A formação e a fixação da língua portuguesa em Minas Gerais: a toponímia da região do Carmo

Abstract

This thesis presents a study on the toponimy of an area of the state of Minas Gerais - Brazil, Região do Carmo, namely. Ouro Preto, Mariana, Barra Longa, Diogo de Vasconcelos, Rio Doce, Dom Silvério and Acaiaca having as sources cartografic material, written past documents and data from field work, all of them concerning this area. The toponimic studies are of great relevance to the sociohistorical and cultural aspects of a community since they enable the identification of various linguistic facts, ideologies and beliefs which are present in the naming act and later in their maintenance (or not) within a community. Since locatives frequently rest unchanged, including names of rivers and mountains, and can survive until now allowing us to get into the past, the toponimy of this area - the first settled part of the state - is investigated within DAUZAT(1926) and DICK(1990) toponimic studies framework, DURANTI (2000) cultural framework as well as the diachronic perspective proposed by BYNON (1977) and (1995). Under a sociolinguistic approach the point of departure of this analysis is the present returning to the past and back to the present. Based on the toponimies collected by oral interviews, cartographic material and old written documents selected for the present work, a description and an explanation of the toponimic maintenance, variation and change within this area was attempted. From the analysis of the toponimic cards proposed for each of these items, one verifies that the toponimy of antropocultural nature are the majority and among them the anthropotoponimy class predominates. The analysis of the data reflects the sociohistorical and cultural development context of this part of the territory of Minas Gerais, which was first occupied by bandeirantes paulistas and later resettled by Portuguese from the northwest of Portugal whose descendants have remained in the area until the present time. The communication with Bahia state is intensified in the 19^ century, following the cattle route. In this period the region turns out to be agricultural and the place-names created point out to the Portuguese human element as the agent of this colonization process. The result of this conquest could be seen through the toponimic maintenance and variation and to a lesser extent the linguistic changes.