Project Lucinda Ferreira: profiles of deaf microcommunities in Brazil and sign language typology

• Grant number: 22/05962-4
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2023
• End date: January 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Linguistics - Linguistic Theory and Analysis
• Principal Investigator: Angélica Terezinha Carmo Rodrigues
• Grantee: Angélica Terezinha Carmo Rodrigues
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Letras (FCL). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Anderson Almeida da Silva ; Andre Nogueira Xavier ; Felipe Aleixo ; Gustavo de Godoy e Silva ; Ivani dos Santos Souza Fusellier ; Klaus Schlünzen Junior

Abstract

This research project aims at a typological-comparative study between six emerging sign languages used in the Brazilian localities of Boa Vista (RR), Buriti dos Lopes (PI), Tiros (MG), Umuarama (PR) and Várzea Queimada (PI), Vila de Fortalezinha (Ilha de Maiandeua, PA), Centro Novo do Maranhão (MA) e Centro do Guilherme (MA). The study of these languages will be conducted in order to contrast the effects of the size and concentricity of these deaf micro communities and the age of these languages (number of generations of deaf people) on the way these languages are established and linguistically structured. Considering the social vulnerability and the sociolinguistic implications involved in the processes of emergence of familiar or micro communities sign languages in geographic or social isolation, these sign languages can be characterized as minority languages with a high risk of extinction. Thus, the objective of this research project is to develop a virtual database, in which the data collected for the project will be stored, initially for analysis by the researchers and the students involved. This database will be opened for public consultation, according to the conditions established by the team. This proposal brings together researchers from different national (UNESP, UFU, UFDPar, UFPR, UFRR) and foreign (The University of Texas at Austin (USA) and University Paris VIII (FR)) universities, including undergraduate and graduate students. (AU)