The preservation of memory through the lexicon

Abstract

This paper discusses data that are part of a Master’s thesis, entitled “The preservation of memory through the lexicon: an analysis of phraseological units in the town of Ouro Preto (MG)”, defended in the Language Studies Graduate Program at the Federal University of Ouro Preto. The study delimits its analysis in the categories of paremias and idiomatic expressions by exploring three phraseological units (PH) related to the religious thematic of the Ouro Preto town (Minas Gerais), namely: “o conto do vicário” (a con trick), “santo do pau oco” (a goody-goody), and “devagar com o andor que o santo é de barro” (taking things slowly). The objective was to verify whether the linguistic memory of the Ouro Preto community, through the lexicon, is intrinsically related to the religious and cultural memory of the town. As for the methodology, Tourist Guides from the town, who attribute the origin of these three units to the colonial period, were interviewed; after transcribing the interviews, the PHs were identified, then consultations to dictionaries and phraseological works, published in different periods,  were made, in order to verify (i) the definitions that such works attribute to these PHs and (ii) their possible origin. Afterwards, a comparison between oral reports and institutionalized definitions was made. In conclusion, we found that oral narratives add layers of meaning to the rich tapestry of narratives that compose the speakers’ memory, making it multifaceted.