Ainda se busca “por uma gramática de línguas de sinais”? A figura de uma precursora

The article aims to analyze the references that Ferreira (2010[1995]) sought to write “ Por uma gramatica de linguas de sinais ” and, based on the notions of the History of Linguistic Ideas in conjunction with the Materialist Discourse Analysis, introduce her as a forerunner of Sign Language Linguistics in Brazil. Ferreira’s academic guideline was partially contextualized in studies she followed in an American university, affiliated to theories related to the pragmatic turn in linguistic studies. The author was concerned with the construction of a descriptive framework of sign languages in general and Libras in particular. In addition, this work translates the political relevance of the acceptance of sign languages (Libras and others) in their own right in Brazil, and its diffusion played a seminal role to disseminate that idea.