Between Seeing and Inferring

A Pragmatic Analysis of Humor in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) and the Construction of Meaning by Non-Fluent Listeners

Abstract

This article examines (from the perspective of Pragmatics and Cognitive Semantics) the linguistic comprehension of humor in Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) by non-fluent listeners, using the joke "Deaf Tree" as an example. We base our work on the studies of Grice (1982), Levinson (2007), Koch (2011; 2015), Marcuschi (2008), and Lakoff and Johnson (1999), conceptualizing language as a social and inferential practice in which meanings are derived from the interaction of context, communicative intention, cultural knowledge, and embodied experiences. Humor, from this point of view, depends on the breaking of expectations, implicatures, and the mobilization of shared knowledge. The study is described as a qualitative case study (Yin, 2010), conducted with 15 primary and secondary school teachers, using a semi-structured questionnaire. For the analysis, an adaptation of Bloom's Taxonomy was employed, organized into three levels of comprehension: no inference, partial comprehension, and total comprehension. Although the teacher training system regarding Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) shows limitations, the results indicate that visual, bodily, and spatial elements favored inferences about signed humor. It can be concluded that humor in Libras is a complex form of visual-gestural linguistic literacy, fundamental for the inclusion and appreciation of Deaf culture.