“Nada é mais igual do que duas linhas gêmeas” : conceptualização do termo equação nas videoprovas em libras do Enem (2017-2023)

Abstract

The specialized language of Mathematics consists of a set of distinct terms regulated by scientific criteria, often rooted in everyday experience, which results in the way Mathematics is embodied in the mind (Lakoff, Nuñez, 2000; Lakoff, Johnson, 2002). From this set of terminology, the term equation was chosen as the object of research, as it occurs significantly within the specialized language of Algebra and other branches of Mathematics. This study employed qualitative, descriptive research focused on bilingual specialized languages (oral languages and sign language), with an emphasis on the description and analysis of signed terms. To guide this investigation, the following question was formulated: How is the term equation conceptualized in the video-based National High School Exam (Enem) proofs in Libras, and how is this conceptualization related to the written and symbolic language of Mathematics? As a result, the general objective was set to investigate the representation of equation in both the written and signed versions of the Enem test booklets, as well as its conceptualization in Libras. In this way, the thesis argues that, contrary to what occurs in the written modality of oral languages, where Mathematical terms tend to be standardized and invariant regardless of language and culture, the formation of the term in Libras and other sign languages (American, French, English, and Polish) is shaped by the experience of the world and the representation of the sign in the interpretive mind, whether deaf or hearing. Just as in the common lexicon of Libras, the signed term results from the interaction between members of a community of practice (Wenger, 2007) in a constant updating of experiences. It is also argued that, due to its communicative visuospatial nature, the term is formed by an iconic-metaphorical representation of the symbolic and conceptual language of Mathematics. To analyze and describe the term, the Sociocognitive Terminology Theory (TST) proposed by Temmerman (2000) was used, with an emphasis on the Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) and Idealized Cognitive Models (ICMs) of Lakoff, Johnson (1980), and Lakoff (1987). Since the term is in Libras, the metaphorical and cognitive mapping model proposed by Taub (2004) was adopted. Moreover, the term equation is approached from a semiotic perspective, as it is constituted by the mental abstraction of the meaning that the object represents in the interpretive mind (Peirce, 1975). The analyzed corpus consists of 196 questions and 980 alternatives taken from 14 written and video-recorded Enem test booklets in Libras, covering the Mathematics and its technologies section from the years 2017 to 2023. As a result, two types of ontological conceptual metaphors were found: EQUATION IS MOVEMENT and EQUATION IS QUANTIFYING/QUANTITY. Synonymy and polysemy related to the term equation were also found. At the end of the analysis, a bilingual terminological sheet was proposed to record and organize the investigated term. The sheet includes the necessary formalities for describing the term and the specificities of the iconic-metaphorical and conceptual mappings researched, being developed based on Temmerman (2000), Barros (2004), Taub (2004), and Teixeira (2021). Lastly, a website layout was created as a bilingual reference (Libras/Portuguese) for various professionals dealing with specialized signed languages.