Estudo sobre as características do termo “acervo” na Norma Brasileira de Descrição Arquivística

Abstract

This article aims to investigate the characteristics of the term “collection”, since its use and application in materials related to Archival Science often does not correspond to the meaning established in the glossary of the Brazilian Standard for Archival Description (NOBRADE). In view of this, the study starts from the archival description, passing through the different definitions of Terminology and some questions related to terminological equivalence. The research is methodologically configured as a basic research of the descriptive type, of a qualitative nature, using documentary sources, the main one being NOBRADE; it can also be characterized as an exploratory study, given the scarcity of research on the subject. Furthermore, the research is characterized as interdisciplinary, as it involves terms appropriated by Archival Science with a methodology established by Terminology. Data collection was carried out with the aid of a terminology form adapted to the needs of the research. The analysis of equivalence relations was carried out from the perspective of the Communicative Theory of Terminology. As a result, the analysis captured the inability of the NOBRADE glossary to convey the meaning and definition of the term “collection” in its actual use. In this way, the contribution of research to the scientific community, especially to archivists and translators, lies in the development of a tool (even if experimentally) that helps in understanding the multiple meanings that a term has in a single language, in this case the term “collection”. Thus, the recognition of the different conceptual dimensions that a term can assume, emphasizing frequently used terms – such as “collection”, which is one of the syntheses of the archival cultural heritage and one of the main objects of action of the archivist – favors political plurality within an area of ​​knowledge.