ESCOLHAS LEXICAIS NA COMPOSIÇÃO DA OBRA RIO TURUNA, DE ELI BRASILIENSE

Abstract

This article analyzes lexical units and lexicalized expressions identified in Eli Brasiliense’s book Rio Turuna (1964), which cover the meanings of the word Turuna, highlighting the way in which the author composes his narrative through a careful lexical selection that seeks to give account of the significant meanings that involve the physical environment and the characters of the book. Furthermore, it shows how metaphor and metonymy are abundant and operative in the process of lexical creation. The analysis investigates how the meanings of the words under analysis were created and established through metaphorical processes and how the use of these lexical units contributes to the purpose of the literary composition, style and concept presented in the book. Finally, it shows that both the creation of a lexical item, the new word-formations (neologisms) and idiomatic expressions, as well as their variations in meaning involve pragmatic objectives, such as the need to express new meanings related to the realities identified in the empirical world.