LÍNGUA BRASILEIRA DE SINAIS:ASPECTOS LINGUÍSTICOS E CULTURAIS

Abstract

The LIBRAS or Brazilian Sign Language (Brazilian Body Language) is the natural language of deaf Brazilians. It is through that language that deaf people have their experiences and interact with other social groups. The LIBRAS, contrary to what many people think, is not a reproduction of the spoken languages. The sign language/body language uses a visual-spatial way or channel, not an oral-hearing one, being endowed with a grammar made up from its own elements, which are structured on phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic mechanisms. Besides having the elements of identification and classification as any other language, the sign language is not universal; each country has its own language to make the communication and interaction among communities or social groups that use it. The more widespread is the Sign Language (body language), deaf people will have greater access to communication and social interaction, thus making more significant the experiences of the deaf community.