The Onomastics of Brazil: from the Colonial Period to the Present Day

The subject of the study is the evolution of the system of proper names (anthroponyms and toponyms) in Brazil, starting from the colonial period to the present day. Special attention is paid to the formation of the country's onomasticon under the influence of the complex interplay of factors: Portuguese colonization, interaction with indigenous peoples, waves of migration from Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the process of globalization in the contemporary stage. The distinct nature of the Brazilian onomastic tradition is emphasized, reflecting the polyethnic character of the country. The study illustrates how the system of proper names reveals various levels of the historical and cultural heritage of the country. Thus, the subject of the research goes beyond traditional linguistics and encompasses cultural and sociolinguistic aspects, which gives it an interdisciplinary nature and provides understanding of the mechanisms of formation of the system of proper names in Brazil. Research methods include historical-descriptive, comparative-contrasting, and etymological analysis, as well as the analysis of open social media data, which has expanded the empirical basis of the research. As a result, key stages in the formation of Brazilian onomastics have been highlighted: from the first recorded Portuguese toponyms and anthroponyms in the colonial era to contemporary trends related to globalization, migration, and digital technologies. Examples of the influence of migration processes on the anthroponymy of specific regions of the country have also been systematized. Special attention has been given to the influence of indigenous, European, and other ethnocultural components on the formation of the country’s onomastic fund. The conclusions of the study indicate that the onomastic system of Brazil has been shaped by multi-layered historical and cultural processes, and contemporary Brazilian onomastics demonstrates an expansion of themes and methods of analysis, including the use of digital resources. The obtained results can be applied in linguistics, ethnography, and cultural studies in the examination of the processes of formation and functioning of proper names.

onomastics, Brazil, colonization, toponymy, anthroponymy, migration, proper name, Portuguese language, Indigenous peoples, Brazilians