Neological productions in Portuguese as a non-native language

Abstract

This paper discusses the applicability of the terms ‘neology’ and ‘neologism’ to the analysis of lexical production by non-native speakers of Portuguese. Based on the description of the formal and semantic properties of the lexical units attested in written texts of adult Italian learners of Portuguese as a non-native language, we present some differences between the neological constructions that emerge in this context and those created by native speakers of Portuguese.