8 Reasons for you to learn Libras, the Brazilian Sign Language

In 2002, the Brazilian Sign Language (known as Libras) received recognition, by law, as an official means of communication in the country. Therefore, if you speak Portuguese, but can also communicate in Libras, you can consider yourself a bilingual person. But there are other reasons besides the curriculum to learn this language, as we will show later.

O awesome.club brings eight curiosities of the Brazilian Sign Language that can inspire you to learn it and thus collaborate for the social inclusion of deaf people. Check it out.

Still in the 19th century, Emperor Dom Pedro II invited to Brazil the French educator Hernest Huet, who was deaf and knowledgeable in French Sign Language. Hernest brought several documents for the education of the deaf and helped to found, on September 26, 1857, the first special school in Brazil, which today is known as the Instituto Nacional de Educação dos Surdos. Dom Pedro II had a particular interest in the creation of the Institute, as his grandson, Princess Isabel’s son, was deaf.

Therefore, it is considered that Libras is a mixture of the traditional French Sign Language with the gestures that were already used by Brazilian deaf people before the arrival of Hernest Huet.

Libras is a living language that, like all other languages, undergoes historical and cultural changes — think of the emergence of slang. Users themselves can create new signs which makes language learning interesting and dynamic.

Accents and linguistic variations are different ways from the standard (gestural/visual) of signing in Libras, characteristic of the place where the person lives.

The videos below show an example of a standard signal and its variable form for a certain region of the country. Check it out.

When starting to learn Libras, the initial focus is not on learning to sign perfectly, but on understanding the signs. Paying attention to a conversation between two deaf people will help you absorb more content in the language and reproduce signs more naturally. The ideal is to study phrases and contexts every day, for learning Libras to be more efficient.

It is possible to learn pounds for free over the Internet, such as the online courses offered by USP. To participate, registration is not required. There is also the basic course at the University of Libras, which teaches 99 signs. On the cell phone, there is the Hand Talk application, which automatically translates texts and audio, in addition to teaching several Sign Language words.

For a deaf person, one of the great advantages of learning Libras in relation to learning Portuguese is the fact that sign language is composed of facial and body expressions while the Portuguese language is based only on the sounds of words, which makes it difficult to learning by the deaf. Portuguese, like other spoken languages, is an auditory experience.

It is important that the deaf child start their studies with Libras from a very early age – but it is also important, even for these children, to learn the Portuguese language. Learning both languages ​​will facilitate integration into society.

Thus, the child develops ways of interacting with people, expanding the world’s perception, facilitating, in the future, the inclusion in the labor market.

A Federal Government Decree determines that Libras must be included as a curricular subject in teacher training and in speech therapy courses.

Studying Libras is very important for breaking down communication barriers, understanding the deaf culture (lifestyles, habits and challenges) and social inclusion.

But, beyond the obligation, there is a question of professional development. Teachers trained in Libras are, naturally, more valued and tend to earn more.

The movement with the hands in Libras is used to signal letters/words. But how would deaf communication be if it were not possible to use hands or arms or in their absence? For this case, there is another way to communicate in Libras by signaling the letters of the alphabet with your feet.

It is incorrect to think that sign language is the gestural/signed version of oral languages, since they follow different norms and a very complex grammar. Around the world, sign languages ​​vary geographically, historically, and culturally, just as the language spoken orally by listeners does. In Japan for example, sign language is called Nihon Shuwa and it is used as a form of communication by 95% of the deaf population.

The profession of Libras Interpreter is regulated by law (learn more here) and the focus of these professionals is in the area of ​​education, in classrooms, being a communication channel between the deaf student and the school community.

In addition to this area of ​​activity, the importance of the interpreter for transmitting content to the deaf at events, broadcasters and television studios is highlighted, providing resources for accessibility to information.

Humberto is not a new character in Turma da Mônica. This deaf little boy was created by Maurício de Sousa in the 1960s – a sign that, even at that time, the most beloved cartoonist in Brazil was concerned with respect for deaf people.

And, of course, Humberto learned Libras. In a 2006 edition of the comic series, Mônica, Cebolinha, Cascão and Magali learned the manual alphabet through a book forgotten on purpose by Humberto, as he wanted to be understood by his colleagues. The comic book invites readers to also understand sign language, proposing that a message left by Humberto be unraveled in manual alphabet.

Do you know someone who uses Libras to communicate? Do you want to learn sign language? Tell us.