The implications of spatialization as an analytical category of conversation in Brazilian Sign Language and Portuguese Sign Language

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the pragmatic-discursive implications of spatialization in conversations conducted by deaf Portuguese users of Portuguese Sign Language (LGP), as well as to understand how the development of the discursive topic occurs in natural environments using this language. We have as object of study the interaction between deaf and deaf and as main research instrument the focus group technique. To achieve our goals, we rely on the theory of Conversation Analysis and chose the discursive topic as the analytical category of conversation / interaction to guide the results of this study. We rely on the results of Serra (2014) to investigate the presence of spatialization in a language conversation. Portuguese Gesture. The analysis started from the perception of the already established theoretical properties of discursive topic (centering, organicity and spatialization), the possible ruptures and topical retakes, the development of the subject to be treated. After confirming the presence of spatialization in LGP, we can point out the evident importance of this property for the studies of the discursive topic in visuospatial languages.