The Ways of Communication in Cuba: Proper sentences

Abstract

This contribution is part of an independent research devoted to the in-depth study of the names of Cuban roads from linguistics, especially Havana route names. The objectives of this work are, firstly, to identify if a sentence structure functions as a toponym, proposing the terminology proper sentences, both for those equivalent to route names, and for those whose consensus in the community should be verified. Secondly, to characterize such sentence structures: based primarily on the description of the route trajectory through orientation points located in it, so that all have a directional motivation 'indicate where the road is headed'. From the theoretical point of view, this contribution is based on the term propial used by Lázaro Portolés, who follows Richard Coates. The term Satznamen, which has been extensively described in German-speaking linguistics, also stands out among the studies dealing with this topic. It has been noted the existence of proper sentences since the seventeenth century, located in the west, center and east of Cuba. Therefore, this is a diachronic and diatopic qualitative study. The written sources, eight works from which samples are taken, allow us to reveal that there were common components in the structure of the sentences that, over time, have been simplified, and some became involved in the formation of more contemporary hodonyms. The sentences, moreover, referred to different ways that formed the Cuban colonial routes: serventías, caminos reales, calzadas, calles and others. The results suggest new lines of research, while revealing less known features of Cuban Spanish through toponymy.