Práticas da abordagem lexical para o ensino da Libras como primeira língua para crianças surdas.

Abstract

This dissertation is part of the Research Line Study and Description of Linguistic, Cultural, and Diversity Phenomena in the PPGL the Unioeste (State University of Western Paraná) and focuses on the Lexical Approach applied to the teaching of Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) as a first language (L1) for deaf children aged 3 to 7. Grounded in the principles of the Lexical Approach (Willis, 1990; Lewis, 1993, 1997) and in Bilingual Education for the Deaf, it emphasizes the centrality of the lexicon in the acquisition of Libras as L1. The study is based on the understanding that the lexicon, conceived as a set of lexical units available to speakers of a language, an open and practically unbounded system (Biderman, 1998), forms the foundation for the development of fluency and communicative competence in Libras. The central problem guiding this research is to understand how the Lexical Approach can contribute to the teaching of Libras as a first language during the literacy stage, by promoting vocabulary expansion and linguistic autonomy. Accordingly, the general objective is to identify and analyze, considering the Lexical Approach, lexical patterns relevant to the teaching of Libras as L1 for deaf children, based on pedagogical activities structured around this approach. The specific objectives include: (a) investigating methodological approaches currently used for teaching Libras as L1; (b) examining communicative expression through storytelling in Libras; and (c) analyzing the data from lexical principles such as frequency, collocations, fixed and combinatory expressions, and lexical chunks. The methodology adopted is qualitative, based on video recordings of Libras productions, which constitute the data for analysis. The data were produced, generated, and collected at the Bilingual School of Instruction in Libras, located in the central-west region of Paraná, in collaboration with the “Bilingual Laboratory of the Support Center for the Deaf and Professionals in Deaf Education of Paraná” (CAS Guarapuava). The analysis was organized into three main axes: (1) structure and frequency of lexical items; (2) use of fixed and combinatory expressions (collocations, classifiers as lexical chunks); and (3) modes of interaction between participants and the deaf teacher mediator, emphasizing the role of sign space, deixis, and visual production. The results show that, in children’s Libras productions, high- utility verbs and deictic markers function as the main axes for structuring discourse. They also reveal that the repetition of signs contributes to lexical consolidation and vocabulary expansion. Furthermore, lexical chunks and chains were observed, connecting reference, information progression, and visual organization. From a pedagogical perspective, the study underscores the importance of teaching interventions that prioritize usage patterns, sign chunks, and collocations, which prove effective for Libras L1 instruction. It is concluded that, in early childhood, deaf children can greatly benefit from a lexically centered and usage-based approach, in which frequent, collocational, and spatial patterns are taught as meaningful pedagogical units.