PELOS CAMINHOS DA TOPONÍMIA DO NORDESTE PARAENSE: UMA ABORDAGEM LINGUÍSTICO-CULTURAL

Abstract

This thesis investigates the toponymy of rural physical features and urban human settlements of 26 municipalities that comprise the immediate geographic regions of Castanhal, Bragança, and Paragominas, in the state of Pará, Brazil. The research conceptualizes toponyms as linguistic signs that reflect aspects of the physical environment, as well as the culture and history of the populations that inhabit or once inhabited a given geographical space. This study aims to address the following questions, whose answers provided the foundation for this research: i) What factors motivated the naming of rural physical features (rivers, lakes, streams, etc.) and urban human settlements (municipalities, towns, and districts) in the intermediate region of Castanhal/PA? ii) To what extent do the Portuguese language and Indigenous languages persist in the toponymy of the immediate regions of Bragança, Castanhal, and Paragominas?The first research hypothesis assumes that the naming of rural physical features and urban human settlements within the studied regions is linked to the reaffirmation of local identity, reflecting both the historical relationship with the physical environment and the cultural values of Indigenous and colonial communities, within a broader process of territorial representation and re-signification. The second hypothesis posits that the toponymy of the investigated area reflects the interaction between the Portuguese language and Indigenous languages, evidenced by the presence of hybrid names that preserve elements of local culture. This thesis is primarily grounded in the works of Dick (1990; 1992; 1999; 2004), Dauzat ([1926]1963), Leite de Vasconcellos (1931), Stewart (1954), and Trapero (1995). For the linguistic and taxonomic analysis, Portuguese dictionaries (Houaiss, 2017; Aulete, 2011), Indigenous language dictionaries (Barbosa, 1951; Cunha, 1998; Sampaio, 1987), etymological dictionaries (Cunha, 2010; Nascentes, 1955), and institutional websites of municipal governments were consulted. The corpus consists of 1,001 toponyms, of which 707 refer to physical features and 294 to human settlements, extracted from municipal maps (IBGE, 2020) with scales ranging from 1:700 to 1:6,000, and from statistical municipal maps (IBGE, 2010), with scales from 1:50,000 to 1:300,000. Overall, the results reveal that 32.56% of the toponyms analyzed are of Indigenous origin, highlighting the cultural influence of Indigenous peoples in naming geographic features in the region. Regarding toponymic motivation, following the classification proposed by Dick (1992), physical toponyms predominate, accounting for 52.64% of the total. Toponyms of anthropocultural nature represent 37.76% of the dataset. In the set of toponyms classified as physical in nature, phytotoponyms stand out, accounting for 40.41% of the total. Among those of anthropocultural nature, anthroponymic toponyms are the most prominent, with 26%. In summary, the study revealed underlying characteristics of the naming process, recovering physical and environmental aspects of the studied regions that go beyond landforms or watercourses, encompassing elements such as fauna and flora. Toponyms such as rio Cauaxi, igarapé Marambaia, igarapé Tauari, and rio Tracuateua reflect the Indigenous heritage of the region, both in linguistic origin and in cultural significance. For instance, cauaxi is an Indigenous term referring to a natural resource used by local peoples. Traditionally, cauaxi is a freshwater sponge employed in the crafting of artisanal objects. Thus, the naming of toponyms reveals how inhabitants interpret and establish connections with their environment, preserving through language the natural and cultural elements that reinforce collective identity and the historical memory of the territory. Keywords: Onomastics; Toponymy; Castanhal/PA; Culture; Motivation.