Brazilian Sign Language


Brazilian Sign Language is the sign language used by deaf communities of urban Brazil. It is also known as Libras and variously abbreviated as LSB, LGB or LSCB.

Recognition and status

Brazilian Sign Language is well-established; several dictionaries, instructional videos and a number of articles on the linguistic features of the language have been published. It has dialects across Brazil reflecting regional and sociocultural differences.
A strong sign language law was passed by the National Congress of Brazil on April 24, 2002, and is in the process of being implemented. The law mandates the use of Brazilian Sign Language in education and government services.
Educational approaches have evolved from oralism to Total Communication and bilingualism.

Alphabet

BSL fingerspelling uses a one-handed manual alphabet similar to that used by the French Sign Language family.
There are 44 distinct handshapes used in the language.

Writing

is the dominant writing system in Brazil. A master's in linguistics dissertation titled by Gabriela Otaviani Barbosa found that SignWriting is used in 18 Federal Universities and in 12 public schools in Brazil. The History of SignWriting in Brazil appeared on TV INES in 2017: .
Historical efforts were commonly transcribed using Portuguese words, written in upper case, to stand for each equivalent BSL morpheme.
Transcription of BSL signs using SignWriting has been in place since at least 1997 with the SignNet Project in Porto Alegre and Fernando Capovilla's dictionaries in São Paulo. The University of Santa Catarina at Florianopolis has required courses in SignWriting as the preferred form of LIBRAS transcription.
SignWriting is cited as being useful in the pedagogy of young children. http://www.signwriting.org/archive/docs6/sw0580_BR_Aquisicao_Escrita_Sinais_2007.pdf
The Federal University of Santa Catarina has accepted a dissertation written in Brazilian Sign Language using Sutton SignWriting for a master's degree in linguistics. The dissertation "" by João Paulo Ampessan states that "the data indicate the need for usage in writing sign language".

Deaf and sign language organizations

The most important deaf organization is FENEIS, the Federação Nacional de Educação e Integração dos Surdos. There are a number of regional organizations in Curitiba, Caxias do Sul and Rio Grande do Sul.

Classification

Wittmann posits that Brazilian Sign Language is a language isolate, though one developed through stimulus diffusion from an existing sign language, likely Portuguese Sign Language and/or French Sign Language.

Footnotes