A Novel Approach to Etymological Research: The DELPo Experience

This paper aims to present the work methodology and the main theoretical postulates that guide the
preparation of DELPo (Etymological Dictionary of the Portuguese Language), under the responsibility
of NEHiLP-USP (Center for Support of Research in Etymology and History of the Portuguese
Language of the University of São Paulo), as it pertains to an innovative project both in its theoretical
and empirical-operational aspects. It is intended here to present the conceptual, notational and
terminological innovations, proposed by the authors, that support the preparation of DELPo. For this,
we rely on theoretical references on neology, lexicogenesis, and etymology and propose an update
on the symbology used in the formulation of etymological propositions, which can at the same time
clear up ambiguities and inconsistencies of traditional notation and answer for the conceptual
innovations introduced here. It is intended that both the described etymological processes and the
symbols corresponding to them become standard in the research in etymology and etymological
lexicography.