From Discriminating to Discrimination : The Influence of Language on Identity and Subjectivity

This book adopts a multidisciplinary approach to try to answer the question of how do we, as human beings, go from the socially neutral linguistic act of discriminating external stimuli to the socially loaded act of promoting social discrimination though language? This contributed volume brings together works presented at the international event “From Discriminating to Discrimination – The Influence of Language on Identity and Subjectivity”. This was an online event hosted and organized by the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), Germany, in partnership with São Paulo State University (UNESP), Brazil, that brought together lecturers from different universities around the world. During the event, linguists, psychologists, language teachers, social workers and pedagogues got together to discuss how discriminating can be recognized as a natural and important ability of the human being in the early stages of life and, after that, how to avoid discriminatory acts againstothers. The debates held online took into account the important and necessary dialogue between linguistics and other social sciences to discuss the role played by language as a form of building subjectivity and teaching practices that can contribute to minimize discrimination and promote integration and acceptance in a broad sense, understanding the preponderant role of language in recognizing what is different (discriminating), without diminishing or excluding it (discrimination). From Discriminating to Discrimination: The Influence of Language on Identity and Subjectivity will help linguists, psychologists, educators, social workers and a broad range of social scientists working with cognitive, linguistic and educational studies understand the path taken by differentiation, from the beginning of the child's language development – when discrimination (of sounds, gestures, etc.) is essential for the acquisition of language to occur –, until the moment when differentiation, discrimination, ceases to be an essential factor and becomes a means of social segregation. Foreword 5 Preface 6 References 11 Acknowledgements 12 Contents 13 Chapter 1: From Sound Discrimination to Sound Identification: The Importance of Child-Directed Speech and Interactional Cues During Language Acquisition 15 1.1 Introduction 16 1.2 Role of Child-Directed Speech During Language Acquisition 18 1.3 A Scenario to Describe the Processes of Language Acquisition Early in Life 22 References 23 Chapter 2: Language Perception Development 27 2.1 Introduction 27 2.2 Early Perceptual Abilities 28 2.3 Becoming a Learner of a Specific Language 29 2.4 Impacts of Speech Perception on Later Language Development and Use 31 2.5 Concluding Remarks 32 References 33 Chapter 3: Language, Subjectivity and Alterity: Humour in Children’s Discourse 37 3.1 Introduction 38 3.2 Some Humour Scenes 42 3.3 Final Considerations 45 References 46 Chapter 4: Discrimination in Early Childhood Education: Considerations About Communication and Ethical Responsibility in Pedagogical Practices 48 4.1 General Considerations 49 4.2 Human Development Mediated by Communicative Processes 50 4.3 BNCC: Taking a Look at Child’s Development 51 4.4 Uses of Language and Ethical Responsiveness in Early Childhood Education 52 4.5 The Surplus of Vision as an Educational Act 53 4.6 Final Considerations: From Discrimination to the Inclusion of Ethical Reflection in Pedagogical Actions in Early Childhood Education 54 References 55 Chapter 5: Doing Research with Children: Case Studies Challenging Bias of Understanding the World 56 5.1 Introduction 56 5.2 Theoretical Framework: Literature Review 57 5.3 Action Research as an Inquiry Method 59 5.4 The Case Study in Germany 60 5.5 The Case Study in Brazil 63 5.6 Researcher’s Attitudes 66 5.7 Final Considerations 67 References 68 Chapter 6: Preservation of Identity and Subjectivity: Philosophy, Linguistics and Social Work in Dialogue to Fight Discrimination 70 6.1 Identity and Subjectivity 71 6.2 Ascriptions of Identity 71 6.3 Preservation of Identity and Subjectivity 72 6.4 Action-Leading: Overcoming Discrimination 74 6.4.1 Overcoming Discrimination: Social Work and Language as a Way Out of the Crisis 75 6.5 Final Considerations 79 References 79 Chapter 7: A Reflexion About the Historical Course of the Brazilian Sign Language: School, Official Documents and Fighting Discrimination 81 7.1 Introduction 82 7.2 LIBRAS and the Language Acquisition 83 7.2.1 LIBRAS: Which Language Is It? What Is Its Importance? 83 7.2.2 Language, Discourse and Language Acquisition 84 7.3 Brief Summary of the Deaf People’s History in Brazil: Laws, Fights and Educational Documents 87 7.4 Deaf People’s Reports: Reflections About the Deaf Identity, the Advances in Education and the Fight Against Discrimination 90 7.5 Final Considerations 92 References 92 Chapter 8: Cultural Diversity in Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages: Opening up to Dialogue and Understanding Plural Identities 95 8.1 Introduction 95 8.2 Culture and Identity 96 8.3 Culture in the Teaching of Foreign Languages 98 8.4 Dialogical Relationship between the Self and the Other 100 8.5 Final Considerations 103 References 104 Chapter 9: Portuguese as a Welcoming Language: Breaking Linguistic and Cultural Boundaries 105 9.1 Introduction 106 9.2 Welcoming Language 107 9.3 Our Welcoming Experience with Portuguese Language 109 9.4 Students’ Reflections on PLAc Learning 110 9.5 Final Considerations 112 References 113 Chapter 10: A Discussion on Literacy for Young and Adults: Literature Classics in Dialogue with Paulo Freire 115 10.1 Education of Young and Adult People: Regulatory Frameworks 116 10.2 Paulo Freire Beyond Decoding 119 10.3 The Universal Classics and the Emancipatory Reading 121 10.4 Final Considerations 124 References 125 Chapter 11: The Challenges of Bildung in the Anthropocene in the Relationship Between the Oppressed and the Literacy 127 11.1 Introduction 127 11.2 Anthropocene and the Place of the Human Being on the Planet 128 11.3 The Elements and Condition of the Oppressed Human Being 130 11.4 Bildung as a Transformation Dimension 132 11.5 Literacy as Responsibility for Action 134 11.6 Final Considerations 135 References 136 Afterword 138