Rodrigo Nogueira Machado

Dr. Rodrigo Nogueira Machado is an adjunct professor at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) in Fortaleza, Brazil, and a research collaborator at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), where he works on the construction of the Libras corpus. He holds an MA in Linguistics from UFSC and a PhD in Linguistics from the Federal University of Alagoas, including a DAAD-funded research stay (2021–2022) at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany. His work focuses on Libras, particularly sociolinguistics, language contact, interpreting and translation, and International Sign Language (IntSL). He also works as an IntSL/Libras interpreter.

This course presents two complementary lines of research on linguistic contact involving Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) and International Sign (IntSL), with a focus on multimodality, lexical processes, and interactional dynamics. 

The first part examines the process of linguistic borrowing in Libras, with particular emphasis on lexical borrowings arising from contact with spoken language, written language, other sign languages, and culturally embedded gestures. Grounded in corpus-based analysis, the study proposes a categorization of borrowing modalities and investigates how different semiotic channels contribute to the incorporation and formation of lexical items in Libras. The methodological procedures include corpus annotation and transcription using the ELAN software, enabling the identification of structural and functional patterns in the formation of lexical items. The findings highlight borrowing as a complex, plural, and inherently multimodal phenomenon, reflecting the impact of diverse linguistic and cultural contacts. 

The second part addresses language contact and the notion of a linguistic continuum between Libras and International Sign (IntSL). Drawing on data from dyadic interactions between Libras signers with varying degrees of familiarity with IntSL and a fluent IntSL signer, the study analyzes patterns of interaction, communicative strategies, and linguistic features such as lexical choices, phonological properties, mouthing, and fingerspelling. The data were systematically annotated using the ELAN software, allowing for a fine-grained analysis of interactional structures and linguistic variation. The analysis demonstrates how signers navigate across a continuum of linguistic proximity, employing both unimodal and multimodal resources to achieve mutual understanding in real-time communication. Taken together, the course aims to contribute to current discussions in sign language linguistics by examining how contact phenomena shape linguistic structure and use, emphasizing both the categorization of borrowing processes and the dynamic interplay between Libras and IntSL in situated interaction.