A etimologia sob as Noites Áticas: a obra de Aulo Gélio como fonte de reflexões etimológicas para o campo historiográfico

Abstract

This dissertation aims to analyze Aulus Gellius’s work Attic Nights as a source of etymological reflections for the field of Linguistic Historiography. The research is based on the assumption that ancient etymology, as found in Gellius’s miscellany, offers a multifaceted perspective on the origin of words, distinct from the purely technical and scientific approach that became established from the 19th century onward. In this work, we seek to shed light on the erasure or devaluation of these classical reflections by modern Linguistics, which tends to favor etymology based on phonetic regularities and historical reconstruction, at the expense of the philosophical, cultural, and pragmatic dimensions present in ancient texts. Methodologically, we ground our research in the principles of Linguistic Historiography, focusing on the analysis of primary sources. Furthermore, we propose a systematic mapping of the chapters of Attic Nights that address etymological issues, suggesting a tripartite classification: Explicit Etymology (EE), for direct analyses of word origins; Implicit Etymology (EI), for discussions involving etymological aspects without evident metalinguistic markers; and Reflection on Language (L), for chapters dealing with broader morphological, syntactic, or pragmatic issues. This categorization expands and refines the earlier systematization by Cecato (2005), in order to affirm the thematic richness of the work. We also seek to engage with foundational authors in Linguistic Historiography, such as Koerner ([1978] 2011) and Swiggers (2013), as well as with the scientific grammatical tradition, discussing the shift in the discipline of etymology as a lexicological aspect in the grammatical works of Fernão de Oliveira (16th century) and Ernesto Carneiro Ribeiro (19th century). Subsequently, we present the diverse presence of etymological reflection in Aulus Gellius, highlighting that etymology is not limited to a search for the "true" meaning or the formal origin of words. On the contrary, it functions as an instrument integrated into philosophical, legal, political, and cultural discussions. Thus, the work proves to be a valuable source for understanding ancient linguistic thought in its complexity and miscellaneity. The research, therefore, concludes that the reduction of etymology to a technical discipline, occurring mainly from the Neogrammarians onward, implied a significant loss: the abandonment of its reflective, historiographical, and political dimension. Thus, we argue for the importance of recovering ancient etymology as a legitimate object of study, capable of enriching contemporary understanding of the relationships between language, history, culture, and power. From Gellius’s lexical discussions to contemporary disputes over cultural appropriation of food, we seek to demonstrate that attributing origin is an intrinsically political act, and that etymology, in its broader sense, is a crucial tool for recording and critically analyzing these disputes.