Conectivos da Língua Portuguesa escrita: um estudo do processamento de leitura pelo surdo

Abstract

About the processing of reading sentences with connectives, we know that: (a) comfort words, like best known words, in the second language (L2) promote a larger facilitation effect and the knowledge of connectives in the first language (L1) can be transferred to L2, according to Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (WETZEL, ZUFFEREY AND GYGAX, 2020); (b) the connectives promote local effects of facilitating reading, according to the Local Cohesion View of Interclausal Connectives (SEGAL, DUCHAN and SCOTT, 1991); and (c) incongruent sentences promote more processing charge, according to Continuity Hypothesis (MURRAY, 1997). In a context in which Brazilian Deaf people use Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) as L1 (QUADROS, SCHMIEDT, 2006; SKLIAR, 1997, 2011) and Portuguese Language (LP) as L2 in written modality (QUADROS, SCHMIEDT, 2006), some questions arose: Would Deaf adult readers who communicate in Libras and use LP as L2 benefit from reading in presence of connectives in L2? Can some factors generate facilitation effects on L2 reading, such as the absence or the presence of a connective and congruent or incongruous connective? Thus, this thesis investigates the processing of reading of adversative connective “but”, explanatory connective “because” and conclusive connective “then” by adult Deaf readers, who use Libras and LP in the written modality. In general, the hypotheses were: connectives more familiar to Deaf adults in L2 may promote a local effect of facilitating reading (SEGAL, DUCHAN and SCOTT, 1991) and incongruent sentences may promote more impact on processing, making it more costly (MURRAY, 1997). Three tasks based on psycholinguistic techniques were applied, with experimental methodological character (FONSECA, 2011; FODOR, 2005; LEITÃO, 2008), a written production pre-test, an acceptability test and a self-paced reading test. The results provided evidence to confirm the: (a) Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis, as the more familiar connectives promote larger reading facilitation for Deaf adults; (b) Local Cohesion View of Interclausal Connectives, as Deaf readers benefit from the presence of a connector in the sentence; (c) Continuity Hypothesis, as incongruence, especially when there is the presence of a connective, can promote more cost in reading processing for Deaf readers.