Consideration on the history and the stylistic use of prefixes

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss prefixes from a historical perspective, as well as to observe nuances of stylistic value in them. The choice of subject was basically due to two reasons: (i) the considerations set out by Martins (2003) on the low stylistic productivity caused by prefixal derivation – especially if compared to suffixal derivation; and (ii) the considerations set out by Silva (2009) on the so-called de-language, of negativity, in Manoel de Barros. At first we worked on a brief historically and etymologically-oriented incursion on prefixes; and then, subjecting the reflections we gathered to a punctual corpus by the author, we highlighted examples in which features of the morpho-stylistic nature that contribute to the singularity of his work, also linked to the aesthetics of the fragmentary and to the smallest beings, can be explored.