Cette thèse de doctorat de recherche-création comporte un essai doctoral en français ainsi qu'une bande dessignée: une bande dessinée vidéographiée bilingue en langue des signes québécoises (LSQ) et français, composée de 10 chapitres-vidéos. / C’est tombé dans l’oreille d’une Sourde. La sourditude par la bande dessignée est une recherche-création composée d’un essai doctoral et d’une bande dessignée - une bande dessinée bilingue en langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) et en français (BD*) - produite à partir d’extraits de rencontres avec des personnes sourdes et des membres de ma famille entendante réalisées dans le cadre de la thèse. Par une démarche exploratoire, la recherche vise à documenter et à réfléchir à ce que cela fait de vivre comme personne sourde, à la sourditude comme devenir, à l'entendance comme concept pour réfléchir à certains rapports de pouvoirs ainsi qu’aux enjeux communicationnels, technologiques et médiatiques soulevés par les perspectives épistémologiques sourdiennes. C’est en partant du postulat que l’oppression est ce qui est éprouvé à travers des pratiques quotidiennes souvent bien intentionnées (Young, 1990) et avec le désir de composer avec l’exigence du multiple (Deleuze et Guattari, 1980) que s’est développée la question générale de la thèse : En la posant comme un devenir complexe, comment l'expérience singulière de la sourditude, son affectivité et son effectivité se conçoivent, s'actualisent et se communiquent-elles? Cette question se pose dans son articulation avec le lieu où elle prend forme, à savoir la réalisation d’un essai doctoral et d’une BD*, dont le processus sert de milieu exploratoire à diverses questions d’ordre philosophique, théorique, épistémologique, éthique, artistique et politique qui, à leur tour, nourrissent la démarche. Utilisant la vidéo comme forme d’écriture apte à rendre compte de la tridimensionnalité des langues des signes et de leurs composantes linguistiques, la BD* est produite sous forme de chapitres vidéo diffusés sur un site Internet. Produite en noir et blanc, elle comporte des vidéos de protagonistes signant la LSQ, éditées avec un effet de dessin animé, des textes en français disposés dans des phylactères et des arrière-plans édités avec un logiciel de graphisme. Écrit sous forme de dissertation, l’essai comporte cinq chapitres. De façon sommaire, l’introduction présente la recherche-création, la question de recherche et les différentes parties de l’essai; le chapitre 1 intitulé « Les possibles de la sourditude » met en jeu quelques éléments afin d’appréhender la sourditude dans sa complexité, problématise et historicise la sourditude en tant que processus, devenir et appartenance, théorise diverses dimensions de l’oppression, interroge l'expérience subjective comme site de savoirs et propose une analyse critique du concept de sourditude; le chapitre 2 intitulé « Parcours de recherche-création » s’articule autour de la démarche de réalisation de la BD*, documente mon approche de la recherche-création, interroge ma posture épistémologique à travers le paradoxe de vouloir contribuer à « faire entendre des voix sourdes », discute des enjeux soulevés par l’écriture vidéographiée, s’intéresse aux enchevêtrements du cinéma et de la sourditude sous divers angles et discerne certains enjeux relatifs à la situation de la BD* aux confins des codes de la littérature, du cinéma et de la BD; le chapitre 3 intitulé « La production de la bande dessignée » s’attarde de façon plus précise aux diverses étapes de réalisation de la BD*, aborde les rencontres réalisées avec cinq Sourd-es et quatre membres de ma famille entendante, documente le processus de production et postproduction de la BD* en soulevant certains enjeux sur le plan de la traduction et du montage, analyse de façon critique l’Internet comme plateforme de diffusion et présente le site Internet www.BDLSQ.net; la conclusion intitulée « Quelques enjeux posés par la sourditude » propose certaines réflexions issues des rencontres, interroge la question des technologies à travers la notion de sourditude et du handicap, amorce une réflexion sur l’agentivité conférée par les media numériques et se termine en soulevant quelques enjeux politiques et éthiques concernant le développement des études sourdes et des perspectives sourdiennes. / Résumé en langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) disponible à l’adresse Internet suivante : V. Leduc. 2016. « C’est tombé dans l’oreille d’une Sourde. La sourditude par la bande dessignée ». Résumé LSQ. En ligne: https://vimeo.com/190658903 / Abstract in American Sign Language (ASL) available on the following website : V. Leduc. 2016. "It Fell on Deaf Ears. Deafhood by Graphic Signed Novel". PhD thesis, ASL Abstract. Online: https://vimeo.com/190659491 / It Fell on Deaf Ears. Deafhood by Graphic Signed Novel (C’est tombé dans l’oreille d’une Sourde. La sourditude par la bande dessignée) is a research-creation project consisting of a doctoral essay and a bilingual graphic signed novel in Québec sign language (LSQ) and in French, produced from excerpts of encounters with Deaf people and with members of my hearing family that have been carried out as part of the thesis. Through an exploratory process, the project seeks to document and to reflect upon what it means to live as a Deaf person, about Deafhood as becoming, about hearingness as a concept that can be used to think about certain power relations, as well as about the communicative, technological and media issues that arise from deafian epistemological perspectives. From the assumption that oppression is experienced through often well-intentioned everyday practices (Young, 1990), and from an interest in dealing with the requirement of multiplicity (Deleuze and Guattari, 1980), was developed the broad question of the thesis: while positioning it as a complex becoming, how can the singular experience of Deafhood, its affects and effects, be conceived, actualized and communicated? This question is posed through its articulation with the site where it takes shape, namely the creation of a doctoral essay and a graphic signed novel, the process of which serves as an exploratory site for various philosophical, theoretical, epistemological, ethical, artistic and political questions, which, in turn, feed the process. Using video as a form of writing that is able to account for the three-dimensionality of sign languages and of their linguistic components, the graphic signed novel is produced as video chapters distributed on a website. Produced in black and white, it features videos of protagonists signing in LSQ edited with a cartoon effect, French text inscribed in speech bubbles, and backgrounds that have been edited with graphic design software. The production team and the project are presented in LSQ, ASL, French and English on the website www.BDLSQ.net. Written in the form of a dissertation, the essay includes five chapters. In summary, the introduction presents the research-creation project, the research question and the different parts of the essay. Chapter 1, titled “The Possibilities of Deafhood”, brings together elements that help us understand Deafhood in its complexity, problematizes and historicizes Deafhood as a process, becoming and belonging, theorizes various dimensions of oppression, questions the subjective experience as a site of knowledge, and provides a critical analysis of the concept of Deafhood. Chapter 2, titled “Trajectory of Research-Creation”, revolves around the process of making a bilingual graphic signed novel; documenting my research-creation approach, and questioning my epistemological stance through the paradox of wanting to make “Deaf voices heard”. The chapter further discusses issues raised by videographed writing, is interested in the entanglements of film and Deafhood from various angles, and identifies some questions related to the place of the graphic signed novel in relation to the confines of the codes of literature, film and the graphic novel. Chapter 3, titled “The Creation of the Graphic Signed Novel”, focuses more specifically on the various production stages of the graphic signed novel. It addresses the meetings held with five Deafs and four members of my hearing family, documents the production and postproduction processes of the graphic signed novel while raising some issues related to translation and editing, analyzes, in a critical way, the internet as a distribution platform, and introduces the website www.BDLSQ.net. The conclusion, titled “Some Challenges Posed by Deafhood”, offers some reflections stemming from the meetings, interrogates the question of technologies through the notions of Deafhood and disability, proposes a reflection on agency afforded through digital media, and ends by raising some political and ethical issues related to the development of Deaf studies and perspectives. Keywords : Deafhood, graphic novel, digital art, signed litterature, video, transmedia, Deaf Studies, Critical Disability Studies, intersectionality, audism, Quebec Sign Language.

The two purposes of this study are first, to provide an evaluation of an after-school basic mathematics program at the Demonstration School for the Deaf Junior Secondary School (DemoDeaf) in Mampong-Akuapim, Ghana. Second, it provides an ecological discussion exploring why DemoDeaf students do not have access to quality education. I designed and piloted the math program in 2005 and 2007 as an action researcher and volunteer with the Non-Government Organization (NGO), Signs of Hope International. The program was developed after finding six students in one JSS class could not count to one-hundred and all other students struggled with addition and/or subtraction. The program has been shown quantitatively and qualitatively to have statistically significant and positive effects on DemoDeaf students. In 2007, the number of students proficient in counting increased from thirty-four to forty-four. An analysis of the addition achievement test results indicate students advanced a total of twenty-nine levels; four students learned to add single-digit numbers together, eleven students learned how to add double-digit numbers together, and fourteen students learned how to add triple-digit numbers together. An analysis of the subtraction achievement tests indicate students advanced a total of nineteen levels; six students learned to subtract single-digit numbers, eight students learned how to subtract double-digit numbers, and five students learned how to subtract with triple-digit numbers. Sample-t-tests showed that the increase of students proficient in counting, addition, or subtraction (except for triple-digit subtraction) was statistically significant at the p-value of < .01 or < .05. The stigma and negative stereotypes embedded in the normative culture in Ghana and the majority/minority relations and power dynamics between hearing and deaf groups influence the socializing institutions of the family and deaf schools. The normative hearing culture influences the language choice parents/guardians give their deaf child and how they treat them. The perspectives and values of hearing educators and administrators influence deaf school design and create a hidden curriculum for deaf students. These separate forces meet in the classroom and not only prevent students from receiving a quality secular education, they also reinforce the low status ascription of deaf students in Ghana.

[pt] O estudo se ocupa em investigar como são realizadas interações entre alunos surdos e ouvintes e professor ouvinte em um curso de Graduação de Letras-Libras, em que se faz uso da Libras, do Português e de outras formas de linguagem, incluindo a alternância e sobreposição modal de códigos. A pesquisa se justifica pelo recente e crescente contingente de surdos jovens e adultos que ingressam no ensino superior no Brasil, fenômeno do contexto socio educacional de transição, no bojo das transformações socioculturais e históricas iniciadas especialmente a partir do reconhecimento e regulamentação do uso da Libras pela Lei 10.436 de 2002 e do Decreto 5.626 de 2005. Em termos teóricos, o estudo busca articular conceitos da Sociolinguística Interacional, da Análise da Conversa em contexto institucional e de Línguas em Contato na interação, na ordem micro e macro, na relação com os Estudos Surdos. A metodologia da pesquisa é qualitativa e interpretativa, com gravação de dados mediante método etnográfico de investigação. Foram gravadas e analisadas sete interações em sete aulas diferentes em que o pesquisador atuou como professor. É importante destacar, nas convenções de transcrição, a discussão sobre a necessidade de se adequar os modelos de convenções existentes em língua oral e língua de sinais às especificidades da fala em interação com surdos e ouvintes em um contexto bi/multilíngue, com línguas em contato. A partir da discussão, foi proposto um novo modelo de convenções de transcrição, para língua oral e língua de sinais, com foco na interação. Na análise dos dados, emergiram práticas comunicativas de caráter transidiomático que fazem parte dos repertórios linguísticos dos interagentes. Foram estabelecidos dois capítulos, a partir de sete interações. O primeiro desses capítulos, de número 4, tem foco nas interações 1 e 3, e foi dedicado principalmente aos enquadres com foco na entrada dos alunos no curso Letras-Libras. Os resultados indicam que os alunos constroem identidades a partir do foco no outro e no grupo. Apontam também expectativas profissionais dos alunos em relação às opções do curso. Os resultados do segundo capítulo de análise, o capítulo 5, a partir das interações 2, 4, 5, 6 e 7, indicaram, sobretudo, as relações coconstruídas entre professor e alunos surdos e ouvintes em práticas transidiomáticas que imprimiram o caráter bi/multilíngue da sala de aula. Evidenciaram diferenças na propensão para a adesão ao enquadre institucional pelos alunos, com relações de negociação de conflito e a busca de afirmação linguística entre eles, e co construção de conhecimento entre professor e alunos. Embora o professor, enquanto representante institucional, tenha escolhido Libras como língua de instrução, nos dados analisados, as línguas em contato na sala de aula indicaram práticas multilíngues dos alunos, com o uso de Libras, Português e outras formas de linguagem misturadas. A pesquisa mostra-se importante para gerar reflexões sobre como os alunos percebem a sua entrada em um Curso Letras-Libras e como professor e alunos entendem o que está acontecendo no aqui e agora desta sala de aula, em um contexto socio educacional em construção, que se mostrou multilíngue, na transição em reconhecimento dos sujeitos surdos como minoria linguística. / [en] The study is concerned about investigating how interactions between deaf and hearing students and hearing teacher are carried out in an undergraduate course where Libras, Portuguese and other forms of language are used, including code-switching and code-blending. The research is justified by the recent and growing contingent of deaf youngsters and adults who enter higher education in Brazil, a phenomenon of the socio-economic context of transition, in the context of socio-cultural and historical transformations, initiated especially with the recognition and regulation of the use of Libras by Federal Law 10,436 in 2002 and by the Federal Decree 5,626 in 2005. In theoretical terms, the study seeks to articulate concepts of Interaction Sociolinguistics, Conversation Analysis in an institutional context, and Languages in Contact in interaction, on the micro and macro levels, as they pertain to Deaf Studies. The methodology of the research is qualitative and interpretative, with data recording employing an ethnographic research method. Seven interactions were recorded and analyzed in seven different classes in which ones the researcher has acted as teacher. It is important to highlight, in the conventions of transcription, the discussion about the need to adapt the existing models of conventions in oral and sign language to the specificities of speech in interaction with deaf and hearing people in a multilingual context, with languages in contact. From the discussion, a new model of conventions of transcription was proposed, for oral language and sign language, with a focus on interaction. In the data analysis, transidiomatic practices emerged as communicative repertoires of the participants. Two chapters were established, from seven interactions. The first of these chapters, chapter 4, focusing on interactions 1 and 3, was mainly devoted to students frames, with a focus on the entry in the Letras-Libras Course. The results indicate that students construct self-identities out of the focus on other students and of the groups themselves. They also point out the student s professional expectations regarding course options. The results of chapter 5, from interactions 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7, indicated, above all, the co-constructed relationships in the classroom between teacher and deaf and hearing students into transidiomatic practices that that have produced the bi-multilingual character of the classroom. They showed differences among students in propensity to adhering to the institutional frames, with conflicting relationships and the search for linguistic affirmation among the students, as well as co-construction of knowledge between teacher and students. Although the teacher, as an institutional representative, had chosen Libras as the language of instruction, in the data analyzed, the languages in contact in the classroom indicated multilingual practices on the part of the students, who used Libras, Portuguese and other mixed forms of language. The research suggests the necessity to generate reflections on how students perceive the entry into a Letras-Libras Course and how the teacher and students understand what is happening in the here and now of this undergraduate classroom in a socio-educational context under construction, which proved to be multilingual in the transition in recognition of deaf subjects as a linguistic minority.

This study investigates factors hampering comprehension of sign language interpretations rendered on South African TV news bulletins in terms of Deaf viewers’ expectancy norms and corpus analysis of authentic interpretations. The research fills a gap in the emerging discipline of Sign Language Interpreting Studies, specifically with reference to corpus studies. The study presents a new model for translation/interpretation evaluation based on the introduction of Grounded Theory (GT) into a reception-oriented model. The research question is addressed holistically in terms of target audience competencies and expectations, aspects of the physical setting, interpreters’ use of language and interpreting choices. The South African Deaf community are incorporated as experts into the assessment process, thereby empirically grounding the research within the socio-dynamic context of the target audience. Triangulation in data collection and analysis was provided by applying multiple mixed data collection methods, namely questionnaires, interviews, eye-tracking and corpus tools. The primary variables identified by the study are the small picture size and use of dialect. Secondary variables identified include inconsistent or inadequate use of non-manual features, incoherent or non-simultaneous mouthing, careless or incorrect sign execution, too fast signing, loss of visibility against skin or clothing, omission of vital elements of sentence structure, adherence to source language structures, meaningless additions, incorrect referencing, oversimplification and violations of Deaf norms of restructuring, information transfer, gatekeeping and third person interpreting. The identification of these factors allows the construction of a series of testable hypotheses, thereby providing a broad platform for further research. Apart from pioneering corpus-driven sign language interpreting research, the study makes significant contributions to present knowledge of evaluative models, interpreting strategies and norms and systems of transcription and annotation. / Linguistics / Thesis (D. Litt.et Phil. (Linguistics)

This study investigates factors hampering comprehension of sign language interpretations rendered on South African TV news bulletins in terms of Deaf viewers’ expectancy norms and corpus analysis of authentic interpretations. The research fills a gap in the emerging discipline of Sign Language Interpreting Studies, specifically with reference to corpus studies. The study presents a new model for translation/interpretation evaluation based on the introduction of Grounded Theory (GT) into a reception-oriented model. The research question is addressed holistically in terms of target audience competencies and expectations, aspects of the physical setting, interpreters’ use of language and interpreting choices. The South African Deaf community are incorporated as experts into the assessment process, thereby empirically grounding the research within the socio-dynamic context of the target audience. Triangulation in data collection and analysis was provided by applying multiple mixed data collection methods, namely questionnaires, interviews, eye-tracking and corpus tools. The primary variables identified by the study are the small picture size and use of dialect. Secondary variables identified include inconsistent or inadequate use of non-manual features, incoherent or non-simultaneous mouthing, careless or incorrect sign execution, too fast signing, loss of visibility against skin or clothing, omission of vital elements of sentence structure, adherence to source language structures, meaningless additions, incorrect referencing, oversimplification and violations of Deaf norms of restructuring, information transfer, gatekeeping and third person interpreting. The identification of these factors allows the construction of a series of testable hypotheses, thereby providing a broad platform for further research. Apart from pioneering corpus-driven sign language interpreting research, the study makes significant contributions to present knowledge of evaluative models, interpreting strategies and norms and systems of transcription and annotation. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / Thesis (D. Litt.et Phil. (Linguistics)