the Oral method ought to be preferred that of signs for the education and instruction of the deaf and dumb". The Pereire Society was an organization formed by the French family of Jacob Rodrigues Pereira and financed by their railroad and bank holdings (including

2028-565: The outset to preserving American Sign Language and assisting the Deaf community in surviving an upswing of oralism that lasted several decades in the late 19th and early-to-mid 20th centuries. At the 15th International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED) held in Hamburg , in then- West Germany in 1980, the first major step in repudiating the 1880 resolutions was set by a large group of attendees who, in an informal consensus, rejected

2080-408: The publication of the first Brazilian Sign Language dictionary, "Iconografia dos Signaes dos Surdos-Mudos," authored by Flausino José da Costa Gama, an INES student. However, despite these advancements in sign language, a prevalent medical perspective persisted, leading to the institutionalization of deaf individuals in hopes of finding a cure. This medical model gained traction, particularly following

2132-546: The right to flexible communication in the mode or combination of modes which best meets their individual needs." Sharkey and Hikins deemed this Recommendation, along with the others, as essentially constituting a repudiation of the 1880 Milan Congress' resolutions. Thirty years later, in July 2010 in Vancouver, Canada, the board of the 21st International Congress on the Education of the Deaf (ICED) formally voted to reject all of

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2184-627: The sign's meaning. In Brazilian Sign Language (Libras), signs typically represent specific words used in communication. However, when a particular word lacks a designated sign, fingerspelling becomes necessary. Fingerspelling involves manually spelling out words using the letters of the Libras alphabet. Libras fingerspelling uses a one-handed manual alphabet similar to that used by the French Sign Language family. This method allows individuals to convey words for which there are no existing signs, enabling effective communication across

2236-427: The specific configuration of the hand while forming a sign. For instance, in 2012, Madson and Raquel Barreto compiled an inventory comprising 111 distinct handshapes. Location denotes where the hand is positioned in space or what it touches during sign production. Barros identified a total of 35 points where the hand can touch or be positioned during the articulation of a sign. Movement encompasses any motions accompanying

2288-408: The subject. 6. Considering the results obtained by the numerous inquiries made concerning the deaf and dumb of every age and every condition long after they had quit school, who, when interrogated upon various subjects, have answered correctly, with sufficient clearness of articulation, and read the lips of their questioners with the greatest facility, declares: 7. Considering that the education of

2340-528: The time associating being deaf with the inability to speak, the school was later renamed the National Institute of Deaf Education ( Portuguese : Instituto Nacional de Educação de Surdos , /ĩs.tʃiˈtu.tu na.si.oˈnaw dʒi edu.ka.sɐ̃w dʒi ˈsuʁ.dus/ ) ( INES ). Serving as a beacon of reference for the country, INES catalyzed the formation of additional schools for the deaf and contributed to the consolidation of Libras. The emergence of tangible resources supporting sign language in Brazil can be traced back to 1875 with

2392-565: The unlikelihood that the delegates fully represented the practices and philosophies of their home countries." Rather than seek to directly overturn the 1880 resolutions, the Congress put forward "recommendations" for informational purposes, including the following: "Recommended that this International Congress on Education of the Deaf, in convocation gathered at Hamburg, West Germany, in August 1980, affirms and declares that all deaf children have

2444-510: The use of oralism as a sole method of instruction, but were unsuccessful in their efforts to overturn the Milan resolutions. Reverend Thomas Gallaudet and his son Edward Miner Gallaudet, were among the protesters who railed against the oralist method being used in deaf education. Despite failing to have their positions ratified at the Congress, the Gallaudets ensured that deaf education in the US would not be completely converted to oralist methods. Manualism in deaf education survived oralism in part by

2496-433: Was attended by 164 delegates of various countries. Out of these 164 delegates only three were deaf, James Denison (USA), Claudius Forestier and T. Theobald (France). The conference president was Abbe Giulio Tarra. The remaining delegates' nationalities are unknown. The five US delegates present were James Denison, Edward Miner Gallaudet , Reverend Thomas Gallaudet , Isaac Lewis Peet and Charles A Stoddard. The Conference

2548-458: Was greatly influenced by French Sign Language . In 1855, the arrival of a deaf French teacher named Ernest Huet marked a pivotal moment in Libras' history. Huet, supported by the former Brazilian emperor Dom Pedro II , embarked on a mission to establish the first school for the deaf in Brazil. Huet was part of a noble family in France and possessed a multilingual background, proficient in Portuguese, German, and French from an early age. However, at

2600-607: Was held in the Regio Instituto Tenico di Santa Martha in Milan from 6 to 11 September 1880. The conference was essentially an attempt by the oralist camp to legitimize an official ban of sign language from deaf education. Furthering the goal of the oralists, during the conference twelve speakers spoke on the contemporary issues connected with deaf education. Nine of the twelve speakers gave an oralist perspective, and three (the Gallaudet brothers, and Richard Elliot,

2652-464: Was planned and organized by a committee created by the Pereire Society, an oralist organization. More than half of the people invited were known oralists; therefore, the Congress was heavily inclined to the oralist camp and most, if not all, of the resolutions that were voted on by the delegates gave results in favour of the oral method. Many of the resolutions were worded in ways that supported

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2704-408: Was superior to manual education (sign language) and passed a resolution banning the use of sign language in school. After its passage, various European and American schools largely switched to using speech therapy without sign language as a method of deaf education until the late 1960s and early 1970s, when sign language started to be recognised as the ideal method of deaf education. In 2010,

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