From etymology to neo-latin harmonization: graphic motivations in the writing of “A mais encantadora mulher” (1903), by the brazilian novelistt Gonzaga Filho

Abstract

In this work, we reflect on the nature of the motivations defended by the Brazilian novelist Gonzaga Filho in his work “A Mais Encantadora Mulher”, published in 1903. In addition to the etymological, phonetic and prosodic propositions, the author makes use of a very particular proposition, which he names neo-natin harmonization. For the author, there was not, until the date of publication of his novel, in the Portuguese-speaking world, no single lexicon that would impose itself as an authority to be followed. Through the work of Gonzaga Filho, we observe the behavior of the metaorthographic movement that was unveiled, at the beginning of the 20th century, for the orthographic constitution of the Portuguese language in past synchronisms and its importance in the standardization process of spelling