BETWEEN NUMBERS AND SIGNS: A QUALI-QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE LIBRAS TRANSLATIONS OF MATHEMATICS QUESTIONS FROM THE DIGITAL ENEM

Abstract

This article proposes a qualitative–quantitative analysis of the Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) translations of Mathematics questions from the Digital version of the National High School Examination (ENEM), understanding them as discursive practices that highlight the role of the body-sign in the production of mathematical meaning. The research is grounded in the principles of French Discourse Analysis and the Philosophy of Difference, articulating them with Deaf Studies and theories of sign language translation. The corpus consists of ten official ENEM Digital videos (2017–2023), available in INEP’s repository, which present the Libras translation of Mathematics questions. The approach combines qualitative and quantitative procedures: the discursive analysis examines the enunciation and reformulation strategies present in the translations, while the quantitative analysis measures the frequency of linguistic and visual resources — such as classifiers, spatial structuring, and non-manual signals. The results indicate that the body-sign functions as an epistemological and discursive operator, reorganizing the textual linearity of Portuguese into a visual grammar of simultaneity and tridimensionality. It is concluded that Libras translations of mathematical questions not only ensure linguistic access but also reveal an alternative mode of knowledge production, in which the body itself constitutes language and thought.