Abstract

THOMAZ, Amanda Galerani  and  FREITAS, Joanneliese de Lucas. The world experience of a deaf learning LIBRAS: An existential-phenomenological approach. Estud. pesqui. psicol. [online]. 2017, vol.17, n.1, pp.25-45. ISSN 1808-4281.

Different discourses on the experience of deafness frequently start from the perspective of the listeners, which implies an opacity of this very particular experience. This work aims to approximate the experience of living in the cultural world without the appropriation of a systematic language. Thus, was conducted a case study of a deaf who learned the Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS) as an adult. Data collection took place through an open interview, mediated by a LIBRAS´s volunteer interpreter. The interview analysis was guided by Giorgi´s phenomenological method of research and the data interpreted from the perspective of Merleau-Ponty. The results were divided into two thematic groups: The meaningless world: emptiness and loneliness and Awakening the senses, "a new life". The experiences lived before mastering a systematic language were described as incomprehensible and empty, permeated by dissociation and sparse experiences. The interviewed reported a sudden change in how she was connected to the world after she had learned LIBRAS, when she begun to realize culture´s shared meanings and gestures. It is suggested further studies that investigate the sensible and corporeal experience of deaf people. It highlights the importance of apprenticeship of a systematic language.

Keywords : deafness; existential-phenomenology; language; meaning; Merleau-Ponty.

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