Literary or hidden glossaries in colombian narratives of violence: A macro- and microstructural analysis

Abstract

This article analyzes, from a metalexicographical perspective, the literary glossaries or hidden glossaries found in six Colombian novels about violence published in the second half of the 20th century: Esteban Gamborena by Arturo Echeverri Mejía ([1951], 1996); El Día del Odio by J. A. Osorio Lizarazo (1952), Los Cuervos Tienen Hambre by Carlos Esguerra (1954), Un Campesino Sin Regreso by Euclides Jaramillo Arango (1959), Zarpazo by Evelio Buitrago Salazar (1967), and Diario de un Guerrillero by Arturo Alape ([1968], 1973), focusing on their macrostructure and microstructure. The glossaries found at the end of the works or in footnotes are analyzed in order to identify the criteria for lexical selection, the types of lexicographic information, and the discursive functions they fulfill within the narrative. The results show that the definitions are, for the most part, brief and functional, and that the lexicon recorded consists mainly of regionalisms, ruralisms, colloquialisms, vulgarisms, and indigenisms. These glossaries are of great importance for Colombian dialectology and lexicography, as they document linguistic usages associated with contexts of violence, marginalization, and sociopolitical conflict.