Camões’ Vocabulary in Perspective: an analysis of dictionaries devoted to Os Lusíadas

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive comparative study of three dictionaries specifically dedicated to Luís de Camões's epic poem Os Lusíadas: the Dicionário d’Os Lusíadas by Afrânio Peixoto and Pedro A. Pinto (1924), the Dicionário e Gramática de Os Lusíadas by Júlio Nogueira (1960), and the Dicionário de Camões by Manuel dos Santos Alves (1994). The main objective is to analyze the lexicographical approaches adopted in each separate work, as well as their specific contributions to the accessibility of Camonian language throughout the twentieth century. The research is grounded in contemporary lexicographical theory, particularly following the classifications provided by Welker (2004) and Porto Dapena (2002), considering aspects such as macrostructure, microstructure, target audience, inclusion of encyclopedic content, and definition criteria. Peixoto and Pinto's work stands out for its pioneering philological character; Nogueira's dictionary emphasizes didactic mediation and comparison with Portuguese spoken in Brazil; while Alves's work expands the scope to the author's entire literary production with greater structural objectivity. Despite their undeniable historical and pedagogical relevance in mediating between the modern reader and the Renaissance text, the analyzed dictionaries reveal significant technical limitations, such as a lack of clear structural standardization, recurring inconsistencies in entry presentation, and the merging of linguistic and extralinguistic information without explicit criteria. These deficiencies compromise, to some extent, the overall precision and functionality of these reference tools for the contemporary consultant. In sum, these works highlight the need for new lexicographical initiatives that combine modern methodological rigor with philological depth, offering more functional and updated resources for students of the Camonian epic. The results contribute to the understanding of the history of specialized lexicography in the Portuguese language and reinforce the importance of systematized reference tools for accessing classical literary texts of high linguistic and cultural complexity within the current educational landscape of the Brazilian pedagogical context.