O mercado da bola e a variação antroponímica entre os jogadores brasileiros de futebol

Abstract

This thesis presents an analysis of the variation and change of the proper names of Brazilian soccer players. The media repercussion regarding the absence of nicknames among Brazilian players raised questions about a possible change in the profile of first names in lineups. Our hypothesis is that the search for the foreign market, due to its financial power, has guided younger generations to use names that belong more to the civil registry. Given the gap in this theme, the general objective is to analyze the possible factors that impact the use of these anthroponyms. For this purpose, we are adopting the theoretical-methodological framework of Variationist Sociolinguistics by Labov (2008 [1972]) and Moreno Fernández (2009), considering that it is a variable phenomenon that has linguistic and extralinguistic relations. As the focus is on the professional use of names, we work with Meyerhoff's (2004) concept of community of practice. The typological classifications by Amaral and Seide (2020) are the theoretical base of the game name classification, which deals with player names in this context of use. With that, we selected the periodical clipping of 1991-2021, based on the squads of the clubs that compete in the Brazilian Championship chosen for this study. During the analysis of the results, we noticed a growth of new forms of first names and we can explain that by personal (ALDRIN, 2017; AINIALA, 2016; MCCLURE, 1981) and professional projections of athletes facing globalization (PIOVEZANI, 2012; RODRIGUES, 2010) and by the new legal norms that made transfers more flexible in recent decades. However, we maintain part of the Brazilian identity in the way of nominating players. With regard to the generational factors that drive changes, we found that there is a correlation with the ongoing changes in football, taking into account the age group of the players whose names most manifest preferences for the use of names related to those in the civil registry.