O específico e o genérico: um caso de variação lexical na fala cearense

Abstract

This paper describes a specific feature of lexical variation in the state of Ceará, systematizing one of the vocabularyorganizing principles in this dialect. It focuses upon the restriction and extension mechanisms of the signifation under the variational approach, verifying the occurance of general terms where those which are specific would be expected and vice-versa. In otherwords, it deals with the current use of words or expressions with a more concrete and particular character as well as the use of more abstract and general forms than the ones employed in the central and southern regions of the country in order to convey the same concepts. The project consists of a gathering of data from the spoken language collected both freely, in natural speech situations, and in the Dictionary of Popular Expressions by Tomé de Cabral. Correlated forms from the dialects of the Rio-São Paulo area were used as reference. The inventory is organized by means of logical and/or semantic relations, being preceded by a brief theoretical analysis of the restriction and extension mechanisms of the meaning.