Polivalência dos avaliativos -ALH-, -ÃO e -INH- no português do Brasil e de Portugal

Abstract

The present study aims to describe and explain the coexistence of diminutive/attenuating and augmentative/ intensificative values of three evaluative suffixes of the Portuguese: -alh-, -ão and -inh-. The suffix -alh- is the least represented, in any of the longitudes where the Portuguese language is used. The data from ‘popular’ European Portuguese of the 20th century highlight the values of this suffix. The suffixes -ão and -inh- are very used both in the Portuguese of Brazil and in the Portuguese of Portugal, as well as in the nativized varieties of the Portuguese of the African Continent. However, the diminutive value of -ão, present in the European and in the Brazilian Portuguese is little known, because it is less represented than the augmentative/intensive. The intensive value of -inho, diminutive/mitigative suffix par excellence, has a specific nature and conditions of use, which requires specific research.  The coexistence of such antagonistic values in the same suffix presents relevant challenges for morphological theories, as it derogates the principle of form-meaning-function pairing.

The theoretical framework that supports this reflection is multidimensional, crossing lexicalist morphology with functionalist linguistics of the use and pragmatics, and envolving reference names of morphological and lexical studies such as Aronoff & Fudeman 2005, Basílio 1999, 2004, Bechara 2004, Booij 2005, 2010, Cunha & Cintra 1984, Nunes 1989, AUTOR 1993, 2020, 2022, C.M. Vasconcelos 1914.