Os estrangeirismos no léxico português: uma perspectiva diacrónica

Abstract

This research is about lexicon, particularly foreign words, and it is based on a diachronic perspective. The goal was to demonstrate that the Portuguese Language, since early times, received many foreign words and, therefore, this linguistic phenomenon isn’t recent. Having the intention of, simultaneously, showing the dynamic character of language, this article starts by establishing that substrates and superstrates are not only a reflexion of the History of Language but it is also the History of various peoples, due to the fact that successive ethnic groups left their linguistic legacy throughout the centuries in the Iberian Peninsula. Regarding Latinisms, it was possible to acknowledge that the past does not disappear, having the speakers the power of vitalising Latin and Greek lexicon during the Renaissance. The sixty years under Spanish rule had linguistic consequences, as well, since the Portuguese language and the Spanish language cohabited during this period. The greatest heirs of Latin Language – the Italians – bequeathed to the Portuguese Language a legacy of words mainly in the artistic domain. In relation to Gallicisms and Anglicisms, it is important to focus on the fact their influence are the result of an economical and political conjunction of events, and consequently, linguistic values which come from the countries where they are spoken. Many are the purists that use language as their nation’s flag. However, it is through this historical perspective that it is possible to assume that the import of foreign words is a process that comes from the past without losing its identity.