Linguistic and extralinguistic aspects of the performance of teachers as storytellers in brazilian sign language

Abstract

This article aims to analyze both linguistic and extralinguistic aspects of the performance of teachers who tell stories in Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) that are considered capable of making storytelling more engaging and beneficial for deaf students. Grounded in Costa (2015) and Sutton-Spence (2021), the study draws on data from an online questionnaire, an interview conducted with a teacher at a bilingual school, and an analysis of a video in which a teacher tells a story in Libras. The results indicate that fluency (a linguistic aspect) and the organization of the setting (an extralinguistic aspect) are non-negotiable elements for storytelling to be both engaging and meaningful for deaf students. Other elements may vary in relevance depending on the storytelling modality chosen by the teacher.

Keywords
Storyteller; Brazilian Sign Language (BSL); Teacher