A produção dos significados dos termos analfabeto e analfabetismo no século XIX: um estudo baseado em dicionários

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the meanings attributed to the words “illiterate” and “illiteracy” – and the lexicon associated with them – throughout the nineteenth century, in Portuguese language dictionaries published in the period. It seeks, thus, to understand how, in the sphere of language, associations were produced between “illiterate” and the inability to make decisions in a sovereign manner, and “illite-racy” as a social problem. Editions of different dictionaries and the periodical press were used as main research sources. The work showed that, during the period, new definitions were being incorporated into the term “illiterate”, as well as synonyms and examples of usage. We can see that the meaning that associates the words with not being able to read and to write has gradually stabilized, being identified, also gradually, with the educational sphere. There is also a shift in the attribution of the meanings of the terms “illiterate” and “illiteracy” from the individual to the collective and social dimensions. In addition, the terms began to be associated with specific groups, such as the black and peasant populations.