Spellings of the voice: a study of orality in the documents of Sao Paulo\'s municipe of nineteenth century (1820-1870)

Author(s)

Thiago Pereira Majolo

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD)
• Defense date: 2009-08-20

Examining board members

Maria Cristina Cortez Wissenbach; Maria Odila Leite da Silva Dias; Elena Pajaro Peres

• Advisor: Maria Cristina Cortez Wissenbach

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate oral evidences found in the municipal documents of the city of São Paulo corresponding to a 19th-century period (1820-1870) as a means to determine the features and preservation of oral traditions in society, as well as the way by which these popular knowledge could reach a political scope. For that reason, official documents were analyzed with a focus on the absence of the official writing style, so that uncensored speech evidences could be identified. The detailed word-by-word analysis and the investigation of its contents have the purpose of spreading the theoretical and methodological scope of historiography that studies lower and less educated social classes whose knowledge is shared orally rather than by written. This knowledge may be concealed by the writing style of official documents, which is formal and standardized. Geographically smaller by then, São Paulo was not only the subject of study, but also promoted a deeper understanding of theoretical matters that were raised from oral and written traditions. A comprehension of social arrangements among different classes and groups was also necessary to study the proximity between both cultures, observing their particular aspirations and needs. (AU)