Lexical Variation and Standardization in Prosodia(1634–1750): Evidence from a Digitally Processed Historical Corpus

Abstract

This paper examines linguistic innovation and lexical variation in the bilingual Portuguese Jesuit dictionary Prosodia, published between 1634 and 1750. Through an analysis of the two dictionaries, the Latin-Portuguese and Portuguese-Latin, components of the lexicographic set, the study reveals how Prosodia not only reflected but also contributed to the development and stabilization of the Portuguese language at the end of the 17th century. The research draws on the Corpus Lexicográfico do Português and applies digital humanities methodologies, described in the article, to uncover patterns of lexical change, the coexistence of archaic and innovative forms, and the editorial strategies underlying the dictionary’s evolution. Three case studies—variants that coexist in the Prosodia corpus (e.g.,the words for ‘knee’ and ‘fruit’), predominance of a  variant over the other (e.g., words ending in -airo), and registration of the renovated form mentioning the disused one (e.g., ‘aspeito’)—illustrate the persistence and eventual selection of standard forms in Portuguese. The findings highlight Prosodia’s value as a resource for documenting linguistic renovation and its lasting influence on subsequent Portuguese lexicography.