Here’s an artigaço

an Analysis of Suffixal Derivation in Neologisms Formed with [X-aço]

Abstract

This article aims to understand innovative uses of the suffix–aço in neological formations of the type [X-aço]. The theoretical framework draws on studies by Gonçalves (2013; 2016; 2019), Booij (2007), Rio-Torto et al. (2013), Cabré (2015), and Pruvost and Sablayrolles (2019), among others. The study corpus, as well as the exclusion corpus, consists of journalistic texts produced between 2020 and 2025, collected automatically, in addition to posts from the social media platforms X and Instagram from the same period. A Neologism Extractor generated a list of candidate items, which was subsequently validated manually. The lexical units analyzed reveal innovations in the element–aço that both update and expand the use of this suffix in Brazilian Portuguese. Beyond the traditional semantic function of this formative, which in the traditional approach assigns an augmentative value to the base, it was found that–aço can also function as: (i) an indicator of large quantity, as in batepalmaço; (ii) a marker of superior quality, as in hitaço; (iii) an indicator of excess, as in tarifaço; (iv) a marker of expressive manifestation, as in morcegaço; (v) a marker of protest actions, as in cadeiraço; and (vi) an indicator of broad scope, as in decretaço.