DE “FAZER SALIÊNCIA” A “BRINCAR”: VARIAÇÃO LEXICAL PARA O ATO SEXUAL EM SÃO LUÍS DO MARANHÃO

Abstract

Study of Lexical Variation for the Sexual Act in the Speech of Residents of São Luís, Maranhão, from the Perspective of Tabooization. The main objective of this research was to analyze lexical variation related to the naming of the sexual act within the city of São Luís, Maranhão. Specific objectives included identifying the linguistic variants present in the speech of the city's residents regarding euphemisms used to refer to the sexual act. The study aimed to explore the influence of three variables - age groups (18 to 40 years old and over 55 years old), gender (male and female), and educational level - on the variants found. The methodology consisted of defining the research locus: the neighborhoods of Centro, Renascença, Vinhais, Turu, and Cidade Operária (all located in São Luís). A Sociolinguistic Questionnaire was administered to 30 residents from these neighborhoods, all natives of São Luís, with an equal distribution of 15 males and 15 females. Corpus analysis was conducted based on both qualitative and quantitative data, with theoretical and methodological support from the works of Guérios (1979), Preti (1984), Ullmann (1987), and Moreno Fernández (2009). A total of 21 lexical items (lexias) referring to the sexual act were identified. The results revealed that female participants felt uncomfortable responding to questions about the sexual act, often resorting to euphemistic forms such as brincar, fazer saliência and tchutchucar. On the other hand, male participants used crude words and expressions, often considered vulgar by society, to refer to the sexual act. This behavior reaffirms Preti's (1984) argument that men are not required to adhere to the same behavioral norms as women, which are imposed on them from an early age. To validate the results, a Variants Questionnaire was applied to a heterogeneous group of 10 residents of São Luis, Maranhão, who were asked to identify which variants were part of their own reality. Out of the 21 lexias identified, 19 were validated, while only two - Conhecer o Hulk and Foca Foca were not.