Teaching Portuguese as a second language to deaf children: theoretical and methodological principles

This paper discusses the way Portuguese has been taught to deaf children; that is, through the prohibition of the use of sign language and the conception of language as a code, as well as the teaching methodology and its impact on deaf children's reading and writing acquisition. It presents a proposal that places emphasis on the discursive-interactionist conception of language, in which Brazilian Sign Language is considered the deaf children's first language. As the first language, it provides the foundation which Portuguese will be built upon. In other words, the knowledge of the world and language acquired through sign language will set the tone for deaf children learn Portuguese. The effects of the practical application of this proposal are analyzed in the written productions of two junior high school deaf students, from a bilingual school, whose first language is Brazilian Sign Language and whose second language is Portuguese. By analyzing their production, it is possible to find evidences that the children have been learning to write texts, even though they still show a great deal of difficulty, especially due to their little knowledge of Portuguese. Considering that due to their hearing loss, it is through sight that they have access to the world, the author suggests that deaf children should read as much as possible because this way they will be able to immerse in the linguistic-discursive operation of the Portuguese language.